For History people.

WriterFantasyNights · Jun 22, 2015

Hi,

Question, what was the most senior position in the Roman Empire at its height, and what sort of politics was often involved? I can never understand the political situation of Rome too much,.

Does anyone have any knowledge of China/Japan?

What other aspects of Roman Social life was there?

Thanks.

RichardGarfinkle · Jun 22, 2015

Are you asking about the Empire or the Republic? In the Empire, the senior position was Emperor.

In the Republic, there were two Consuls elected yearly and they were essentially in charge, but it was also possible for the Senate to elect a Dictator who would be all powerful for the duration of an emergency.

Your other questions are way too vague. Could you focus them please?

Tocotin · Jun 22, 2015

I might be able to help with Japan (not with China – there is no such thing as "China/Japan", these two countries have very different cultures), but what exactly do you need to know?

WriterFantasyNights · Jun 22, 2015

Tocotin said:
I might be able to help with Japan (not with China – there is no such thing as "China/Japan", these two countries have very different cultures), but what exactly do you need to know?

Hi there,

I want to know how the political structure of Sengoku Jidhai was. Was there a Damyiop, lords, peasants and so and so forth?

I think this becomes difficult because of the fact that there were many warring clans of this time, I am looking specifically into the way the Oda, Tokugawa, Takeda and Uesagi Clans were structured, and what their army compositions were.

I wish to know their politics and the way it was structured( Can I use Shogun 2 for that? )

RichardGarfinkle said:
Are you asking about the Empire or the Republic? In the Empire, the senior position was Emperor.

In the Republic, there were two Consuls elected yearly and they were essentially in charge, but it was also possible for the Senate to elect a Dictator who would be all powerful for the duration of an emergency.

Your other questions are way too vague. Could you focus them please?

My question is based on Septimus Servus

1) How was Roman society based and structured at the time of Servus's rule?
2) How often did the Romans fight with the Parthians(and which is a good time period to write about it?)
3) How was Roman legions composed off? Did they abandon the lorica segementa equiqment?
4) Who were Servus's supporters, and who were his villians?
5) Did the Senate hold power at this time?
6) What new buildings were added into Ancient Rome as of this time?

Tocotin · Jun 22, 2015

WriterFantasyNights said:
Hi there,

I want to know how the political structure of Sengoku Jidhai was. Was there a Damyiop, lords, peasants and so and so forth?

I think this becomes difficult because of the fact that there were many warring clans of this time, I am looking specifically into the way the Oda, Tokugawa, Takeda and Uesagi Clans were structured, and what their army compositions were.

I wish to know their politics and the way it was structured( Can I use Shogun 2 for that? )

Hello. First off, what is Shogun 2?

During the Sengoku Period, the official sovereign of all Japan was still the emperor, but he had no real (read: military) power and was mainly a figurehead.

I personally have a very negative reaction towards the very word daimyo because of the way it is used in Western books about Japan. This was not a commonly used word, and even today it's not widely known here. A daimyo is the same as a feudal lord, and there were a lot of them from 10th to 19th century (about 200 of them in the Edo period). They were subordinate only to the shogun, and they had warriors in their employ (those warriors are, again not very accurately, called samurai in the West). Then in the social hierarchy came peasants, whose situation was – in theory – better than their European counterparts, then artisans, and only then merchants.

The structure of feudal clans and armies were roughly the same everywhere, but as your question is very general, I'd suggest starting your research from Wikipedia, Category: Feudal Japan and Military History of Feudal Japan.

WriterFantasyNights · Jun 22, 2015

Tocotin said:
Hello. First off, what is Shogun 2?

During the Sengoku Period, the official sovereign of all Japan was still the emperor, but he had no real (read: military) power and was mainly a figurehead.

I personally have a very negative reaction towards the very word daimyo because of the way it is used in Western books about Japan. This was not a commonly used word, and even today it's not widely known here. A daimyo is the same as a feudal lord, and there were a lot of them from 10th to 19th century (about 200 of them in the Edo period). They were subordinate only to the shogun, and they had warriors in their employ (those warriors are, again not very accurately, called samurai in the West). Then in the social hierarchy came peasants, whose situation was – in theory – better than their European counterparts, then artisans, and only then merchants.

The structure of feudal clans and armies were roughly the same everywhere, but as your question is very general, I'd suggest starting your research from Wikipedia, Category: Feudal Japan and Military History of Feudal Japan.

Hmm...it seems my questions are too vague!

Shogun 2 is this:
Total War: Shogun 2 is a strategy video game developed by The Creative Assembly and published by Sega. It is part of the Total War series and returns to the 16th-century Japan setting of the first Total War game,Shogun: Total War, after a series of games set mainly in Europe.
Shogun 2 is set in 16th-century feudal Japan, in the aftermath of the Ōnin War during the Ashikaga Shogunate. The country is fractured into rival clans led by local warlords, each fighting for control. The player takes on the management of one of these clans, with the goal of dominating other factions and claiming his rule over Japan. The standard edition of the game features a total of eight factions (plus a ninth faction for the tutorial), each with a unique starting position and different political and military strengths. The limited edition includes an exclusive ninja clan, the Hattori, and a DLC unlocks a tenth clan, the Ikko-Ikki.[SUP][2][/SUP][SUP][3][/SUP]
The game moves away from the European setting of previous Total War games and returns to the first setting in the Total War series, but making significant changes to core gameplay elements of Shogun 2. Compared toEmpire which spanned almost the entire globe, the new installment focuses only on the islands of Japan (excluding Hokkaido) and on a reduced number of unit types.[SUP][2][/SUP]
Shogun 2 was released on 15 March 2011 and received critical praise from reviewers, often for its simplification and refinement of the series by returning to its roots. A standalone expansion set Total War: Shogun 2: Fall of the Samurai was released in 2012.
On 31 July 2014, Shogun 2 was released for OS X by Feral Interactive, along with the Total War: Shogun 2 Collection, which includes all previously released additional content except "Blood Pack".

Sure, I'll have a look and see what I can find out.

But in the game, the word 'damyio is often used quite a lot'.

Cath · Jun 22, 2015

WriterFantasyNights - you might want to check out the Forum Guidelines for help on how to ask your questions: http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?248198-Forum-Guidelines-Please-read-before-posting

Tocotin · Jun 22, 2015

The game sounds cool, but I wouldn't base my research on it.

How is ikko-ikki a clan? It's a general name given to peasant uprisings based on teachings of Jōdo-shinshū sect of Buddhism...

Actually, I wouldn't trust any game, TV drama or movie, and I'm talking about Japanese ones. They are notorious for anachronisms and plain historical mistakes. My professor used to laugh at Edo-period dramas which have people eating at tables, or the Edo police using lanterns with big Chinese characters on them. The most famous historical TV series ever, Mito Kōmon, is based on a totally flawed premise of a feudal lord traveling around Japan in disguise, while in Edo period a member of a warrior class, no matter how powerful, could NOT travel for his personal pleasure.

Taejang · Jun 22, 2015

WriterFantasyNights said:
1) How was Roman society based and structured at the time of Servus's rule?
2) How often did the Romans fight with the Parthians(and which is a good time period to write about it?)
3) How was Roman legions composed off? Did they abandon the lorica segementa equiqment?
4) Who were Servus's supporters, and who were his villians?
5) Did the Senate hold power at this time?
6) What new buildings were added into Ancient Rome as of this time?

See this page for general information about Septimius Servus. For more details, look at corresponding pages and books about people mentioned on that page (such as Pescennius Niger and Clodius Albinus, two of Servus' opponents, among others).

The questions you're asking are all over the place. Some are very easily researched (#3), while others (#6) are more difficult. I don't want to be rude, but perhaps a bit more background research on your part would help answer most of these and help you focus on specifics.

Tocotin said:
The game sounds cool, but I wouldn't base my research on it.

As an amateur history buff, a lover of video games and certain types of anime, I agree wholeheartedly with the sentiment that the media (whether western or Japanese) is terrible at portraying historically accurate information. Even games and movies that actually make the attempt often take creative licenses or make up details when specifics are unknown. And they always make mistakes. Always. Some mistakes are minor (Chinese letters on a lamp), while others are horrible (complete disregard for tactical advantages of guns over swords, because swords are more "cool").

That said, some historical portrayals are a decent enough starting point to begin your research. If you liked Shogun 2, by all means look up the events (1, 2) in a more reputable historical account. Wikipedia is again another nice place to start research, and depending on how deep you need to go, that may be all you need.

WriterFantasyNights · Jun 22, 2015

Tocotin said:
The game sounds cool, but I wouldn't base my research on it. How is ikko-ikki a clan? It's a general name given to peasant uprisings based on teachings of Jōdo-shinshū sect of Buddhism...

Actually, I wouldn't trust any game, TV drama or movie, and I'm talking about Japanese ones. They are notorious for anachronisms and plain historical mistakes. My professor used to laugh at Edo-period dramas which have people eating at tables, or the Edo police using lanterns with big Chinese characters on them. The most famous historical TV series ever, Mito Kōmon, is based on a totally flawed premise of a feudal lord traveling around Japan in disguise, while in Edo period a member of a warrior class, no matter how powerful, could NOT travel for his personal pleasure.

True, most of these adaptations have historical inaccuracies, but they at least provide an authentic feeling. I'll need to have a look and see how it is accuracte or not. I will of course need to do background research on this. The Ikko Ikki were a sect rising against the Samurai rule really.

Taejang said:
See this page for general information about Septimius Servus. For more details, look at corresponding pages and books about people mentioned on that page (such as Pescennius Niger and Clodius Albinus, two of Servus' opponents, among others).

The questions you're asking are all over the place. Some are very easily researched (#3), while others (#6) are more difficult. I don't want to be rude, but perhaps a bit more background research on your part would help answer most of these and help you focus on specifics.

As an amateur history buff, a lover of video games and certain types of anime, I agree wholeheartedly with the sentiment that the media (whether western or Japanese) is terrible at portraying historically accurate information. Even games and movies that actually make the attempt often take creative licenses or make up details when specifics are unknown. And they always make mistakes. Always. Some mistakes are minor (Chinese letters on a lamp), while others are horrible (complete disregard for tactical advantages of guns over swords, because swords are more "cool").

That said, some historical portrayals are a decent enough starting point to begin your research. If you liked Shogun 2, by all means look up the events (1, 2) in a more reputable historical account. Wikipedia is again another nice place to start research, and depending on how deep you need to go, that may be all you need.

Thank you for linking me this, and I realize my mistake, I have come back after a while to writing and it seems it is all over the place. I will research the time period and ask properly this time. I realize this because then I am only wasting your time and mine which I do not want to do obviously. I will come up with a better question when I know what the story is and what it should be. I'll def have a look at those periods as well.

Let me research, I'll come up with a better thread and thank you for taking the time to answer my question.

For History people.

WriterFantasyNights

RichardGarfinkle

Nurture Phoenixes

Tocotin

deceives

WriterFantasyNights

Tocotin

deceives

WriterFantasyNights

Cath

The mean one

Tocotin

deceives

Taejang

Why not?

WriterFantasyNights