Age of Doubt: Saints and Sceptics
The medieval period was a golden age of saints and miracles, but they were met with a healthy dose of scepticism.
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‘A Baptism of Blood’
Fighting for the Union in the US Civil War, Welsh soldiers discovered that the cost of assimilation was the loss of their native language.
Renaissance Wonder Women
To Renaissance audiences, the mythical Amazons were exotic, mysterious and revealed hidden truths about their own society.
The Army that Walked on Water
For the Swedish king Charles X Gustav, the freezing winter of 1658 provided a unique opportunity: to march across the ice and create a Scandinavian superkingdom.
How Monarchs Succeed
As the accession of Edward VII shows, a new British monarch must represent the nation’s values – whatever that nation and those values are.
Tutankhamun in the Flesh
The discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922 reopened arguments about the presumed race of the ancient Egyptians.
Eleanor Roosevelt’s Second Act
After the death of her husband in 1945, Eleanor Roosevelt left the White House and embarked upon a new career as ‘First Lady of the World’.
‘The Vote is of the People’
Brazilian democracy is young, hard-won and under threat. As the country goes to the polls, its history reminds us that the right to vote is not a given.
Filthy Food
Efforts by the German scientist Friedrich Accum brought about widespread awareness of the dangers of food adulteration, paving the way for legislation that protects what we eat today.
England’s Monasteries: Gone But Not Forgotten
The Dissolution of the Monasteries by Henry VIII is a well-worn tale. Are we getting the whole story?