askhistorians

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Did Puritans during the reign of King Charles I actually boycott soap for being 'popish'? Was this purely an issue in England or did hardline Calvinists in Scotland act similarly?	25
In 1825, the Japanese scholar Aizawa Seishisai wrote a set of 'New Proposals' arguing for rallying around the Emperor and opposing Western encroachment, yet this was well before the Perry Expedition. What led him to write this, and how was his work received at the time it was written?	25
We often hear of legendary swords in the medieval European epics – Excalibur, Joyeuse, or Durendal, to name a few. What of other weapons, such as bows and polearms? How did the sword become the high-profile hero's weapon?	25
What do specialists think of Peter Frankopan's The Silk Roads: A New History of the World?	25
According to the Chronicle of Theophanes the Confessor, in 616 Khusrau II refused to make peace with Byzantium unless the latter abandoned Christianity for Zoroastrianism. How far was proselytisation actually part of Sassanid foreign policy, as opposed to fearmongering by Byzantine Christians?	25
How did the trope in late 20th century British comedy of the promiscuous milkman come about? How much truth was there behind the stereotype?	24
Announcing the winners for Best Of December!	24
Why has Xenophon's reputation among classicists been so terrible?	24
The Spartans allegedly fielded as many as 35,000 helots as light infantry at Plataea. How come they were later so vulnerable to Athenian light infantry in the Peloponnesian War(s)?	24
How did the idea of the 'Nine Worthies' (Hector, Alexander, Caesar; Joshua, David, Judas Maccabeus; Arthur, Charlemagne, Godfrey of Bouillon) as exemplars of chivalric virtue come to be canonised? How widespread was recognition? Did different places have different versions of the nine?	23

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