AskHistorians

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"Crusader Kings 2" is a video game simulating the politicking, familial drama, and wars of medieval Europe. One game mechanic is "fabricating claims," where a skilled diplomat is sent to a land to forge documents prove that a noble has a rightful claim to it. Did this practice exist? How common?	14
How were medieval guilds organized? Were they ever divided by type? Were they just a collection of fraternities, or was there ever a governing body that managed them all? How did such an organization function, if it existed?	11
How were laws created in Medieval Europe? Was it simply "rule by decree"?	10
Why was the Protestant Reformation successful when earlier ones (e.g. the Hussites) weren't?	10
How accurate is the image of the king spending his days "holding court", i.e. sitting on his throne and resolving disputes?	9
Was the "flexibility" of Jewish sacrificial rituals unusual in Bronze Age religions (or later ones, if applicable, eg. Greek/Roman rituals)?	8
The popular image of Medieval Europe features intrigue, espionage, assassinations, and other shady dealings. How accurate is this? Was there an "industry" for these kinds of services? Was it reflected in rulership---for example, was there a "court spymaster?"	7
Many Americans like to say that the US was founded as a Christian nation. When was the first significant non-Christian movement?	6
Did other cultures have analogues to European castles? If so, how were they designed? If not, why were they unnecessary?	5
I've heard that the "Ashtaroth" and "groves" of the Old Testament involved sexual "fertility rites." Is that accurate, or just sensational slander?	5

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