Wikipedia History standards/Talk

Maybe for nicknames, we should just automatically create a page for the nickname and redirect to the number? e.g., Philip the Fair (redirect to Philip IV of France)...JHK

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What's wrong with using italics for genera and species? It's a standard I've seen elsewhere. --corvus13 Why is the genera bit here? Surely all the Kings and Queens are Homo sapiens? :D Dave McKee

The genera bit is for the archaeologists and palaentologists among us who are likely to be working in this field: those of likely to draw a distinction between Homo sapiens and [Homo neanderthalis]?, for example, because that is their timescale... There's nothing wrong with using italics, in my view; but for reasons of consistency with our colleagues working in Biology, etc, we should try and use something which is in keeping. sjc

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To all these rules: who says? Wouldn't it be better to model this page after rules to consider? --LMS

indeed. Have done.

-- Larry: It was just an outline to try and get some sort of consensus established on systems of nomenclature in History. It is becoming a useful focal point. sjc

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Hi Everybody --

I have a quick comment about adding articles and what to call them. We are rapidly heading into an area where I foresee a great big train wreck coming on. I know that we all want to get as much written as quickly as possible. However, I think that enthusiasm is often given precedence to careful thought as far as what the entries should be called. This is especially true for biographical articles. For most of the period between late antiquity and the High Middle Ages, the majority of people didn't have last names per se . Moreover, there are WAY LOTS (so to speak) of famous people with the same name -- not surprising, when we think about the fact that most important families used "leading names," names that associated them with their particular family.

Most recent case in point is Fr. Jonat's Eadgyth, aka Edith (I'm only using this example b/c it's from today). Frankly, the first Edith I think of wasn't alfred's granddaughter, but Harold Godwinson's (and Hardrada's, I think) wife and (I also think) the daughter of Leofric and Godiva/Godgyfu?. Somebody else might have thought of another one. There are a BUNCH of Ediths/Eadgyths?/Eadgyfus? out there. Can we please try to decide how we are going to separate them BEFORE we just throw them onto the site? PLEASE!! Thanks -- JHK

Especially for the minor characters of history (younger sons, wives, dull monarchs) I don't see that there's anything wrong with a name page with multiple entries. --MichaelTinkler

not entirely opposed -- except that I think we also need to do one of those combined name thingies, so that you can get there by typing any of the possible spellings...JHK

Also, check out just plain Alexander.