askhistorians

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I was just reading about the Roman takeover of Cyprus, but the Wikipedia page was rather nondescript, stating that the Romans "abruptly annexed" the island in 58 BC without much explanation as to what happened or why. What happened there, who was involved, and what were their motivations?	2484
In Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice", Mr. Bennet is said to have an income of perhaps £2000 yearly, which is said to be a "respectable income for a gentleman." If translated into currency today, how wealthy could Mr. Bennet be?	541
Is it known what happened to the few Finnish and Swedish settlers of the small and often forgotten about New Sweden colony in today's NJ and Delaware?	255
Gerald of Wales (c. 1146-1223) is infamous in Ireland for having reported the Irish as backwards and barbaric, which impacted and was used to justify English rule over Ireland. But do any other contemporaneously written works by others exist which refute Gerald’s damaging perspectives?	188
How well and what style of swimming did Europeans have in the Medieval periods?	169
Have any historians argued that the War of 1812 was actually just motivated by early US expansionism, and that the impressed US sailors issue was only used as a convenient casus belli?	169
Was the concept of the Irish being a lesser race something that predated the mid-19th century rise in racial science, or was it something which began to circulate more widely after the Famine era began?	146
Is it known what the Romans and Anglo-Saxons thought of pre-occupation British sites such as Stonehenge?	138
Why was King Edward I styled as ‘the first’? Was he not actually chronologically King Edward III?	120
Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II was excommunicated numerous times, fought several wars with the Papacy, and was called the Antichrist by Pope Gregory IX. This was all during the 13th century, a time we often think of as incredibly devout to Roman Christian authority. Just how did he keep his reign?	109

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