I had always thought they were more or less under the same modus operandi as they had been in WWI. Was there a fascist movement or something like it which took hold following WWI? Or was it similar to how they had been a few decades prior in WWI?

I was just wondering this today, were his works put in a library? Given to someone? Kept in a hall of some sort? Kept in a cellar and survived by chance?

I'm wondering if anyone knows why so much of The Histories has survived compared to stuff like Aristophanes' plays or other writings of the time.

Hello, I think this is a "meta" post but I'm not sure how to use flairs. I apologize if this has been asked before. I am taking a university history course about Europe in the 20th Century and I have to draw on a lot of material for the final exam. I absolutely want to learn and think I have a responsibility to learn. However, the content is so disturbing to me that I no longer approach learning with passion but with a sense of hopelessness. I know this is the wrong attitude, but I can't help that its really taking a toll on my mental wellbeing. It isn't that I am completely shocked by the historical events that I'm learning about/had no knowledge of them before, but it's just that it's so much information, and it's all so terrible? This is something I am experiencing in most of my classes (political science, etc.) I was wondering if anyone else felt the same thing. How do you deal with it, while still learning?

I just watched 300: Rise of an Empire the other day and was reading about the Battle of Thermopylae. One of the related Wikipedia pages has an image that looks like a historical depiction; it is a picture of Spartans throwing the Persian envoy down a well.

Did this actually happen, then? The Wikipedia page cites no sources nor does it discuss the incident; so I just wasn't sure. I had thought the exchange in the film to be a creative supplement to the plot in order to visually enhance the drama. Thanks.

From my understanding, up until the modern era, usury was seen as a sin. Yet famous bankers like the Medici family were so rich, their power extended far beyond their town into european thrones and even the papacy! How did they actualy made money from loans and the exchange of goods? Did they actualy used usury even if it was a sin? Could it have ruined them and their reputation?

I know that the exchange of debt between banks, taxes and the conversion of currency is part of the answer but I dont know how it plays in the greater scheme of things.

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CORRECTION!!!!:

I made a mistake, Siddhartha Guatama DIED in the Republic of Malla, he was BORN in the Republic of Shakya, so the question still stands but I just wanted to clarify since this got some attention

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First of all, I had always heard that Siddhartha was a prince, but it seems that while his family was rich and powerful, they weren't exactly nobility, so I feel that was straight up false advertising

Second, my understanding is that republics were uncommon in the past, so much so that the few republics that existed are quite famous like Rome, Athens, or Venice, that's why I was so surprised to hear that there was a republic so far back in India

Now what I want to know is how that republic came to be, how democratic it was, and if there were other republics like it or if it was an oddity in the region

Thanks

I've noticed a general tendency for Japanese strategy, tactics, and especially foreign policy to be portrayed as largely stupid decisions motivated more by nationalistic fervor and wishful thinking than sound decision making, particularly when compared to Nazi Germany, which is generally portrayed as more reasonable. Are we really being fair to the Japanese though? Were they really as far up their own asses with ideological fanaticism as we're led to believe? Or were their actions in WW2 largely reasonable calculations that made the best out of a bad situation? Is there a racial component to this perception?

I very recently became inspired to write a novel that takes place mostly in the early 1800s in America. In the past, I've rushed into writing without doing research and as much was not a successful writer. Although it's been years since I have tried writing, this inspiration is very strong and I want to do as much research as possible to make the setting as accurate as I can. As I start to write ideas and plan the story I realize, I really know very little about life in America in say, 1813. Next to nothing to be honest. For example, I didn't even know America was involved in the War of 1812 until today when I started loosely drawing straws. (And I was born and raised in America.) What I am hoping to learn from posting this mainly is what was America like then vs say now and compared to before during the American revolution. Where did most sympathies lie in the states? For a younger woman seeking marriage during this time - how would the war have affected her? And really any pointers on what daily life was like, what the overall atmosphere was like, and what different political views where prevalent during that time? If you have any suggestions on books or articles that might help me, it would be greatly appreciated. Also please do not be aggravated at the vague question - this idea came to me last night and it has been years since I've tried to research any topic in depth. Similar posts from me may also pop up in other subreddits as I've other similar questions. Thanks in advance!

Background: I am aware, largely from reading historical fiction such as Hornblower, that English ships in the Napoleonic period, and possibly earlier and later periods, had a responsible officer on board called the sailing master, who as I understand it was responsible for advising the captain in maneuvering and navigating the ship and deciding how to set the sails. I believe this was a warrant officer rather than a commissioned officer. My questions pertain to the nature and origin of the rank, how sailing masters were trained and promoted, and how they compared to commissioned officers such as lieutenants.

1. How did the position of sailing master originate? Was this a legacy of a pre-Napoleonic period when ships tended to be commanded by army officers or well-connected gentlemen with little in the way of naval training and experience?

2. Is the position of "sailing master" related to the Napoleonic rank of "master and commander" in any way besides coincidence of names?

3. How did one become a sailing master? Was one promoted from an enlisted rank? Was there perhaps prior service as an officer on civilian ships involved? What is the relationship between master's mates, midshipmen, and the sailing master?

4. How did a sailing master compare to a commissioned officer like a Lieutenant? What was the relative pay? Did sailing masters serve watches? Could a sailing master command a ship or prize under any circumstances?

5. Did the position of sailing master continue into the age of steam? If so, what were the responsibilities of the position?

I’m talking the original 3 ingredient basic stuff. Salt Peter, Charcoal, and Sulfur.

It seems so basic and simple to make, but I was trying to come up with where the hell people got the ingredients from for early firearm warfare.

Charcoal is simple enough, but we’re their naturally formed deposits of Salt Peter and Sulfur ready to be ground up? Or did they have to be refined?

And what came first, fireworks or firearms? And did they use the same propellant?

I know that lions had been exterminated in Europe a long time ago, but why are they still so common in heraldic and art? Same with Leopards.

Did people knew what they were, or these were just images that were reproduced by force of habit?

Apparently the Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem, as the Teutonic Order is now known, currently operate a modern General Hospital with all of the modern conveniences and expertise you might expect, in Friesach, Austria. It has an Internal Medicine department, a Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care, and so on, staffed by modern medical professionals.

How did the Teutonic Order go from being suppressed by the Nazis after the annexation of Austria in 1938 to adapting successfully to the modern world by running a hospital with their own Teutonic Order ambulances? (!)

I post their website here only to show that I'm not making this up: dokh.at

This is mind-boggling to me, especially considering the fates of the Templar Knights, disbanded in 1312.

The story of the allies using inflatable tanks and other military equipment to trick German reconnaissance planes into thinking the allies would land near Calais is a well known one. But how did they hide their real army from reconnaissance planes? Surely their actual tanks would have been just as visible as inflatable ones. Wouldn’t the Germans have noticed their were two army’s in south England?

I’m considering the following:

Dominion: How the Christian Revolution Remade the World by Tom Holland

The Triumph of Christianity by Bart Ehrman

A History of Christianity by Paul Johnson

A History of Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years by Diarmaid MacCulloch

The Rise of Christianity by Rodney Stark

Are there any others you would recommend?

I've always wondered how do ruins get under meters of dirt (and other materials). Could someone gently explain? Thanks in advance

I like to think I read a good amount of history, and I’ve noticed that from around the Renaissance to the Enlightenment, European diplomacy had traditions and norms, however things were rather loose, ad hoc, with plenipotentiaries being sent to foreign courts for a specific purpose before coming back home, until eventually permanent ambassadors became the norm.

However, what I’d like to know is what was the definitive moment, or period, where diplomatic service grew from the personalistic, socializing atmosphere where diplomats would regularly interfere with the domestic politics on a foreign country, to the highly technocratic, extremely formal ways of diplomacy we know now?

I suppose this would pertain to medieval vocal music; would have this been something his father would have taught him about, or did his musical knowledge/training extend only to around the Baroque era (we know he admired Bach, for one)? Was medieval music even being studied in general during this period (late 18th century)?

I'm reading The Count of Monte Cristo currently (1844) and there was an interesting jab at Italian cuisine in the latest chapter.

Whether the events which Franz knew of had had their effect on him alone, he remarked that his companion did not pay the least regard to them, but on the contrary ate like a man who for the last four or five months had been condemned to partake of Italian cookery - that is, the worst in the world.

This stood out to me because as far as I'm aware, Italian food is widely regarded as excellent. I'm curious if this was possibly sarcastic on Dumas' part? Or was Alexandre Dumas as a Frenchman in the 1800s part of a culture that looked on Italian food as inferior?

How did the reputation of Italian food go from being dissed in the most popular novel of the 1840s to being seen as excellent as it is now?

I've often heard stories talking about how you could start smelling the cities from miles away, how people would defecate and urinate into the rivers, how people would toss buckets of their waste onto the street. How true is all this and how much did this lack of hygiene differ between century?