Political

David Stockton describes an important stage in the life of Cicero, the Roman philosopher, politican and theorist.

A biographical portrait by Lord David Cecil of William Lamb, the early 19th century parliamentarian better known as Lord Melbourne.

On March 16, 1921 the first Anglo-Soviet Trade Agreement was signed; Sir Robert Hodgson headed Britain’s Commercial Mission to Moscow.

“Shakespeare, the only history of England I ever read,” the great Duke of Marlborough is said to have remarked; and Shakespeare’s enormous influence in shaping subsequent concepts of fifteenth-century England is nowhere better illustrated than in the case of the character of Richard III. 

Mihir Bose recalls a classic case highlighting the problems with Britain’s antiquated libel laws.

President Obama has more in common with Dwight D. Eisenhower than any other of his predecessors, says Michael Burleigh.

Than the Younger Pitt, there is no lonelier, yet more commanding, figure among British Prime Ministers. By R.J. White.

Elizabeth Wiskemann re-examines a period of transition between the House of Savoy's reign and the dominance of the Pope in Italy.

The tall army recruits known as the Potsdam Giants, F.L. Carsten writes, played a considerable part in the British diplomacy during the early 18th century, and the efforts of the Prussian recruiting sergeants to procure men of the desired size extended to the British Isles.

Asa Briggs evaluates the impact of Sir Robery Peel, a great Prime Minister unwilling to become a popular politician.

S.M. Toyne draws upon Guy Fawkes’ background in an effort to better understand his single-minded motivation.

Despite a lack of style or personality, W.N. Medlicott argues, Neville Chamberlain overcame his unique capacity for being misunderstood to achieve a record of consistency.

Stephen Bates on the divisions that split Peel’s Tory administration in the mid-1840s, resonant of splits in the Conservative Party today.