/u/normie_sama's posts in /r/askhistorians

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In 1801 the Kingdom of Etruria was created in Tuscany as part of a power-sharing deal between Napoleonic France and Spain... but why "Etruria"? Why would the new kingdom be named after a long-dead people the locals presumably felt little connection to, rather than the logical choice of "Tuscany"?

39 upvotes

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How surprising was it that the Soviet Union collapsed in the late 80s/early 90s? Did Western or Eastern commentators or governments pick up on any potential fault lines in the period leading up to the dissolution?

38 upvotes

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How did duels work between duelists of different cultures and duelling traditions?

33 upvotes

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What exactly were the "helots" of Sparta? How were they different from contemporary slaves or later medieval serfs?

30 upvotes

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Is it true that medieval nuns would have themselves bricked up with children as a sign of purity?

29 upvotes

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How did pre-modern Chinese react to the differences between subsets and minority groups within the Han ethnicity? Did they conceive of the Cantonese, Hokkien, etc. as being fundamentally the same thing with a funny manner of speaking, or did they recognise deeper cultural distinctions?

26 upvotes

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I was a history undergrad, who heeded the warnings and entered a different career. What options do I have to re-enter academic history at a later date?

25 upvotes

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When did Vikings become "cool"?

23 upvotes

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History is often portrayed as cyclical: empires rise, inevitably grow complacent and weak, and are toppled by a new, vigourous dynasty or people. Is this accurate? Can we really identify neat patterns of rise and decline across human history?

22 upvotes

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Where did the archetypal "fantasy dwarf" culture come from?

22 upvotes

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Title	Upvotes	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
In 1801 the Kingdom of Etruria was created in Tuscany as part of a power-sharing deal between Napoleonic France and Spain... but why "Etruria"? Why would the new kingdom be named after a long-dead people the locals presumably felt little connection to, rather than the logical choice of "Tuscany"?	39
How surprising was it that the Soviet Union collapsed in the late 80s/early 90s? Did Western or Eastern commentators or governments pick up on any potential fault lines in the period leading up to the dissolution?	38
How did duels work between duelists of different cultures and duelling traditions?	33
What exactly were the "helots" of Sparta? How were they different from contemporary slaves or later medieval serfs?	30
Is it true that medieval nuns would have themselves bricked up with children as a sign of purity?	29
How did pre-modern Chinese react to the differences between subsets and minority groups within the Han ethnicity? Did they conceive of the Cantonese, Hokkien, etc. as being fundamentally the same thing with a funny manner of speaking, or did they recognise deeper cultural distinctions?	26
I was a history undergrad, who heeded the warnings and entered a different career. What options do I have to re-enter academic history at a later date?	25
When did Vikings become "cool"?	23
History is often portrayed as cyclical: empires rise, inevitably grow complacent and weak, and are toppled by a new, vigourous dynasty or people. Is this accurate? Can we really identify neat patterns of rise and decline across human history?	22
Where did the archetypal "fantasy dwarf" culture come from?	22