Today’s featured articles
The two 16th-century battles of Panipat are little known in the West. But they were pivotal in establishing the Mughal Empire as the dominant power of northern India.
The Exclusion Crisis of the late 17th century posed a question of national importance: should the Catholic duke of York be allowed to succeed to the throne? And should he be subject to the same law as everyone else?
Was the Earth flatter around the poles or the Equator? In the mid-1730s two expeditions set out to settle a matter of national pride.
Most recent
‘Weimar’ by Katya Hoyer review
Weimar: Life on the Edge of Catastrophe by Katja Hoyer explores the city – and citizens – at the heart of Germany’s ill-fated republic, and the Reich that replaced it.
Exclusion Crisis: Challenging James II’s Right to Rule
The Exclusion Crisis of the late 17th century posed a question of national importance: should the Catholic duke of York be allowed to succeed to the throne? And should he be subject to the same law as everyone else?
‘A Defence of Pretence’ by Indira Ghose review
If all the world’s a stage, argues Indira Ghose in A Defence of Pretence: Civility and the Theatre in Early Modern England, then on the stage is where we see change most vividly.
How the General Strike Changed Britain
The General Strike of May 1926 was quickly defeated, but it would rupture and recast the landscape of British politics. For some, the strikers’ failure was an opportunity.
Inside London’s Chinese Embassy
China plans to move its British embassy to a controversial new London site. It will carry 150 years of history with it.
On the Spot: Mirela Ivanova
‘What is the most common misconception about my field? That the Byzantine Empire was decadent and effeminate. I wish.’
‘Lying Abroad’ by Carol Chillington Rutter review
Lying Abroad: Henry Wotton and the Invention of Diplomacy by Carol Chillington Rutter is a case study of the archetypal early modern ambassador.
William Cecil’s Succession Plan
Elizabeth I’s brief illness made the question of the succession top priority for William Cecil and the Privy Council.
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In the April 2026 issue:
British servants on the Grand Tour, the afterlife of the Tyndale Bible, Scotland’s unmarried mothers, the fall of Jerusalem, African princes in the age of slavery, and more.
Plus: reviews, opinion, crossword and much more!
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