We were always taught in elementary and secondary education, that in Medieval Europe, the only group that was able to read & write were the monks, priests and clergy people. Is it really true, though? How about the nobility, engineers and the administrators and 'white collars' of the time?

EDIT: Typo in title - Obviously it's supposed to be *Were there

EDIT 2: Thanks for all the great answers, they were all very interesting and insightful!

I am writing an essey on the period, and i was wondering how much information there was about the different topics, lead up to WW2, the wal street chrash etc.

I understand how Welsh is still common as English was only spoken by the ruling class. I also understand this is how English survived the Norman invasion, despite receiving a lot of French influence. (Correct me if I'm wrong mods)

Did the medieval Kingdom of Scotland speak English or Gaelic? During what points in history did the transition take place?

Sorry to be so vague about this, but I overheard someone speaking about a sculpture at the MET and I loved the story and wanted to know what sculpture it was exactly. The sculpture is either Greek, Roman or early European and it was a man that got his lover taken away. And he made a deal with the devil and had to convince everyone about something and the devil agreed and said if you pass this door without looking back, you can have her. At the last second he looks back right before he passes the door. The sculpture is apparently of the man looking back as he's pushing open the door. The man I overhead ended with "He was able to convince the entire world but himself."

Thank you in advance

I've read that the son of Cleopatra was the last Pharaoh, but I've also seen pictures of Roman emperors dressed as Pharaoh. Weren't they "real" Pharaoh?

All the recent tornados from Oklahoma to Alabama got me thinking: how did the inhabitants of these areas before the arrival of Europeans deal with tornados? We have sophisticated weather prediction technology, but even we have trouble getting out of the way when one of these things touches down. Did Native Americans consider tornados just totally random acts or nature or had they figured out they were seasonal, only appeared in certain conditions, behaved certain ways, etc.?

I was wondering, if the resident historians here could tell me something about the practical requirements of history, and generally about, what working in the field of history entails.

As an exaggerated example, i don't want to specialize in a field and then find it completely deserted, or it turning out to be nothing like i expected.

I am what could substitute a freshman in college (if i lived in the US), and I am really interested in working as a historian, specifically working working with maps (i adore maps, colonial maps, propaganda maps and ancient maps that look so wrong, you would think Pliny the elder had drawn them).

.

Sorry if this is posted in the wrong subreddit.

I thank you in advance. :)

PS. if it matters, i live in Scandinavia.

EDit: to elaborate a bit further, i want to know some of the more practical sides of what historians do, because from an outside perspektive, it seems like the job revolves around writing books and talk in documentaries.

Hello!

I was listening to Dan Carlin's Hardcore History, and I took special interest in a story he told about a french Soldier being killed by a firing squad (for listeners, the story is at about the 46 min mark).

The jist of the story is that BG Spears saw a squad of Soldiers leading a Soldier-prisoner away, and he could tell at once it was a firing squad and the Soldier would soon be dead.

He then told of a French General (General Ledame?) that spoke with the Soldier, asked him what his crime was, and then proceeded not only to justify the execution to the Soldier, but tell the Soldier that, even in his death, he is serving is country.

The story was very powerful. My jimmies were rustled. I am a Captain in the US Army, and I felt a deep connection to both the General and the Soldier-prisoner. I really want to use this to help frame a discussion with some of my fellow troops and officers.

However, after searching Google relentlessly for a source or a book about this, all I could come up with is one book by E.L. Spears. I plan to order the book, but it is going to be about two weeks before I will see it (I am stationed in Germany).

Is there any way you gents can help me track down a source for this story, and perhaps a book? If anyone here knows a lot about it, reference and background would be awesome.

Thanks!

I've become increasingly aware of my ignorance in geography. I'm trying to find a map showing where places like Sparta, Babylonia, Greece, etc were AS WELL as what is in that place now.

For example, Greece would mostly not change, but the indication that The Roman Empire occupied that same area at one time would be available.

Thanks for your time!

Pre-WW2, obviously...

At what point did humans build boats to travel on water (any water, even single person canoe type boats?)

When were the first "ships" used? (By ship, I mean a larger vessel with the specific intention of crossing a bigger stretch of water.)

Any other info on this subject would be great as well. I did try the search function but didn't find what I was looking for exactly. If i missed it or if my question is unclear, I apologize.

I remember hearing one founded on it in early Europe while I was in high school, but I can't find a link to the name of it. Was this ever actually attempted, and how did it turn out?

There was a thread here a few days ago that discussed that when all was said and done in Germany after WWII, the Germans lost 20% - 30% of her men. Most of them of fighting/breeding age. (For lack of a better term.) Yet Germany and Japan in just 2 – 3 generations seem to have rebounded from a population perspective. In the 20 odd years after the war, was there a significant increase in single mothers raising children in order to procreate? Is there verifiable documentation of this? How were those single mothers and “bastard” children treated? Did those societies offer services to those fatherless families? Were those single mothers looked down upon?

Kind of a strange question. Ask me if I need to clarify on the question.