Drake’s Progress
For all its faults C.E Hamshere’s account of Francis Drake’s 16th-century circumnavigation, published in History Today in 1967, applies a historical imagination lacking in more recent studies, argues Hugh Bicheno.
Feature
London Gentlemen’s Clubs and Victorian Politics
How Victorian gentlemen’s clubs in London’s West End played a role in oiling the nation’s political wheels.
The Causes of the English Civil War: A New Analysis
Charles I had ‘the authority to plan and initiate a policy, but he had not the power to enforce it.’
British Towns and Cities: Birmingham
Michael Rix takes an historical and architectural look at England's second city.
Christmas under the Puritans
Celebration of Christmas was curtailed by England’s Puritan republic but the methods and results varied considerably.
Gold, Silver and Bronze: The Ancient Olympics
The ancient Greek Olympics were just as enmeshed in international politics, national rivalries and commercial pressures as their modern counterpart, says David Gribble.
How Oil Became King
The great historical shifts in energy use, from wood to coal, to oil, nuclear power and beyond, have transformed civilisation and will do so again, as Richard Rhodes explains.
Iraq’s Revolution: Bastille Day in Baghdad
The chain of events that led to the rule of Saddam Hussein began with the murder of the 23-year-old King Faisal on 14 July 1958.
London's Olympics: Political Games
David Runciman compares the 2012 games with the London Olympics of 1908 and 1948 to see what they reveal about the changing relationship between politics and sport over the last century.
Still Sacred? The Coronation Rite
Ian Bradley looks at the fundamentally religious nature of monarchy and the persistence of its spiritual aspects in a secular age.