Today’s featured articles
For the Portuguese empire to rise, an old world had to give way. Rivals in Europe’s lucrative spice trade, how much did they know about the powerful Mamluk sultanate?
It’s not just Brexit, history suggests that Britain’s relationship with Europe may never truly be resolved.
The Antikythera Mechanism is ingenious, intricate and highly sophisticated. But what is it?
Most recent
Medieval Fogge: In Defence of the Middle Ages
The medieval era did not wallow in savage, ignorant darkness, despite what some would have us believe.
The Victorians, Creation, and the Dinosaur Problem
The Earth was created in seven days. On which day were the dinosaurs made?
‘Hitler’s Deserters’ by Douglas Carl Peifer review
Hitler’s Deserters: Breaking Ranks with the Wehrmacht by Douglas Carl Peifer surfaces the stories of those who sought to sit out the Second World War.
The Hidden Diary of Samuel Pepys
When Samuel Pepys’ diary was first published 200 years ago it was an instant hit, but rumours soon spread about what had been cut and why.
Smuggling Under the Cover of Plague
For 18th-century smugglers in Guernsey and the Isle of Man, plague was a business opportunity.
Martin Crusius’ Armchair Voyage
The greatest early modern authority on Ottoman Greece was Martin Cruisius – a man who had never left Germany.
‘Liverpool and the Unmaking of Britain’ by Sam Wetherell review
In Liverpool and the Unmaking of Britain, Sam Wetherell discovers a city of slavery, ships, soccer, and socialism, whose fortunes rose and fell with the tide.
On the Spot: Vladislav Zubok
‘What historical topic have I changed my mind on? The collapse of the Soviet Union. I used to think it was a relatively peaceful event.’
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In the May issue:
The fall of Saigon, how Britain greeted VE Day, Renaissance sex workers, how the Roman Empire lost its gods, in defence of the Merovingians, and more.
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