if you are not historian you are unaware of news that certain manuscripts are faked. you dont know that chronicle of Evsevia is base for 3/4 dates we operate, and it was recognized as faked. that ancient manuscripts were in fact issued by monasteries by 400 volumes. they are "based" on some documents that never were seen since that. that certain monasteries in different part of europe were responsible for certain themes to be published - what a coherency! we mainly use their volumes, arabian and eastern historians were almost forgotten bec west could not collaborate with east with the same efficiency.
in XVI Fridrih Prussian torn pictures of Luther and went to bed fully armed as was scared of russians and turks coming to punish him for reformation. that russian metropolitan wore mitre decorated with many gems, one of which, right above the cross, had Arabic character, as well as russian swords and other arm. That some sayings in catholic temples and churches in wester europe could be read if you knwo Glagolitic alphabet, later transformed into Cyrillic (personnel call such inscription - unreadable). you were not shown pictures of russian tsars wearing turbans. that chronology of china is based on list of comets seen, which never existed as nowadays scientists proved...
It might be helpful for us "not historians" to be pointed to some credible, preferably peer-reviewed sources, which would help us to update our knowledge. I´m not a fundementalist when it comes to history or science, I´ll be more than happy to change my perception of historical facts when faced with intellectually satisfying evidence. 
Thank you Tami for shedding some light on this!