r/AskHistory • u/karcsiking0 • 2h ago
r/AskHistory • u/milford_sound10322 • 7h ago
How to legitimize illegitimate children in the middle ages?
I got the question from reading War and Peace, when Pierre finally got legitimized before his father died. I remember it involved him asking permission from the Czar.
My question is, is there a standardized procedure in the middle ages? Like all the family had to do is ask the head of state? Or does the church need to get involved somehow? If this was possible, why didn't more noble family with illegitimate children just do this? Especially when the word is out there, everybody and their mom knows this kid is yours.
Edit : Just in Europe to narrow down the discussion.
r/AskHistory • u/SiarX • 2h ago
Before 19th century and dominance of British empire which countries were superpowers of its time?
Besides Roman empire, of course.
Superpower describes a sovereign state or supranational union that holds a dominant position characterized by the ability to exert influence and project power on a global scale.[1][2][3] This is done through the combined means of economic, military, technological, political, and cultural strength as well as diplomatic and soft power influence. Traditionally, superpowers are preeminent among the great powers. While a great power state is capable of exerting its influence globally, superpowers are states so influential that no significant action can be taken by the global community without first considering the positions of the superpowers on the issue.[
r/AskHistory • u/Not_instant_ramen17 • 2h ago
Why did the suffragette movement in England begin in the 19th century rather than at any other point throughout time?
I'm looking for academic secondary sources on what sparked it/what allowed it to happen then, but I must not be a very good researcher because I can't find anything
r/AskHistory • u/bucin-goblok • 5h ago
Can you explain about 4.2 ka event?
I just watched some timeline chart about history in youtube. Just curious about the mark in 2200 BC that named 4.2 ka event. Can anyone explain it?
r/AskHistory • u/kkkan2020 • 17h ago
What conditions allowed the usa to be the world factory from 1870 to 1945?
People say the usa was the world factory after world war 2 because every other industrial nation was reduced to rubble that took them at least 20-25 years to rebuild.
But what I find fascinating is the usa was already an industrial power house aka the world factory that was already unmatched since the industrial revolution to even up to world war 2 in the 1930s.
Anyone know the conditions that allowed the us to be such a industrial powerhouse the way China is now? Why did the us lose this kind of industrial edge over it's competitors?
What do you think?
r/AskHistory • u/Intrepid_Doubt_6602 • 1h ago
Was Reinhard Heydrich an opportunist or a true believer and ideologue?
r/AskHistory • u/Capital_Tailor_7348 • 6h ago
What where people in the boshin war even fighting for?
I recently watched a documentary on the boshin war and from what I gather both sides wanted to modernize and made use of modern firearms. And both sides claimed to also be protector's of japan traditional culture and values. So what where they fighting for?
r/AskHistory • u/Heyhey-_ • 20h ago
What did the 28.88% who voted against the Good Friday agreement want? What was their plan/solution for the conflict in Northern Ireland? What could’ve happened if most people voted against it?
I watched the show Derry Girls a while ago, and it was shown how voting “yes” in the Good Friday Agreement was the best solution and the option that most voters chose. However, there was a 28.88% who voted against it. What was the alternative plan/solution? What could’ve happened if the majority voted “no”?
r/AskHistory • u/AcceptableBuddy9 • 13h ago
How different was Egypt culturally in 50 BC vs 180 AD vs 600 AD?
As a casual fan of Roman history I’ve wondered how assimilated the province has become over the many centuries of control. I know Romans did not exactly turn their provinces more Latin/Hellenic, but surely the culture must’ve been affected, right?
r/AskHistory • u/Puffification • 1d ago
Why did Goths and Vandals not record their history at all?
If you compare other Germanic groups-- the Anglo-Saxons, the Lombards, the Norse through their sagas, etc-- it seems odd that such large and well-known groups as the Goths and Vandals didn't record their history, origin, kings, or legends at all. Is that really true though, or did we just lose the accounts that they wrote?
r/AskHistory • u/Free_Account9372 • 9h ago
With no media or police, how did ancient rulers get compliance from their citizens?
Did they use religion as a way of getting compliance? Was there some way that they got their citizens to be more obedient without controls close at hand? Who is doing research on this topic? Thanks!
r/AskHistory • u/Intrepid_Doubt_6602 • 1d ago
Did the Confederacy ever have any chance of victory in the Civil War?
Given the severe manpower and industrial capacity disparities.
r/AskHistory • u/Capital_Tailor_7348 • 1d ago
Why do orthodox churches have so many icons?
I saw a picture of an Orthodox Church and their is an icon on almost every square inch, even when compared to say Catholic Churches which also tend to have a lot of art. Why is that?
r/AskHistory • u/Extension-Aioli9614 • 20h ago
How was medicine made in pharmacy during WWI in Britain?
I am writing a novel set in WWI, London, and some chapters take place in a pharmacy through the POV of a chemist. Unfortunately, I'm not confident with the small amount of information I've found on the actual compounding and bottling of medicines during this time. Can anyone help me?
r/AskHistory • u/KobraPlayzMC • 2d ago
What did we really lose in the Library of Alexandria?
I've seen tiktoks where people say we would be 1000 years more advanced if it hadn't burned. Is this true or are they just over exaggerating it
r/AskHistory • u/TobbeLQ • 1d ago
'No peace, no war' in Ancient history
I assume many of us have heard of Leon Trotsky's 'no peace, no war' programme, declaring that following the armistice on the Eastern Front in 1917, he would not be resuming the war with Germany, but neither would he be signing any 'robber's peace' with her. In a dramatic gesture Trotsky declared no peace, no war, where Soviet Russia would simply ignore Germany.
Historians seem to be agreed that this was a tactical manoeuvre meant to place the responsibility of restarting the war on Germany, with the hope that the German Social Democrats would not allow it. That is, that Germany would revolt if it was attempted. If this is so, the gambit failed because the German Social Democrats did nothing and there was no revolution in Germany to save Russia. Instead Ludendorff commenced Operation Faustschlag which saw Germany invade deeply into Russian territory.
What frustrates me about all of this is that the Germans, after Trotsky walked out of the conference, had met to decide what to do as well. General Max Hoffman famously declared 'it's unheard of' when Trotsky announced his no peace, no war programme. Yet, the legal advisor to the German delegation, Johannes Kriege, opened the conference between the German leaders with the revelation that it wasn't unheard of, that there was a legal precedent for it in ancient history. But it's never explained what the precedent was or where it might be found. And now I'm pulling my hair out trying to find it.
Can anyone here shed some light on this subject?
r/AskHistory • u/Mocktapuss • 13h ago
Did the Irish Dunnes Stores boycott of South African Goods end Apartheid in South Africa?
There is a common belief in my country that the Dunnes Stores boycott of South African goods in 1984 was a major, possibly the main factor in bringing about the end of Apartheid in South Africa. Is this true? If it wasn't that then what were the main factors?
r/AskHistory • u/Livid_Dig_9837 • 1d ago
What happened to the German veterans who begged on the streets during the Weimar Republic? Did they receive housing assistance from the Nazis?
During the Weimar Republic, it was common to see veterans begging on the streets. During the Nazi era, it seems that veterans begging on the streets disappeared. I wonder what happened to the German veterans begging on the streets during the Weimar Republic. Were they subsidized by the Nazis?
r/AskHistory • u/yerrrrrrp • 1d ago
Why do Europeans identify with Ancient Rome/Greece but not Arabs/MENA?
Given that the Roman Empire covered much of MENA, it’s strange to me that it’s not at all in the Arab social psyche - especially since Egypt hosted the de facto capital of the southern Roman Empire at some point and was also the capital of the Abbasid caliphate at another point, and is also the most populous and most culturally and linguistically significant Arab country today. I personally find it surprising that modern day Egyptians seem to identify more with the pharaohs than they do the Greeks or Romans (granted, they identify with neither as much as they do the Muslim caliphates).
r/AskHistory • u/Intrepid_Doubt_6602 • 2d ago
What are the main historical reasons for Egypt going from wealthier per person than Western Europe to having not even 1/10 of the wealth per person today relative to Western Europe?
During Roman times it was the wealthiest province in the Empire I believe.
r/AskHistory • u/Individual-Sky-5791 • 21h ago
How many elections in US history were corrupted.
Despite a certain person's claims to the contrary, US elections have historically been pretty free of outright fraud. But no system is perfect, so how many verifiable cases of elections trickery (voter fraud, outright stealing, corrupt deals) have there been in history.
Let's hear everything from small town Mayor's to congress to even president's if it applies.