Hey guys and gals! First time asking a question here.

I'd like to know what roles hedge knights played in medieval Europe, if it was significant any way, or if they were sort of an unpleasant feudal byproduct much like the Japanese ronin. I've only heard the term 'hedge knight' several times - George RR Martin admittedly being a couple - so I am hoping for the actual history behind the term. Google didn't turn up much but more Game of Thrones references.

Many thanks!

I guess I'm not too familiar with the structure of Spanish colonies in the new world, so I don't know how close different areas were. I wouldn't expect 70% of South America and all of Central America to have coalesced into a single country, but the number of countries for that size seems odd to me.

I was having a discussion with my friend's father yesterday about the various stereotypes of Europeans and somehow it drifted into a discussion about Poland and Polish history. He mentioned offhand the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and that it was a powerful state during its existence. He quickly moved on before I got to enquire any more, but it still piqued my interest.

1. What was the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, what happened to it, and why was it considered to be powerful?
2. Are there any books or other resources where I can learn about it?

Okay seems to be a universally recognized expression across the globe. What's it first recorded use and where does it come from? Was it British or American influence that spread the word globally?

To be more specific, what was life for them like before contact with Europeans? How did contact with Europeans change their lively hood? What wars did the participate in, and how did it benefit or harm them? What other major events were they involved with that took place during that time?

I'm writing a paper on the subject and I'm looking for more things to do a little more research on. Any help is greatly appreciated!

Was funding increased/decreased? Was space exploration still considered a priority?

By ancestry, I'm referring to country of origin. I'm curious as to whether or not its possible my distant relatives were in the conflict, because I know very little about them.

Would love to get a grasp on how big humanity really is.

Since you can see Alaska from Siberia, and the Siberians knew that there was apparently something over to the east, as well as the fact that they had technology like ships and telescopes. How do we know that the Siberians were not the first ones to cross the Strait and establish colonies, trading routes, etc on the Western Seaboard of America, before or during the time the Scandinavians did?

I just got done watching Dances with Wolves, and wondered if each member of the tribe had specific work goals each day like a day job, or could anyone help out with different tasks around camp? Could someone lazy get by in that kind of society? Could you take a day to yourself? Did you pick your own job at an early age? Any information would be interesting!

edit:

To speak about "Native Americans" as one historical group is mostly foolish, as lifeways and culture could vary >drastically in just the space of a few miles."

Fair enough. All my questions came from watching the Sioux in the movie "Dances with Wolves".

I chose my title to conform with subreddit policy, and while I am first and foremost interested in the details of the first meeting of the French and English, I am also very open to details involving the first encounters of other civilizations.

Again, my primary interest is in the methods used by foreign nations to acquaint themselves with the language/s of others.