AskHistorians

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Sparta wasn't that effective in war; were there any hyper-militarized groups that DID have success (besides Rome)?	2417
What were roads like in Medieval Europe? Were they almost nonexistent between smaller settlements? Did some serfs spend time maintaining a manor's roads as part of their labor tax, or were the roads kept functional only by the traffic that used them?	2295
The fantasy trope of a "city guard" was largely nonexistent during the European Middle Ages; was there a premodern society that DID have city guards?	567
If the trope of the king spending all day in the throne room conducting business is false, then what did the average day for the court look like? Where did the king and household work?	217
Despite the tropes, I'm only aware of one successful peasant rebellion (the one that toppled the Ming Dynasty and installed the very short-lived Shun Dynasty). Are there other successful peasant revolts in your period of study?	115
The concept of generals engaging in a personal duel on the battlefield---either alongside a clash of armies or as a replacement for a larger engagement---is a common trope in fiction, both modern and ancient (such as Romance of the Three Kingdoms). Did this practice really exist? How common was it?	29
Was there anything in the premodern era (esp. Medieval European) that resembled the fantasy trope of "adventurers?"	25
As I understand it, feudalism/vassalage was used to manage lands without investing in a massive administrative organization; as far as I can tell, however, it just gives authority away without making anything simpler. How did feudalism actually minimize bureaucracy?	25
It's my understanding that the open-field system of medieval European villages was mostly seen in champion/champagne country, relatively uncluttered by trees. How did village layouts change in heavily forested areas? Did this have any knock-on effects on administration or society?	22
I've often heard it said that the modern state was born from the Peace of Westphalia. How? What did nations look like before Westphalia, and what changed?	17

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