Today’s featured articles
Mao Zedong once said that Taiwan should be independent, but the Chinese Communist Party has since changed its mind on the ‘renegade province’.
The Decembrist revolt of 1825 saw Russia’s nobility attempt to depose tsar Nicholas I. Dismissed as romantic idealists, they were driven by a bold vision for the future of the country.
Impressionist painter Claude Monet spent his early twenties as a soldier in French North Africa, yet none of his works or writings from this period survive.
Most recent
‘A Popular History of Idi Amin’s Uganda’ by Derek R. Peterson review
A Popular History of Idi Amin’s Uganda by Derek R. Peterson looks for the ordinary people who kept the regime’s wheels turning.
How did the Habsburg Empire Survive?
Finished by the First World War and buried under the nation states that succeeded it, the Habsburg monarchy had survived for centuries despite its obvious faultlines. What held it together?
Strabo: The First Geographer
As the father of descriptive geography, Strabo of Amasia provides a unique view of the early Roman Empire.
Books of the Year 2025: Part 2
African queens and Anglo-Saxon towns, Indira Gandhi and Irish STEM, Celtic Studies and the caste system: 10 more historians choose their favourite new history books of 2025.
‘Christianity at the Crossroads’ by David N. Hempton review
Christianity at the Crossroads: The Global Church from the Print Revolution to the Digital Era by David N. Hempton peers beyond the pulpit and into the congregation.
Books of the Year 2025: Part 1
Peasants and popes, free speech and fashion, sentimentality and special forces: the first 10 of 20 historians choose their favourite new history books of 2025.
Carl Hagenbeck’s Eight Thousand Tortoises
By the turn of the 20th century Carl Hagenbeck’s Tierpark had revolutionised zoo exhibits – and the exotic animal trade.
The Secret to Successful Medieval Movies
When putting the Middle Ages on screen, drama is no substitute for the historical sources.
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In the December issue:
Rome’s clash with Henry VIII, the secret history of Tibet, Russia’s Decembrist Revolt, the affairs of Hortense Mancini, drinking politics in colonial Australia, and more.
Plus: reviews, opinion, crossword and much more!
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