askhistorians

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Historically, Bedouins frequently raided and pillaged the trading and pilgrimage caravans of fellow Muslims. Did they ever attempt to justify this theologically?	6
Regarding the Chinese concept of raw and uncooked barbarians, was sending royal brides to barbarian tribes considered part of the 'cooking' process? If so, did either the Ming or the Qing ever consider trying to 'cook' Western barbarians with offers of royal brides?	6
I've heard it said the colonists directing the Declaration of Independence towards King George III was a mistake as their complaints were all actions of Parliament. But were the colonists really ignorant of British politics or were the colonists really unfairly targeting the king?	6
Islamic biographies say that the Prophet Muhammad was fostered as infant with Bedouins as was typical for infants of his tribe, the Quraysh. Wikipedia says some Western scholars doubt this tradition existed but gives no further detail. Can anyone say more about the doubts vis a vis fostering?	6
Was Queen Victoria's affection for Benjamin Disraeli at all because he represented a English Protestant idealized converted & assimilated Jewish person?	6
Did the Ottoman state decline in the 18th and early 19th century or was it lagging? That is, were the Ottoman bureaucracy and armies functioning the same as they had previously or were they actively becoming worse at enforcing laws/extracting taxes/logistics/military discipline?	6
Medieval pharmacological knowledge doesn't actually seem that bad as far as herblore goes. So where does the reputation for medieval doctors being more harmful than helpful arise from? Was there a disjunction between physicians and apothecaries?	6
A Tunisian fellow once told me that there were families in Tunis that could claim descent from Moriscos expelled from Spain and that they possessed heirlooms and documents dating to the expulsion. Does such material exist and has it been studied?	5
What was Byzantine policy towards Jewish people like, especially in the immediate period prior to the advent of Islam?	5
Is there a consistent trend in historical empires wherein the conquering dynasty appoints new nobles/elites in its captured provinces then slowly loses central power over those nobles as they grow entrenched and wealthy? If so, was it recognized and were any steps taken to prevent this process?	5

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