Why do you think Black Walder refuses to marry? Seems like someone as ambitious as he is would have looked to form an alliance with another house or try to gain some lands to backup his claims.

Because the match he could make as Lord of the Twins would be better than what he could make as one of Walder’s bastards.

When was Ned fostered out to Jon Arryn? Would he have been around for Benjen’s birth? And do we know anything about what Rickard had planned for Benjen (like a fostering) before RR?

Ned was fostered when he was eight, and Benjen was probably born when Ned was six, so he would have been there for that.

Given that Benjen was fourteen at the Tourney of Harrenhal and was still part of the Stark household, I’m guessing that he wasn’t fostered.

You mentioned Spidercop, the gritty impression thing Spidey does now and then, is problematic. How do, exactly?

It’s less the impression and more how he interacts with the police in the game.

See here:

https://www.kotaku.com.au/2018/09/spider-mans-take-on-police-feels-out-of-touch/

Favorite Classical Historians: Mary Beard, Adrian Goldsworthy, or others?

Do you mean historians of classical antiquity or historians who were around when the discipline was first becoming professionalized and are thus “classic”? Because Beard had established her reputation by the turn of the 20th century and Adrian Goldsworthy was born in 1969.

assuming Tommen were to surivive the Books, how old would the boy King before he have to consumate his marriage with Margaery?

16.

This is the anon who asked the question about the crisis of the 17th century crisis. I just wanted to let you know that I shared your response with my professor for that class, and he liked it a great deal. He’s primarily an early church historian, and appreciated the parallel you drew between the perceptions of 17th Century Europe and 3rd century Rome.

Always glad to be of service to my fellow historians.

I’ve been a fan of yours for years and I don’t think it’s because of this that I say: your book might be one of the few cases where a professor wrote something that deserves to be a part of his class and how they are taught. Now to the actual ask, any chance you’d be able to teach online courses so a poor dude in NC could learn from you one day?

Thanks very much!

It’s an interesting idea. I don’t know if my institution does online courses or youtube’d lectures, but it’s worth exploring.

People Must Live By Work Book Club: Week 2 (Chapter 1) – Lawyers, Guns & Money

Last week, the online book club of my new book (available to the reading public here and here) began with a discussion of the origins of direct job creation policy, the scholarly and political reasons why I took on this project, and the necessity of academics engaging in a struggle for the historical memory of the public. This …

People Must Live By Work Book Club: Week 2 (Chapter 1) – Lawyers, Guns & Money

Historical parallels for Baelor Breakspear?

As I discuss here, JFK.

The Renly-Tyrell plot absolutely hinges on Cersei being executed and her children being outed as bastards/probably killed too. That clears the way for Margaery to become queen without previous heirs in her way. But where is Tywin in all of this? He wouldn’t take the execution of his children lying down, and honestly he probably wouldn’t believe the accusations anyway. What do you think he’d do, and what would the outcome be?

Tywin might well rebel, but he’d be fighting the Stormlands, the Crownlands, the Reach, the North, and the Riverlands, with his only options for allies being the Greyjoys (who burnt his fleet at anchor) and the Martells (who want him dead). That’s not a fight Tywin can win.

Also, it’s not entirely necessary that Cersei and her kids be executed – Robert would certainly want that, but Renly might suggest instead that they (and Jaime) be held as hostages.