Why do we call the Persian Empire an empire but call its ruler a king?

I heard once that when the German Nazis tried to show the Protocols of the Elders of Zion to Japanese rulers, their reaction was to find out how to ally with the Jews who supposedly controlled all world events and whatnot. Is this true?

Why are there so many conspiracy theories about Freemasonry?

Are there any good documentaries on the middle ages focussing on experimental archaeology/daily life ?

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I've read my fair share of books on the middle ages, but I've recently watched "Tudor Monastery Farm" and "Secrets of the Castle", and I realized how much visual input of the most basic and common occurrences of the daily life of the middle ages I lack. Things like: how pots and cheese are made, how wood is split without an axe and timber is used without nails, and so on.

So I was wondering if any of you know any such documentaries or otherwise visual resources that would enrich my knowledge of the medieval period (in any language). The above-mentioned two documentaries, although they are made for the general public and, consequently, are sometimes annoyingly basic, are a great watch that I can wholeheartedly recommend.

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Thanks in advance!

When did the UK start counting Monday as the first day of the week?

I figured this would be in the FAQ section, but the answers there mostly focus on why there even is a week, or why they have names.

What are the origins of what I affectionately call "Space Feudalism" in fictional storytelling/world-building? Has there ever been political philosophy push back to it?

The 120 year old John Carter of Mars has the Princess of Mars; but that makes some sense since it was written at a time when the world was filled with emperors.

The 1960s had Dune and it's inspiree Star Wars with Galactic Emperors, dukes, counts and Queens over planets.

Grimdark has the God-Emperor of Man ruling the Imperium.

All the way down to Marvel movies with Odin King of Asgard.

The last century has seen monarchies willingly and unwillingly become republics yet in tons of fiction, the Western World has remained staunch monarchists.

Side question, Did any Soviet science fiction ever delve into "Space Feudalism" in the same way?

Did the Habsburgs make up the title/rank of Archduke?

I think they held the title of Duke of Austria but the traditional lands of Austria had been divided down into more duchies that the Habsburgs eventually inherently or gained. Then some Habsburg duke forged a document proclaiming himself the Archduke of Austria that permanently gave himself control over all those austrian subduchies and imperial privileges. The Emperors ignored that document until the Habsburgs gained the imperial throne and cemented their "archduke" title.

My question is did the rank "archduke" exist before this event or was this forging of a title/document extremely apparent as if the governor of Massachusetts proclaiming to be the Archgovernor of New England; ie that definitely doesn't exist and never existed.

What is the correct title to call Khrushchev? I am writing a paper on US music diplomacy in the USSR and am not sure whether to call him Chairman, Secretary, Premier, etc. I am studying 1962 if that helps.

Dont know if I can ask this, but is there a thread of board where you can ask recommendations for books?

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I want to read about the rise and fall of the ottoman and japanese empire, but want a source that is as objective as possible

I was thinking about when covid will start popping up in movies and tv shows, but it seems a bit soon still. How long does it take for major events (wars, epidemics, etc) to become part of pop culture? For example, how long did it take before war brides to become popular in romance novels? What amount of time passes before it's acceptable to use real world events in fiction? Are there examples of fiction being accused of being "too soon" to use a major real world event?

Prior to WWI, what majors and degrees were available to a woman attending a woman's college in the UK?

What was the first jurisdiction that chose 21 as the age of adulthood, and why was 21 chosen rather than an even 20?

I’ve read a lot of explanations about where the US’s 21 year-old drinking age comes from, and they always refer to prior British laws about legal adulthood which the US borrowed for its own early laws. But I haven’t found an explanation of why the original British jurisdiction(s) chose 21 specifically over 20 or any other number.

How far back was 21 used and do we have a record for why?

What color were the Statues of Liberty intended to be?

What did Hitler mean by 'the state does not command us, we command the state'?

Not sure if this belongs even in this thread, but I also know I don't know anywhere I'd trust more for the reference, but are there any particularly great biographies about John Brown anyone would recommend, analysis of his legacy, anything of the sort? Remembered links to memorable posts about him wouldn't go unappreciated either.

Where is this Robert F. Kennedy quote from? If anyone knows the name of the address/speech, and where I can find the whole thing, I'd be grateful.

"Among the most familiar words of the founders of the republic are those affirming that all men are created equal, and that they are endowed with certain rights of which they cannot be deprived. It is a sad shortcoming of our history, that while asserting these high principles of equality, we have never completely lived up to them, nor have these injustices and discriminations been peculiar to any one part of our country."

Extra info: the quote and footage was featured in the MLK/FBI documentary (2020). It was talking about how the FBI went to attorney general Robert Kennedy for approval to begin wiretapping Stanley Levison's home and office in New York. Then it transitions to a televised address given by RFK. It's inside, between two flags, but no other information is provided. It's at 21:16 in the doc.

In the movie "Inglorious Basterds", what achievements did Colonel Landa's medals represent?

He had a lot of medals, some of which I think were for fighting (I'm not very good with Nazi decorations), but it's insisted throughout the movie that his role was mostly that of an investigator rather than a soldier.

If one were to come up with a simple and concise backstory for how he got them, what would that be?

Here's a picture where they're more or less all visible: https://imgur.com/a/h1UsKgi

The 1864 United States presidential election is noteworthy/important becuase it took place doing a civil war. Have any other nations had (mostly) free elections during a civil war?

Does anyone know of any good Sources about American Infuence in Japan during 1850s-1950s. I'm currently working on a NEA as part of my History A-level and need some Historian's views on the subject for part of the paper. I don't nessesarily need the historian's work to cover this whole period, but idealy I need sources that have a more in depth anaylsis of American infucence on Japanese culture, Politics etc. during at least part of this time period. Any suggested sources would be really helpful.

Do we know if Hitler ever personally visited a concentration camp? I’m curious about this after reading ‘On the Banality of Evil ‘ but can’t find any information.

did any Japanese soldiers defect to fight for china? i cant find anything on this

What did "nation" mean before "nationalism"? For example, what did the translators of the King James Bible mean by "nation"?

My wife is asking whether I have any friends who are 20th century Chinese history experts, or know any? Or have book recommendations? Specifically, she is looking at the period from the beginning of WWII to the communist victory in 1949. Detailed information on Shandong province, Guangzhou, Macau and Hong Kong during that time would be especially welcome.

What was the Pay like for Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of the First World War? I'm especially interested in that of Austria-Hungary, Germany and the Ottomans i.e. the Central Powers as there isn't much in the way for them online.

How many Sumerian language tablets have been found until now?

Hey there, I was wondering when this globe was made, can you help? https://photos.app.goo.gl/zjJipvxmSpP2zJub9

Kamikaze or kamikazi, the internet uses both so I am confused

What was the official title of holy roman emperor Fredericus Pulcher?
I would love to derive his official title from the sigil but I'm unable to read more than FREDERICUS DEI GRATIA and AUGUSTUS. Help would be greatly appreciated!
https://imgur.com/gallery/BI9oAfS
PS: The sigil of is competitor/co-king Ludovicus read: LUDOWICUS, DEI GRATIA COMES PALATINUS RENI, DUX BAWARIAE and I'm guessing REX ROMANORUM would have had to be added after 1313.

What were the world's most enduring "organic" democracies?

By "organic" I mean created by the people themselves, rather than under foreign influence. Any violent government overthrow resets the counter. Ideally, I'd like to see a list of democracies next to the number of years they lasted.

Did the spearman of late Roman empire, along with medieval spearmen in general, use phalanx or phalanx-like formation? I think I've heard something similar to what I imagine a phalanx would be once in the strategikon, but never really sure about the detail

Where on earth were onions and mushrooms first fried together?

Raynald of Châtillon is said to have attempted an attack on Saladin's sister while she was returning from Mecca to Damascus. What was her name?

Which rank from the Table of Ranks in Imperial Russia often had the most changes in regards to who held said position.

Do we have a concrete idea of what purpose the brethren of the coast served (or whether they served one at all)?

How many senators were there in the late republic roman era ? As i understand, something like 20 new members were inducted for life every year as Qaestors, but surely this would have caused the senate to overflow eventually ?

Did Alan Turing drink alcohol? My quick searches can't find any references to hin either imbibing or abstaining. Cheers.

In the last 100 years, are there any examples of wealthy regions having water shortages so severe as to cause a large exodus of a regional population?

I'm imaging medium to large regions that, in the span of less than a decade, experienced an Exodus of at least 25% of their population or more than 1m people where the primary reason was water scarcity.

Can someone suggest scholarly respected books of political theory on the beliefs/history of democratic socialism?

if rice has better calorie output (more food for less land) in comparison to wheat, why did USA and many european main food become wheat/bread instead of rice? Did they not discover rice was more efficient or was soil not good enough? Or was the culture of wheat too strong to change by time of discovery?

What was the Red Sea and Indian Ocean called by the Arab sailors in the early modern period, and what was the etymology of those names?

Hello. Does somebody know any good videos with animated maps about Yougoslavian war in the 90s?

At the battle of Marathon, do we have any idea how long it would have taken the Persian fleet to sail from Marathon to Athens?

To what extent does culture play a role in the economics of a country? Are some societies naturally suited to a certain economic system due to their history?

Who is the defense attorney at the Nuremberg trials. The guy that was defending the nazis

How many people died due to slavery? RJ Rummel claims its 17 to 65 million, but where these numbers come from? I searched online and found nothing.

In the Napoleonic Wars were grenadier companies truly elite “assault troops” that were habitually used to lead a charge or attack into a defensive position or were they basically like infantry made from select recruits and thus considered “elite”, and really employed in a manner not different from other line battalions?

A European slave trader arrives on the West African coast with his ship. What happens next? How would he "acquire" new slaves?

to which German ww2 official was the quote ''what French resistance'' attributed when asked about the impact of the French resistance?

Why did some cultures have concubinage, while others emphasized monogamy? Is there any theory behind that?

Were Brigades as a formation unit not used in US Army during WWII?

From what I know, in WWI, there were brigades in the formation between divisions and regiments. A division had 2 infantry brigades and each brigade had 2 regiments.

But in WWII, brigades don't seem to be present? A division has multiple regiments and supporting units.

Am I correct here? What was the reason for this change?

What is one of your favourite interesting beginning or development of a common word or phrase?

What soviet medal is this? https://imgur.com/a/ofY4ZaB

On the Eastern Front, were your chances of surviving WWII higher as a soldier or as a civilian?

I think I kind of know the answer to this question already, but I want some insight from this community.

Are Suleiman the Magnificant and Mehmed the Conqureror the same person?

In the game Civilisation 6, the Ottoman empire civilisation theme music is the song Yelkenler Biçilecek, which is about the reconcering of Istanbul, and one of the lines says:

Fatihin İstanbulu fethettiği yaştasın" which translates to "(you are) at the age Fatih(mehmed II the conqueror) conquered istanbul.

But in-game, the leader of the Ottomans (named in-game and on the wiki) is Suleiman the Magnificent.

Are they same person or are they just linking the theme to the Ottoman Empire overall, not specifically to the leader (Suleiman)

Do we know how big the cock of Nostradamus was? I was told to ask here.