AskHistorians

Title	Upvotes	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
Steppe nomads regularly raided and even conquered settled agricultural nations before the invention of guns. Did any countries manage to tame portions of the steppe by creating agricultural villages and cities on it, or by other means? What was the best anti-nomad strategy?	25
Abdul Karim, a Muslim from India, went to England to serve Queen Victoria, but somehow ended up as her spiritual teacher and confidant. What drew Victoria into this unlikely friendship, and what did her family think of it?	25
Who was the last British monarch to wield actual power, as opposed to just having some influence?	25
Large "Mass Timber" buildings are promoted as lighter, stronger, more enduring, and more sustainable alternatives to steel and cement buildings. Did earlier generations build tall buildings from wood? How did cement and steel become the norm when we've always had wood?	24
Sailors often fought off and sometimes kill British naval officers intent on impressing them in the 13 American colonies circa the mid 1700s. Sailors formed mobs to resist press gangs, rescue abducted seamen who'd been seized, and burned naval boats. How did Britain respond to their defiance?	24
When the colonies won independence from England they were cast out of the empire's free trade network. How big of a problem was this?	24
Was it common for premodern Catholic monks and nuns to join monasteries/nunneries without religious callings because they didn't want to starve? To what degree were these places "employers," of last resort? Were unenthusiastic members a drag on their communities?	24
How much does Aztec philosophy have in common with the more well-known philosophical traditions of ancient Greece, China, and India?	24
Byzantine Roman troops frequently panicked and ran from battle. Yet Byzantine Romans are considered by historians to have been the only western state to have maintained the Roman's highly organized and trained approach to war. How should we reconcile these two ideas?	24
The last "official" duel in French history took place in 1967. What dueling banned after this? What changed?	24

« < > »