askhistorians

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In the TV episode 'Sharpe's Siege', French Brigadier Calvet, who survived the Russian campaign, speaks disparagingly of Major Ducos, who was in Spain in 1812. Was there actually an internal enmity in the French army from those who had fought in Russia, directed at those who hadn't?	79
The Japanese wolf seems to have had a notable place in Shinto belief and folklore, yet was hunted to extinction in the early 20th century. Were there attempts to prevent the wolf's extinction, on religious grounds or otherwise? And how if at all did the extinction affect the wolf's place in Shinto?	78
How accurately does Ken Burns' Vietnam documentary reflect the position of modern scholarship? Indeed, how accurate is it more generally?	78
Who are the actual Nigerian princes? Did these positions and titles predate colonial rule or were they established by colonisers? How did their roles and status change under colonial rule and in postcolonial Nigeria? Is Nigeria unique in having princes or are there other equivalents in West Africa?	78
The Tale of Genji is sometimes said to be the world's first novel, but how much of a splash did it make at the time? How did it influence Japanese literature, and how did it, or its derivatives, impact literature in other parts of Asia?	78
What were soldiers doing at night during multi-day battles in the Napoleonic Wars?	76
What was the Ottoman Empire up to in Europe during the Thirty Years' War? Were there any plans to intervene in favour of one side or another, or were Ottoman interests directed elsewhere? Did the European states involved attempt to seek Ottoman support?	75
In the ITV Poirot adaptations, set in the 1930s, it is sometimes noted that a (male) character 'spent the night at his club in London'. Were gentlemen's clubs expected to provide room and board, or would this have been more a case of dozing off on a sofa overnight?	74
Japanese men in the Second World War had a bit of a reputation for extreme devotion to the emperor and the country. Was this nationalism principally masculine? How much and what kind of a part were women supposed to have in 20th century Japanese nationalism, and how much did they buy into it?	73
In Plato's dialogues, Atlantis is portrayed as a mythical tale, and ancient authors concurred that Plato made the whole thing up. How, then, did the notion that Atlantis actually existed come about?	73

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