Why did medieval armies have so many important nobles serving in the ranks? Wouldn't that be a problem, what with such important people dying in combat?

As in the Battle of Agincourt, where about a thousand French nobles died.

2 Answers 2015-03-13

Was there any Naval warfare present in the New World native civilizations?

3 Answers 2015-03-13

“It has been said, not truly, but with a possible approximation to truth, that in 1802 every hereditary monarch was insane.”

It has been said, not truly, but with a possible approximation to truth, that in 1802 every hereditary monarch was insane.

-Walter Bagehot

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I know about George III, but what about the other kings and queens, grand-dukes, emperors and tsars of Europe and the wider world? What insanities or eccentricities did they have to inspire Bagehot to write that line?

3 Answers 2015-03-13

What is the historical reason for not eating meat during Lent?

So far the only answer (with a source) I've found was [this] (http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/2164db/when_and_why_did_fish_become_allowed_on_fridays/cga2udx).

However, I remember learning at the Catholic High School I went to that the historical/cultural reasoning behind it was to be "clean" for Lent. Pigs and cattle were raised in unsanitary pastures and were very bloody when being butchered for meat and those were deemed unclean for the body. However, fish were seen as clean being they came from the water and aren't as bloody while being prepared for consumption.

Two other common things I've heard are (and these usually don't have a source when being said):

  • Thomas Aquinas said fish doesn't taste good, thus it was okay to be eaten during Lent and this made it a popularly accepted thing.
  • Fish was a poor man's food while mammalian meats were for the rich. Thus eatiing poor food was a way of sacrificing a luxury.

*Disclaimer, I was born a raised Catholic for 18 years of my 20 year life, and went to Catholic elementary and high school for a total of 12 years. However, for the past 2 years I've considered myself an empirical agnostic.

I'm this asking question because I was trying to debate with my mother that eating deep fried fish for Lent seems counter-intuitive considering how it's bad for the body in general (especially McDonald's fried fish filet sandwich). I couldn't find many sources that explain the root historical meaning to who first created these rules (and I would assume the answer would lie somewhere in the New Testament, so I would appreciate it if a Theologian could chime in on this). Thanks again for all the help and info!

2 Answers 2015-03-13

How did its participation in the Great War transform Canada as a nation?

Canada's participation in WWI occurred during a tumultuous time in its history, with industrialization rapidly changing cities, and in an atmosphere of social reform.

Could you consider World War One a watershed event in the history of Canada? Did its participation in the War lead to significant change, and if so, how?

1 Answers 2015-03-13

Without consideration the psychological impact on Americans, how successful were the Kamikaze's during WW2

2 Answers 2015-03-13

Can you explain me a little bit of United States' history?

1 Answers 2015-03-13

When and how did free coffee become commonplace in waiting rooms, offices, and similar places?

Edit: As some comments have noted, this isn't a worldwide truism. My specific experience and question are pertaining to in the U.S.

2 Answers 2015-03-13

What role did South America at World War?

2 Answers 2015-03-13

According to Podcast History of Our World, the Sumerians taught geography in their school system. How much of the world did they know about and what would they be expected to learn?

1 Answers 2015-03-13

Where did the story-time ending "...and they lived happily ever after" originate?

1 Answers 2015-03-13

Can somebody give an objective account of the pros and cons of Sandinista rule in Nicaragua during the 1980s?

So the Wikipedia article on the Sandinistas is somewhat, should I say,...hagiographic. Can somebody mention some of the downsides of Sandinista rule in Nicaragua? Was Nicaragua really a socialist utopia, and were the Sandinistas really as democratic as is portrayed in this Wikipedia article, or was Nicaragua more like present-day Venezuela?

1 Answers 2015-03-13

How did the Fontevraud abbey start out as an abbey for sinfull women and end up as an abbey for noble women?

1 Answers 2015-03-13

Are there any demographic differences between the modern day decendents of African American slaveowners and African American slaves?

If so, what?

1 Answers 2015-03-13

What is the transliteration for "Sic Transit Gloria Mundi" in Ancient Latin script.

Thank you, guys!

1 Answers 2015-03-13

I keep seeing this idea come up that "there is no evidence of gassings at Auschwitz" because supposedly the Polish found no traces of Zyklon B in the chamber. What sources do we have to counter this claim?

Trying to search for such information usually gets me onto Anti-Semitic websites. I can't even find information about the supposedly Polish government examination of the chamber without finding myself on StormFront or another websites.

3 Answers 2015-03-13

Was there ever a city in America that was successfully able to limit the mafia from making a foothold?

You always hear about the mafia's exploits in places like New York, Chicago, and Las Vegas to name a few, but not else where. Is that because the other cities where some how able to prevent their entry into the city, or just movies aren't fun to shoot in Cincinnati?

1 Answers 2015-03-13

Much of America's high school history books tend to focus more on the journey of taming the western frontier, than what was going on back east. So I'm wondering what was the general population's thoughts on those who decided to head out west?

To clarify, I'm wondering not just on the general consensus, but about the extra room that opened up, what happened to the jobs people left behind, the food stores, things like that.

I'm guessing many criminals headed west to escape prosecution, so how did the eastern law men deal with that? Was it just putting out bounties, or was there some other process?

2 Answers 2015-03-13

Have we ever actually lost any skills completely, or is it just that they are not as wide spread?

1 Answers 2015-03-13

Did USSR citizens know about the poor condition of the army and the gulag camps?

My friend and I are having a debate on why Soviet citizens would have joined the army of WWII era Russia. I thought that they would have to be threatened with the gulag, but she believes that they thought that the army wasn't as bad as it was and would have been desirable to join. Who's right?

1 Answers 2015-03-13

Favorite meals of historical figures?

1 Answers 2015-03-13

"And I laid traps for troubadours, who get killed before they reach Bombay"

The title is a line from the 1968 Rolling Stones song Sympathy for the Devil. The song references different historical events which are allegedly done in collusion with Satan, the singer.

This is the only line in the song which I cannot place in any sort of context. Do any historians have a clue what event this may refer to?

1 Answers 2015-03-13

Good books about partisan warfare on the Eastern Front of WWII?

I'm looking for some good books about partisan warfare during the Second World War, specifically on the Eastern Front. I didn't see anything on the book list, but I could have missed it.

1 Answers 2015-03-13

Was Martin Luther King jr a socialist?

1 Answers 2015-03-13

Why is a cat on the proposed Waterloo coin?

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-31841421

2 Answers 2015-03-13

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