AskHistorians

Title	Upvotes	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
How expensive would spices have been in the Dutch republic in 1650? Would middle-class people have had access to say, cinnamon, tea or nutmeg, or were these only accessible to very rich people?	1856
If I wanted to send a load of grain from England to Rome by ship in 100 AD, how long would that take? Where would I find a ship and crew? Do I need to pay any import or export fees? And does it matter if I wanted to send it in 100 BC instead, or in 600 AD?	355
During the late Medieval and Renaisance period, when Kings derived their right to rule from divine mandates, how did people view republics & elective monarchies? Were they seen as less legitimate than herditary monarchies?	233
What did Christians living in al-Andalus think about the reconquista? Did they welcome the Christian conquerors?	119
What was the political situation like in pre-colonization South-east Africa just prior to contact with the Portugese? Was it a patchwork of kingdoms like Europe? Or was it largely populated by unafiliated tribes?	86
How did the Spanish get their troops to the Netherlands during the 80 years war? Did they march through France or send them by boat? Were there ever any problems with marching a large number of troops across foreign territory?	38
Where did medieval armies get their siege equipment? Did they buy them from workshops? Did they build them themselves? And how were they transported?	16
Would the average (non-clerical) person living in Cologne in 1410 have know that there were 3 people claiming to be Pope? What did people think about this rather weird situation?	16
How did British and Dutch traders operating in the Baltic sea during the heydays of the Hanseatic League communicate with the locals? Would they know to local languages themselves, or would they rely on translators?	11
In 13th century Europe, how doable was it for people living in one city to visit friends or family members living in another city? How rich would one need to be to afford to take a few weeks off and how expensive was traveling in general?	10

« < > »