The Shaolin monks brought the Gùn (Chinese: 棍), a staff used in their style of stick combat, to Japan. In that region, the gùn underwent various changes before becoming known as the bō. During this ...

The Lucerne hammer is a type of polearm weapon, which combines the features of a stabbing, striking, and polearm weapon. It was used extensively by European infantrymen from the 15th century up to the ...

The Song Dynasty began in 960 CE, following several decades of political chaos in China. China was divided and in the midst of civil war, with each faction trying to recreate the Empire and take ...

The atlatl is a device used to throw spears. It works by extending the throwing arm. The spear accelerates with this motion and reaches a speed of over 90 mph (150 km/h) which is much higher than ...

Battle of Montgisard: Crusaders vs. Saladin’s Forces The Battle of Montgisard was a significant military engagement that took place on November 25, 1177, during the Crusades. It was fought between the ...

Philip IV, known as “the Fair,” king of France from 1285 to 1314, earned his nickname due to his immense stature and the beauty of his impassive face. The French prelate Bernard Saisset described him ...

Cosimo de’ Medici, known as Cosimo the Elder (1389–1464), was the founder of the Medici dynasty and one of the most influential figures in the 15th-century Florence. A banker and statesman, Cosimo was ...

The July Monarchy was a constitutional and liberal monarchy arising from the revolutionary days known as the Three Glorious Days (July 27, 28, and 30, 1830), which led to the abdication of Charles X ...

In Sweden, Christmas is a time to celebrate the birth of Christ, a tradition that has its origins in the ancient pagan festival of “Jul” and which has evolved via Christian (especially Lutheran) ...

No one in world history has had more written about them. More than 90 separate biographies of Adolf Hitler have been published in German alone since 1945, not counting short profiles, translations, ...

The buckler shields first appeared in Europe among the Byzantines (the Eastern Romans) in the 8th century and then spread across the continent. Both the Celts and the Franks reportedly used this small ...

Better known as Saint Louis, Louis IX was a king of France from the Capetian dynasty who reigned from 1226 to 1270. This sovereign is a legendary figure in the history of France and Christendom. A ...