Feature

The Last Death of Catholic England

The grand funeral of Anne of Cleves, the neglected fourth queen of Henry VIII, took place during the reign of Mary Tudor, when English Catholicism was resurgent.

Kroomen: Black Slaver Hunters

Fiercely independent, highly skilled sailors, the Kroomen of Sierra Leone forged an alliance with the Royal Navy to rid the African coasts of slavers.

Opera for the Ordinary

Despite popular misconceptions and its aristocratic origins, for part of its history opera was inextricably linked with popular culture – no more so than in the 1920s. 

Pakistan: A Failed State?

Crisis-ridden Pakistan is a very different country from the one envisioned by its founder, Muhammad Ali Jinnah. 

Disaster at Djerba

During a period of European peace, Spain sought to establish control of the Mediterranean. Yet a disastrous attempt to oust the Ottomans from North Africa threatened to accelerate the westward advance of Islam. 

Evil May Day 1517

Foreign traders were attracted to the City of London by England’s prosperous trade in wool and cloth. They were not always made welcome. 

The New World of Tobacco

As Britain got hooked on tobacco in the 17th century, smoking paraphernalia became ubiquitous. These items provide an insight into the anxieties and aspirations of the early modern psyche.

Welfare Pasts and Futures

British systems of welfare and adult social care are not so different from aspects of the traditional Poor Laws.