Historical Period
James I of England (and VI of Scotland) has not always had a good reputation. Known as ‘the wisest fool in Christendome’, he was considered slovenly, his tongue was reportedly too big for his mouth, making him both a messy eater and occasionally…
There can be few historical milieus as thrilling and iconic as the lives of men at sea in the glorious Age of Sail. Yet there is always something in these images that is notable for its absence – the presence of women.
Mary Shelley is famous as the wife of the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, and as the author of the classic novel Frankenstein. But these two facts, interesting as they are, belie the depth of character and experience of this clever, unconventional, and…
On Sunday 8 February 1601 a group of armed men, perhaps 300 strong and led by the petulant earl of Essex, marched through London. Their attempted coup failed: London would not rise, the plotters had no leverage, and the court was forewarned. The…
The Black Death looms large in the modern imagination, as it did in the minds of late medieval people. It is a spectre, or shadow, reminding everyone of their mortality, and the briefness of life. The reactions it provoked showed the best, and worst…
John Dee is famous as a sorcerer and alchemistSomeone who practices alchemy (the attempt to turn base metals into gold and to gain spiritual awareness and immortality). Someone who practices alchemy (the attempt to turn base metals into gold and to…
Maps are usually looked at as functional works that have the narrow aim of describing geographical spaces. This idea is just as narrow. They are not just a description of geography and topography, but a great source of historical information and…
The study of history has traditionally focused on the actions of individuals and groups of human beings, identifying them as the key agents in an ongoing drama. But more recently some historians have pushed spatial theory and the role of…
There's a deeply based assumption that the secular is something that exists in the ether, that it's a concept that makes sense globally and back through time. But in fact, this is wholly false. The notion of the secular is highly…
Samuel Pepys is best known for his diary, which he kept from 1660 until 1669, when he gave it up over fears of his eyesight failing. As such, his views are often quoted over the Restoration, the plague, the Great Fire of London, and the Chatham Raid…
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