There's a trope of a medieval knight and his trusty squire traveling through the countryside on quests.

I know quests didn't really happen but how many squires or servants would accompany an average, mid level knight on his journeys?

Like for example, a knight has his knight's fee in Swabia and he's traveling to Italy to see the Emperor during the Hohenstaufen dynasty. He's not on campaign but there may or may not be some fighting. Would the knight still spend a large chunk of his earnings to arm himself and 10 others just in case Or would he travel himself prepared for battle but only with a squire or two so they could set the camps and tend the horses?

What and how many would accompany a traveling knight?

Cheese 🧀

What do we know about who and why someone decided to take the breastmilk of another creature whose teats are close to its groin, let it go bad, scrape those parts off and salt them, eventually add mould to the mix and pronounce it edible and eventually a delicacy?

I’m after some basics on the origin of cheese.

Watching Gentleman Jack and there's some real confusing stuff about landowning. I gather unmarried women could buy land but after marriage would automatically surrender it to their husbands, but I thought a male heir always inherited if there was one. Wiki says Anne Lister inherited the estate and part of the income from her uncle, why did her father who was still alive at this point not inherit? Why does she say that her sister Marian will never own the estate even in the event that Anne dies and it will go to another branch of the family? Same for Ann Walker, her brother died so now she's the landowner, how can she put it in the will that she wants Lister to have her estate (or income?) after her death? Or would she just put a clause in that Anne would be provided for? This is 1830s England. I guess they couldn't put in a lecture on women's property rights as expository dialogue

Would the annexation of serbia, even though that was unlikely an initial goal of Austro-Hungarian empire, have gone to Austrian empire or Hungarian kingdom? I'm sure the Austrians would have wanted to keep it, but it mostly bordered Hungary and sounds like a disrupting event had it succeeded .

What did Roman math look like?

Like addition/subtraction/multiplication/division. How was it written out? I'm trying to wrap my head around how it could've worked with Roman numerals... and I just can't.

In movies adventures are always lighting random ancient torches left in crypts and whatnot. Is that at all logical given any sort of medieval torch making method?

So pre-industrialization, probably medieval or Renaissance era (cards on the table, this is for D&D so I'm going for the closest I can), how long would fishing boats be out at sea? Someone in our party is insisting they would basically go out in the morning and be back by evening, and I'm having trouble finding info on this in google (only thing I found was hyper specific, Newfoundland migratory fishers) so I was hoping to get some confirmation or correction here.

Was Kruschev's Cult of Personality speech heard in all the Soviet bloc countries in 1956? I always hear about its immediate impact on Russia and the West thanks to the NYT transcript leak, but I've never been able to determine whether Poles, Hungarians, etc. had access to the transcript or if they just heard rumors

I’d like to watch documentaries about what happened directly after Hitler’s suicide. Who took over etc. any recommendations?

I just started listening to When Women Ruled the World by Kara Cooney. While the book is an interesting introduction to different historical women, it's also quite...problematic. During the first dynasty, Cooney alleges that the transition of power between pharaohs was a time of grief due to the the hundreds of elite people that accompanied the pharaoh to the grave as human sacrifice, and that queen mother Merineith would have been traumatized by her father's death and funeral. Is this just Cooney making assumptions and conclusuons based on how we view death nowadays or is there actually any evidence to support her conclusions?

Was it possible for an african american teenage girl living in North America to be happy, learn to read, go to school and look up to have a career between 1870 and 1920? Would she already know what the word racism meant and the concept of it? I'm trying to write a novel about teenagers from different places in time that meet and interact to each other and I really want to be truthful to the reality of those girls.

How long were weapons in antiquity expected to actually last? Would a gladius or spear be expected to last more than a single tough battle? Or would everything need to be refurbished or replaced by the quartermaster each day (for armies that actually had quartermasters)?

Why were witches burned? I know that in anglophone countries, witches were hanged instead. Is there any theological justification for burning specifically?

(Book suggestion on Christianity)

I would like to read a book on the history of the early Christian church (up through and including the East-West Schism). The two books I'm looking at are MacCulloch's Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years and Robert Louis Wilken's The First Thousand Years: A Global History of Christianity. MacCulloch's appears to be more popular, but Wilken's is published by Yale and is shorter. Can someone recommend either of these, or perhaps something else? Thanks!

What are some famous examples of people who rose to power by solving problems that they themselves helped create?

Not sure if this is a simple question or a complicated one:

i'm looking for a book about the Congress of Vienna. Couldn't find one on the askhistorians booklist.

What i'm hoping to find is a book more on the scientific/historians side rather than pop science, though it doesn't have to be a perfect literary work.

Doesn't have to be only on the Congress either, but i'm curious how they ended up making the decisions they did. Being from the Netherlands, i'm also specifically interested in why they choose to make The Netherlands a kingdom with William I its king.

any suggestions?

It's well-documented that in Medieval and Early Modern Europe, the most severe swear words were the ones considered blasphemous. By the end of the 19th century, this shifted in common circles to sexual/bodily profanity being considered more offensive.

When exactly did this shift happen? And how did it happen?

If I were to swear at a typical person of, say, the late 18th century, would he be more offended if I shouted something vulgar, or something blasphemous? Would it depend on his education/economic status? Would it depend on the particular country?

The three official languages of the ISO (International Organization for Standardization) are English, French, and Russian. I can understand English and French (since they're historically the international language for, like, everything), but why is Russian also an official language?

Were allergic reactions ever though to be acts of intentional poisoning?

Who said the Saint Peter's basilica cost 480,000,000 ducats? I cant find the source anywhere

Is it true that Ottoman sultans wore Kefen (death shrouds) as their headwear?

What are cool things to know about the historicity of the God of War video game series? Is there anything in them that was surprisingly accurate?

Nudity and sex are taboo topics almost everywhere. Is there any culture in the past or present where public sex is normal?

So there were guys whose regnal numbers varied with the country, like being Charles I of A and V of B.

Was there ever anyone who had three or four of these? Like, Louis I of Belgium, III of Luxembourg, X of France and XI of Monaco? What's the most ridiculous one?

Were there any successful rebellions in USA history? Specifically, citizens fighting against the Federal government via violent means and achieving their stated goals.

Why do we hear so little about Uk submarines during WWII? I’ve seen loads of stories about German, American and Japanese subs, but very rarely British.

Who is this? A ring bought in late 90's in eastern Europe. Image

There was sultan Ibrahim the first, who had reoccurring headaches and was mentally unstable. I was wondering what mental illness he had. And was he actually mad or just that bad at being a sultan.

The Levant Company had ships with names like "Christ", "Trinity" and "Jesus". Were these regular names by the standards of elizabethan nautical nomenclature, or were they doing that deliberately because they were exclusively trading with Muslim turks?

I've heard WW2's Italian military being described as "having good or brave soldiers, but poor commander" quite a lot. Is there any reference or events that help show or support the 'good soldier' part? What does it mean having good soldiers in this context anyway?

Just want something a bit more specific for this vague statement I often heard. I kinda get why/how the leadership and logistic are bad, but not the other half.

Does there exist audio of a tiger 2 firing?

Why was the patriot act proposed and , passed so quickly and unanimously?

Did it receive the proper scrutiny and treatment the legislative process usually gives bills?

How did SWIFT work WITHOUT TCP/IP or the internet?

What are some examples of a natural phenomenon changing the course of a battle or conquest?

Hi, has anyone seen the documentary, “Killing Jimmy Hoffa”? I was wondering if someone could weigh in on what they thought of it? If it’s accurate? The director seems to interview themselves a lot, which makes me skeptical of it as a whole.

Do contemporary historians see capitalism or feudalism as more challenging for ordinary people, after controlling for technological progress?

The use of private property as a way to exploit others is unique to capitalism. For example, in contrast to feudalism, capitalists only allow workers access to their property during times when said workers are laboring to create wealth for said owners. In feudal times, as mentioned before, peasants were allowed to live on this land, and even use it as a means to sustain for themselves and their families, as long as this personal activity was done after the lord's work had been completed.

Now, with capitalism, workers "punch in," proceed to labor for a specified amount of time in exchange for a fraction of the wealth they create, "punch out," and then are left to find their own means of housing, food, clothing, and basic sustenance with only the wage they receive.

This latter task has proven to be difficult for a majority of the world's population for the past number of centuries, even in so-called industrialized nations, which is why welfare states have become prominent as a means to facilitate the mass exploitation of the working class. Capitalists, and their governments, learned long ago that workers must be able to survive, if only barely, so that they may continue to labor and consume.

Before computers and the internet, how did cops in the US check for outstanding warrants during routine traffic stops? Or did they just not?

How many of those who came to California during the mid-1800s gold rush were actually mining for gold, compared to the number of people providing goods and services to prospectors?

Did the winged hussars actually wear wings?

Been having some trouble finding an answer to this mostly as terrorism wasn't coined as a term until around the time of the french revolution (as far as I know).

Does anyone, therefore, know what the first recorded instance of an individual or non-state group using violence/ threat of violence to achieve their political goals is? So not just some ancient assyrian racketeering or someone in the Xia dynasty being killed over a goat squabble.

Did anyone experiment with missiles before/while the Nazis did?

What was Robert Oppenheimers final verdict on the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. We know from his infamous interview that he seemed rather empty from the incident and thats where his famous quote came from. We also know that he went to Truman to complain about the blood on his hands. Yet despite all this, towards the end of his life he said he would always go back and help contribute to the bomb again. Does that mean he saw the bomb as a necessary evil or did he see himself as fated to contribute to bomb from his Hindu ideals?

Does anyone know what colour the Soviet Factory Workers' uniforms were?

How much would daily life stuff, specifically a newspaper, cost in 1886 Russia?

What Are Some Notable Examples of Powerful South American Families Who Are Clearly Related to Nazis Who Fled Europe Post WW2?

There is a lot of academic evidence to suggest that many Nazis fled to South America after WW2.

Any good examples of modern-day families that are the progeny of these Nazis? I'm thinking powerful business, political, and entertainment figures/icons?

There have been more than two world wars. Yet, we start counting not with the first and stop at the last, calling it the second. Why is that?

Was the Battle of Pharsalus during Caesar's civil war won largely by chance or is it a strategy?

Hi. I guess this question was asked before with a proper answer but I couldn't find the answer and here I am asking again.

Did people in the medieval ages know what the Colosseum was? I meant both ordinary folks and elite of the society with people?

Did the Romans ever use Greek armor typical of the hoplite, such as the Corinthian helmet?

Hi all! I’ve got not one, but several questions regarding the military use of mounted (that includes Camels and Elephants or any other kind of animal) ranged soldiers/warriors, during the Middle Ages (but more precisely, from 400-1600CE). I don’t require a 15 paragraph essay as an answer, just short lists and answers, and I will try myself to extend the information received:

What kind of weapons were used (bows – mainly composite, javelins, knives, darts - I’ve read about Arambai, slings, etc.) and what civilizations (apart from of course Huns, Mongols, Magyars, Turks, Byzantines, Japanese Yabusame, Scythians, Alans – Sarmatians, Tatars, Timurids,…) would usually use them? Not a long answer required, just a list of most common and not so common users of this tactics.

Was really mounted Archery a thing in Central and Western Europe? I’ve read some articles stating evidence of the use of a single crossbow volley (of course, reloading the crossbow on a galloping horse would be close to impossible) on heavy Cavalry before charging (mainly by Central European Teutonic Order). But apart from that, I feel only Eastern European Pontic Steppe Empires and Slavic kingdoms in contact with Eurasian nomads would use them. Would Polish and/or Lithuanians use them? Or were they only specialized on Cavalry charges (Heavy Cavalry for Polish – Light Cavalry for Lithuanians)?

Would Jinetes/Zenatas/Genitours be commonly used by Spanish outside the Iberian Peninsula during their conquests? Or were they a thing only during the Reconquista? Would Conquistadors use their arquebuses while mounted (when possible, the American forests wouldn’t allow to fight mounted, but for a little more open war fields)?

Did Briton/Celtic Hobelars use more spears or javelins for their Skirmish warfare?

Did any kind of mounted Archery exist in Africa, apart from Berbers using Camels?

Thanks in advance!

Did the Germans ever attempt to attack or destroy the French train line to Verdun in 1916,or the path built to supply them called,I think the "sacred way"?

What are good books or televised documentaries on Harry S. Truman that I could read/watch?

Are there any explorers that explored and discovered something because they were told/ordered to?

A quick question regarding classical orations and other speeches: what are our sources like for things like Demosthenes' Philippics and Cicero's Pro Caelio? They're credited to the authors, but was there an ancient stenographer recording what was said, or were these written down and spread by pamphlet?

Why is the Egyptian “Keftiu” interpreted as referring to the Minoan Civilization?

I'm reading on the road by Jack Kerouac, and the characters steal cars left and right like it's the easiest thing in the world, dozens and dozens of cars

Were cars extremely easy to break into and turn on without keys, in the '40s and '50s?

Does anyone know what specific manner of dress this might be based on?

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FLqbOpnVIAU7cFp.jpg

It looks Victorian, but the character is supposed to be ethnically Japanese. Either way, I'm pretty sure it's mourning attire?

Any book recommendations on major European events of the 18th century? I'm struggling to wrap my brain around the Seven Years' War and the 18th-century wars of succession which surround it.

Where is the Crash site of Super 61 and Super 64 exactly, I know the general area, but I cannot find the street or coordinates of the location.

Is it really fair to say that Italy switched sides in WWI?

What and when was the earliest known form of birth control?

Recommendations for histories of the various US executive departments? I’m interested in the growth of the federal bureaucracy both as a response to changing circumstances and to (explicitly or implicitly) changing ideas of the purpose and role of the federal government. See eg the Department of Agriculture’s origins as a bureau within the Interior Department and that department’s own origin as a potpourri of offices previously assigned to departments with which they had no obvious connection.

I am having trouble finding a podcast mentioned in a post here. It was in a question about good historical audiobooks and podcasts. This one had to do with the birth of the anti-choice movement and the modern American Right. Can anyone help me identify this post/podcast?

I’m curious to read more on the history of sail emblems, specifically various empires’ emblems on ships in roughly 1500-1800 or so. Any suggestions for a good source?

I don’t even know if I’m describing this in the right way. I’m watching Black Sails and have noticed that merchant ships tend to have plain sails, whereas Spanish and British warships have huge crosses or X’s on them, and I’d like to read up on what they all mean.

Thanks in advance!

Did Otto Von Bismarck, in 1848, ask the king to accept the frankfurt parliament's crown offer?

What exactly is a Roman telum?

I've been studying how to speak Latin, and during my studies, I was told that a telum means dart in Latin. However, based on what I found out online, the Romans seem to refer to their darts as a plumbatum, so I searched online for any results and found little to no information about them. So is there anything solid about these and how different are they to plumbata?

Does anyone know where I can find the English translation of the book “Racism” by Magnus Hirschfeld?

Please, which are examples from history of those 2 possible events:

a country A (it's people) are unhappy with their government and structure. They (whoever, maybe a revolution group or whoever has relationship to another king or whatever ..)

Issue is, they cannot do something from 'inside'. the king of country A has an large army inside the country (like the praetorians in ancient Rome), power structures are unequal, messages are often untruthful and people are tired. so, but what they are able to: they ..

a) .. call a "more powerful" country B to help, remove the government, impose a 'better' (working, more efficient, maybe more 'fair' structure) - and country B is doing so. probably country B 'removes' (by whatever means) the king of country A, or 'conquerors' country A. Also removes the preatorians' guards.

b) .. or: they declare war onto another (more powerful in say, technical advances) country B. That other country B of course defends. As soon as - or very soon - after the declaration of war (or the fact of an attack, may it be weak or fake) - the attacking country A surrenders.

( .. or: c) country A attacks an ally; or a 'smaller brother' of country B. country B reacts, in the same way, this way: )

result: the 'more powerful'/more advanced/more long-term thinking country B restructures the country A .. a little bit after their own living model.

• Without 'taking over' country A, without assimilating country A, without entirely destroying country A.

Has that happened? Where?

.. (yes I have played strategy and other super boring war-games during childhood or computer-things similar. But - in reality?)

Thank you

(I know that's how the Roman empire worked. But - they were not 'called', they decided on their own to come and take whatever lands. I am asking about 'being called' and 'answering the call')as