132
votes
Accepted
Why did Columbus cross the mid-Atlantic instead of exploring from Greenland?
There's a lot in the question that seems to be assuming modern knowledge that Columbus most likely did not possess.
There is no good evidence the Iberian maritime community in the late 15th century ...
- 118k
44
votes
Why did really old paintings use such bizarre, unnatural perspective/proportions?
It sounds like you are talking about the transition from Romanesque/Gothic painting styles to Renaissance styles. This is a big topic in Art History (or at least was when I took it back in the '80's).
...
- 118k
32
votes
Accepted
Why was the standoff on the Ugra river the end of the Tatar-Mongol yoke in Russia?
It's precisely because Akhmat Khan retreated.
The Mongolian yoke over Russia was underpinned by their ability to compel obedience (i.e. tribute) through the force of arms. Akhmat Khan's retreat ...
- 97.4k
28
votes
Why did really old paintings use such bizarre, unnatural perspective/proportions?
Anything other than photo-realism makes you 'angry and confused'? That's sad. You're missing out on enjoying a whole lot of good stuff!
Early pictorial art was often allegorical rather than strictly ...
- 525
25
votes
Accepted
What was the Hundred Years' War called at the time?
19th CENTURY HISTORIANS
The term Hundred Years' War originated in the early 19th century.
The Hundred Years War has become the established name for the
Anglo-French conflicts that happened ...
- 108k
23
votes
Why did really old paintings use such bizarre, unnatural perspective/proportions?
There's been some perspective around for a long time.
Look at this ceiling, from "The Vergilius Vaticanus" dated around 400 C.E.
And here's a Chinese painting from around 1000 CE showing a ...
- 331
22
votes
Why did Columbus cross the mid-Atlantic instead of exploring from Greenland?
Let's suppose that Columbus knew about Greenland.
European colonies in Greenland were abandoned by that time. Therefore sailing there was actually useless, because it would be impossible to get ...
- 4,901
18
votes
Were beaches red with lobsters upon arrival of Columbus?
Adding to what @Alex said "typical" lobsters (i.e., the lobsters that humans eat and the ones that turn red when you cook them) don't even extend as far south as Hispaniola. They are a cold-...
- 387
14
votes
Accepted
Why did the negotiations between Henry V of England and France fail?
Short answer
The two accounts cited in your question are not so much contradictory as very short versions of what was a lengthy series of negotiations over many months. The 1360 Treaty of Bretigny, ...
- 108k
13
votes
In the coat of arms of Georg von Frundsberg, where does the ostrich come from?
The arrangement of separate coats of arms on a single shield or other field is called marshalling in English heraldry.
It is common to display the coats of arms of a married couple by dividing the ...
- 19.1k
12
votes
Why was the standoff on the Ugra river the end of the Tatar-Mongol yoke in Russia?
Its fairly simple: There was an arrangement where the Russian Rulers were paying tribute to the Golden Horde since the days of Genghis Khan. This is the international equivalent of "protection money". ...
- 118k
11
votes
Pre-columbus, what tools did Native Americans use to shave their heads and faces?
Like the modern Chinese, most Native Americans did not grow much facial hair to begin with. What sparse facial hair did grow was typically plucked out as soon as it appeared, according to accounts ...
- 1,258
10
votes
What was the Hundred Years' War called at the time?
The Medieval ages, and in turn the 100 years war, was a politically a different beast than war as we are used to it in the modern era. During both world wars we see a declaration by majors powers ...
- 557
10
votes
Accepted
Teaching of Mathematics in Italy and in Germany in the fifteenth century
tl;dr
This is not a real story but an illustrative description, probably invented in the 1930s.
The first Indo-Arabian numerals came to Europe in the 10th century. They had a hard time at first. In ...
- 80.8k
9
votes
What exactly happened with beer and Leeuwarden in 1487?
I came across this question today, and saw that JMVanPelt in his answer mentioned a Dutch book for which no English translation was available. I have translated the relevant parts of it below. I have ...
- 187
9
votes
Were there ever any libraries in medieval villages?
Medieval times span ten centuries and a continent. An English village in 1400 would be far from a Norwegian village in 500. That makes generalizations difficult. Here I'm thinking of the 11th or 12th ...
- 16.8k
9
votes
Are there factors which caused the printing revolution to begin in Europe in 1450 and not some other place some other time?
A modern misconception was that Gutenberg invented printing; this was not the case. Woodblock printing was a craft over a thousand years old when he came about.
Another misconception was that ...
- 13.4k
7
votes
Pre-columbus, what tools did Native Americans use to shave their heads and faces?
The advantages of a steel blade are 1) it's possible to make the blade arbitrarily large, 2) it's easy to sharpen the edge, and 3) steel holds that edge longer during use. For something like a sword ...
- 8,544
7
votes
Why did the negotiations between Henry V of England and France fail?
Biographies of both Mowat and Kingsford are in agreement that the final round of envoys to Paris, in spring 1415, negotiated in apparent good faith and were willing to relent on Henry's claim to the ...
- 72.3k
6
votes
Did the Muslims of Granada expect their Christian conquerors to keep their promised terms?
From additional research I have clarified this answer to better reflect the documentation from Spanish Historians who have provided much more detailed commentary and record of the events of the ...
6
votes
Were Shakespeare's plays written for "high culture" or "entertain the bawdy masses" during his time?
Shakespeare wrote for popular and aristocratic audiences both.
Like other theater companies of the era, Richard Burbage's company (of which Shakespeare was a part) depended upon patronage by members ...
- 211
6
votes
Accepted
Did the fortunes in the Hundred Years' War depend largely on the weather?
The answer to both questions is yes. To quote specific examples, the French won major battles after "bad", or rainy, weather at the Battle of Saint-Omer and the Battle of Cocherel. The English won the ...
- 77.3k
6
votes
Accepted
Does any copy exist of the Papal bull which authorized the Spanish Inquisition?
William Thomas Walsh's Characters of the Inquisition (1940) ch. 5 ("Torquemada") fn. 10 gives this as the citation for the Latin text:
For the complete Latin text of this Bull, see the Boletín de ...
- 2,043
6
votes
Teaching of Mathematics in Italy and in Germany in the fifteenth century
A German merchant of the fifteenth century asked an eminent professor where he should send his son for a good business education.
It is clear that this story is made up by the author for ...
- 38.5k
5
votes
What was the name for the region before it was "the Balkans"?
From the Ottoman POV, though, the area was Rumelia; the name derived from Rûm (Roman) in reference to the Eastern Roman Empire, also known as Byzantine Empire, which had previously controlled the area....
- 12.4k
5
votes
How long did the battle of Bosworth last?
More than two hours, or about 2 hours, seems to be the accepted estimated duration of the battle. There is little doubt that the battle was decided before midday, though the pursuit of the remnants ...
- 108k
5
votes
How long did the battle of Bosworth last?
For many, 22 August 1485 remains one of the key dates in British history. Yet what exactly took place in the early hours of the morning (the battle was over by noon) still remains tantalisingly ...
MCW♦
- 32.3k
5
votes
Accepted
Was Johannes Gutenberg left-handed?
It doesn't appear that there's any report about Gutenberg not being right-handed.
I tried several sites reporting famous left-handers, and couldn't find Gutenberg on anyone's list (not even Steve ...
- 118k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible