askhistorians

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What would be the protocol if a medieval town or castle came under attack by a dragon? Did any medieval writers theorize about the best way to defeat them if they actually existed?	99
How did the distinction between "knights", "men-at-arms", and "armed men" come about? At what point was there a need to specify that a man who could afford a horse and armor was not necessarily a man at arms? and that a man at arms was not necessarily a knight?	57
Who was Christine de Pisan, and how did she end up writing a manual on medieval warfare in the early 15th century?	53
Polish winged hussars were known for being remarkably successful in combat. What sort of tactics did their enemies use to try and counter them and what led to their decline?	50
In this ancient Greek court speech, the defendant mentions that he and a group of men gathered torches from a nearby shop to hunt down his wife's lover. Did Ancient Athens have shops which catered specifically to the needs of angry mobs in the middle of the night?	44
What was the study of history like in Nazi Germany?	40
I've heard that wooden armor used to be common among native tribes in New England, Canada and the pacific NW, but fell out of use after the introduction of firearms. How much do we know about native american body armour and is there any evidence for this?	38
When did "the defenestration of Prauge" get its name? Was defenestrate a commonly used word at some point or was the name the result of some historian being cheeky?	37
What did Scandinavian christians of the 13th-16th centuries think of their viking ancestors? Were they a source of pride or were they just considered pagan barbarians?	37
What drove land reclamation efforts in the medieval Netherlands?	32

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