Historical Period
For better or worse, the Crusades were among the more spectacular, far-reaching and important endeavours of the first two millennia of the Common Era. Typically they are seen as huge battles between the Christian West and the Muslim East, but as the…
When Sir Walter Ralegh visited South America in 1595, he fell in love with it – or at least in love with the idea of what it could do for him.
It has taken a long time for the endeavours of forces like the Polish II Corps to make their way back into the global consciousness. There is still a long way to go until both the heroism and betrayal are fully appreciated.
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…
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…
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