It seems unrealistic for the current system to have been used very early on. Was it used when emperor Constantine made Christianity Rome's official religion. Or was it much later, maybe the medieval period?

Jerusalem, Mecca and Constantinople are thought to be holy cities of religions. However, they are still part of another country. Why is the Vatican the only one that is a city state?

This is a question that I've found very interesting, and has implications with current affairs and what feels like a big rise in public skepticism in the internet age. However my minimal knowledge is also aware of religious objection to discoveries in Astronomy and Evolution for example. Has any work been done on investigating how widespread skepticism has been over different periods of time? Also has it been restricted to a few topics, or have we simply forgotten about skepticism towards discoveries that now seem unchallenged?

I know that the main conflict of the Hundred Year's War was England and France (w̶h̶e̶n̶ ̶i̶s̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶t̶h̶o̶s̶e̶ ̶t̶w̶o̶), but I'm writing a story where the main character is in the Scottish Army and going to fight English forces. The story takes place in 1346. Any crucial information I should know?

The japanese modeled themselves after the europeans. What the japanese did was nothing compared to what happened during the boxer rebellion. British and french soldiers who hunt down pregnant chinese whores and then gamble on the sex of the fetus and cut open the china whore's belly to settle the bet.

That's what the poster claims.

I'm intrigued in knowing whether there's any truth to this claim or similar act that could inspire such stories. Tried googling but nothing comes up about this practice.

Thank you for any answer in advance!

Edit: should add the OP refers to events happening during Boxer Rebellion era.

Did becoming Muslim offer more trade benefits?

The topic of hidden Catholics in English society pops up a lot in works about the period (e.g. was Shakespeare a secret Catholic?), how quickly did the population accept Anglicanism? or was Anglicanism's resemblance to Catholic practice enough to keep most of the uneducated population thinking that the difference between Rome and London was the difference between Coke and Pepsi? What I am most curious to know is what sources and methods Historians have used to calculate the presence of a belief and practice that was not only hidden during the period, but purposely forgotten and swept under the rug by most of later descents of these Catholics who embraced the Anglican Faith. Any articles or books that deal with this topic would be greatly appreciated.

I'm pretty sure I've seen Tacitus quotes to the effect that the Romans were actually quite terrified by the Germans and feared them as a major threat to the empire in Europe, but for the life of me I can't remember where this came from (Annals, Germania etc) and don't want to go on a wild goose chase for something I may have just come up with in my head.

I checked the FAQ, even going to the "what did the Romans think" section and couldn't find anything there on this.

Is it fair to say that the Romans feared the Germans and felt they were a true threat to the empire? What sources comment on the Germans as regards the threat they did/didn't pose to the empire and how Romans felt about them?

Thanks!

Every other colony of Spain was either given nominal independence or taken over by the United States. Why was Spain permitted to retain this one? Was there any discussion about it among American foreign policy makers? Was it brought up in Treaty of Paris negotiations?