The Falklands under Fire
In 1982 Britain’s armed forces were focused on the possibility of confrontation with the Soviet Union. They were unprepared for war in the South Atlantic, against an opponent with weapons supplied by NATO allies.
Feature
The Clown that Went out of Fashion
The age of Shakespeare, and its changing notions of what was funny, gave birth to modern comedy.
The Hebrew Insurgency
Years of armed resistance by four interlinked Zionist militia groups helped end British rule in Palestine, but led to a bitter civil war between Jews and Arabs.
The Great Tom Fuller
A great historian and public intellectual, Thomas Fuller championed moderation and responsibility in a time of war, polarisation and misinformation.
A Haitian Queen in Georgian Britain
Forced into exile following the death of Haiti’s first and only king, Queen Marie-Louise and her daughters sought refuge from the turbulent events that engulfed their homeland.
A Worthy Cause?
During the Franco-Prussian War a British wine merchant was imprisoned in Cologne, accused of being a spy. The public clamoured for the government to secure his release, but wartime diplomacy was not so straightforward.
The Long Shadow of the First Crusade
The First Crusade unleashed shockwaves felt across all of Christendom. New chapters to a story started in 1099 are still being written.
The Black Legend of the House of Dudley
Three generations of the cursed House of Dudley stained the executioner’s block in 16th-century England. Were its members murderous villains working to overthrow the monarchy, or shrewd political agents struggling to survive?
When the World Came to Shanghai
In the 1930s several prominent Black intellectuals visited Shanghai, bringing politics, culture and anti-colonial fervour with them.
The Murder of Hintsa
The death and mutilation of the chief of the Xhosa in 1835 at the hands of the British was a ‘barbarous’ deed, concealed by the perpetrators in a web of lies.