Today’s featured articles
The origins of haggis are as mysterious as the Loch Ness Monster. Was it introduced by the Romans, the Vikings, or – whisper it – the English?
British servicemen overseas bought sex, sometimes in brothels run by the British army. In the 1970s they began to talk about it.
The defence of Rorke’s Drift in the Anglo-Zulu War is heavily mythologised. Why is the siege such a popular and controversial imperial episode?
Most recent
The British Empire’s Brothels
British servicemen overseas bought sex, sometimes in brothels run by the British army. In the 1970s they began to talk about it.
When Did the Reformation End?
From 1517, when Luther’s 95 Theses sparked schism and bloodshed, the Protestant Reformation divided Europe. Can we say when – or if – the conflict concluded?
The Godless Students of London University
The founding of London’s first university was controversial, but how much truth was there to claims of its students’ radical politics and rowdy ways?
‘Demosthenes’ by James Romm review
Demosthenes: Democracy’s Defender by James Romm looks for hope amid the sound and fury surrounding the great orator of ancient Athens.
Trojan Wales: The Medieval Afterlife of an Ancient Myth
Following its conquest by the English in 1284, medieval Wales needed a new origin story that established its place in Britain. Were the Welsh descended from Troy?
Strange Appetites: Pica in Early Modern Pregnancy
The men and medics of the 17th century were consumed with anxiety over women’s pregnancy cravings.
Prelude to Putin: Russia and the West in the 1990s
At the end of the Cold War, Russia and the West seemed set on a path towards cooperation. Why did it veer into renewed animosity?
On the Spot: Linda Colley
‘Who is the most underrated person in history? I would like to know more about William O. Golding, the Black sailor who produced images of all the great world ports in the 1930s.’
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In the February 2026 issue:
Refugees in the Thirty Years War, the Trojan myths of medieval Wales, Russia in the 1990s, the godless students of London University, brothels of the British Empire, and more.
Plus: reviews, opinion, crossword and much more!
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