I think the book did a very good job of giving me back story on the french revolution, and napoleon's rise, all as they related to Alex Dumas (father of the author of the count of Monte Cristo, and the three musketeers) but I want to make sure that what I read can be counted on as accurate. I have used it to help me explain the three estates in pre-Napoleonic France, and I am just looking to make sure I am not giving out false information, or partial truths.

I'm very interested in the Byzantine Empire, especially the Circus Factions and the famed Nika Riots. I've read Prokopios account of the riots and his view of the factions, as translated by Kaldelis in his book The Secret History with related texts but I'm left wondering if other (more or less) contemporary sources cover it? Also, can the wonderful people of AskHistorians recommend any modern works on the subject?

Hello all, University History minor here. My areas on interest lie in Early American History and Medieval Europe, thus leaving this outside my scope of knowledge. I was doing some reading on the middle east and couldn't find a good explanation of this.

I understand the core concept in that the British Empire was dwindling at this point, and pressure from abroad and domestically to disband the colonies was increasing rapidly post WWII. How was Eden involved? Did he simply believe that the British could still project Imperial power in the Middle East and control the canal?

I understand that Prussia had the biggest amount of civilians leaving their homes fearing the Red Army. What were the other major regions? How many refugees left and how many made it alive? Did most of them left for Western Germany or there were other notable destinations? When did the mass flight start? How did Wehrmacht high command react to it?

It seems to be the general understanding that Hitler's invasion of Poland in 1939 is what began World War Two in Europe. But both the Germans and the Soviets invaded Poland. Why was there not the same degree of outrage on against Stalin as there was against Hitler?

Popular media seems to show axes being used in battle almost as much as swords. It doesn't seem totally realistic that axes would be used if swords are available. Would axes only be used if there was a shortage of weapons, or were they actually that common?

Was it East Germany, West Germany, or both? From my understanding, reparations weren't paid off until 2011

I recently read a book about Khalid bin al walid and how good of a combatant he was as well as a military commander. In many of his battles the book proclaimed that Arab champions and Roman or Persian champions would fight one on one before the battle actually started. I guess the purpose of the duels were to boost morale, but did this actually happen? I know there were skirmishes before battle but not one man vs one man as both armies watched.

Did Khalid and Abu Ubaidah actually kill 10 men in a row in duels at the battle of Yarmouk? Or is this a case of exagertation to glorify the victors?

Are there any other duelers that were really successful like Khalid?

Were they built over or protected? What would the ruins we visit have looked like 100, 500 or 100 years ago? How about old/ancient ruins of other cultures in other cities?

Many different sources seem to claim that the Battle of Saipan was a hugely significant event in terms of Japan's eventual surrender.

Did the Japanese pose any threat to the US after about July 1944?

Did the Allies accept that victory in Japan was inevitable following the battle, and were any Allies worried about the possibility of Japan claiming back some of their former territories and invading the US after this point?

What was the Soviet foreign policy in the 20's? How did Soviet foreign policy affect their expansion? Any book recommendations or primary sources would be greatly appreciated!

I'd assume they existed and would be considered "mad," but children with severe mental disabilities (and keep in mind, I'm referring to the more/most severe cases) must have existed. How would they fit into feudal society, or would they be killed and not talked about? Serfs generally didn't have much room for liabilities.