AskHistorians

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In 1685, when King Charles II of England died, he left no legitimate children, but had several illegitimate sons. Charles' first-born illegitimate son, the Duke of Monmouth, led a rebellion to seize the throne from his paternal uncle, King James II. Did Charles' other children support Monmouth?	4
In a 1910 article for "The Atlantic" titled "A Hero's Conscience: A Study of Robert E. Lee", biographer Gamaliel Bradford Jr. compared Robert E. Lee to George Washington in how many Southerners viewed Lee. Was Lee ever proposed as a potential U.S. Presidential candidate by his supporters?	2
After the deaths of Tsar Nicholas II and his family in 1918, the Russian royal succession appeared to enter a crisis, with the Pauline Laws of 1797 and morganatic marriages at the center of it. How have the Pauline Laws impacted the House of Romanov, and why are the Laws so important to them?	2
King Henry VII, the founder of the Tudor dynasty, claimed to be the rightful King of England by royal descent through his mother, Margaret Beaufort. However, the French succession only allowed the throne to pass through male heirs. Why did France enforce Salic law over male-preference primogeniture?	2
In early U.S. history (1600s-1700s), heraldry was popular. Five states assumed coats-of-arms; 35 Founding Fathers had arms; and George Washington stated in 1788 that heraldry is not "unfriendly to the purest spirit of republicanism". Why, then, did heraldry later become obscure in the United States?	2
In the "Harry Potter" series, the castle fortress of Hogwarts is noted to have been built sometime around 990 AD in the Highlands of Scotland, with co-founder Rowena Ravenclaw being based on the Anglo-Saxon princess Rowena. What would Scotland and England have been like around this time period?	1
Augustin Vérot (1804 – 1876), the first Catholic Bishop of St. Augustine in Florida, publicly defended slavery and the Confederacy in widely-distributed pamphlets during the Civil War, earning him the title the "Rebel Bishop" as a result. How did Vérot's sermons on slavery influence Southerners?	1
Augustin Vérot (1804 – 1876), the first Catholic Bishop of St. Augustine in Florida, publicly defended slavery and the Confederacy in widely-distributed pamphlets during the Civil War, earning him the title of the "Rebel Bishop" as a result. How did Vérot's sermons on slavery influence Southerners?	1
According to official records, Thoroughbred racehorses donated to the U.S. Army Remount Service in World War I were not allowed to produce offspring for racing purposes. However, the donated horse Gunrock (1914–1932) had offspring that were raced. Did the U.S. Army decline to enforce this policy?	1
According to official records, Thoroughbred racehorses donated to the U.S. Army Remount Service in World War I were not allowed to produce offspring for racing purposes. Did the U.S. Army actually enforce this policy?	1

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