Tito: Britain’s Man in Belgrade
During the Cold War successive British governments did all they could to maintain a friendship with Tito’s Yugoslavia. Why was the communist strongman so important to Westminster?
The Balkans
Border Control: How States Get Recognised
What makes a state? Is it its people, its borders, its government, or does it rest on recognition from international powers? Across the 19th and 20th centuries, the process by which states have been created and recognised has taken many forms.
What Do We Get Wrong About the Byzantine Empire?
Four historians evaluate perceptions of Rome’s eastern successor beyond the piety, icons, bureaucracy and gold of Byzantium.
The Balkan Federation: Doomed to Disunity?
Talk of a Balkan federation became a hot topic at the end of the Ottoman Empire, eventually dying a death at the dawn of the Cold War. Was Europe’s ‘Little Orient’ destined to fall apart?
Bulgaria’s Traumatic Revival
In a divided country, painful memories of the Ottoman era are something that Bulgarians can agree on.
Illyria Found
An intriguing glimpse into the complex politics of the late 19th century Balkans.
Yugoslavia’s Very Secret Service
The UDBA is probably the least known major espionage agency of the Cold War. It remains influential, despite the break-up of the country it was formed to defend.
Fascism in Croatia
The Independent State of Croatia was founded on 10 April 1941.
Revolt in Belgrade, March 27th, 1941
The Yugoslav coup of 1941 marked a turning-point in the Second World War. Although the country was quickly overrun by German arms, writes A.W. Palmer, Hitler’s timetable for the invasion of Russia was seriously thrown out.
Skanderbeg: National Hero of Albania
In the mid-fifteenth century, writes Anthony Bryer, George Kastriota, surnamed Skanderbeg, was acclaimed as a powerful champion of Christianity on the eastern shores of the Adriatic.