The Lost Tudor
Son of a queen and uncle to the king who founded a dynasty, history almost forgot Edward Tudor. Why?
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Treason of the Clerics
For 600 years Muslims held sway over the Indian subcontinent. Then democracy and a desultory leadership did them in.
Getting Away with Murder
Found guilty of the Temple Murders in 1733, Sarah Malcolm became the most notorious woman in Britain. Did she commit the crime alone? Did she commit it at all?
Save Your Ass
The US government was happy to support the assassination of foreign officials – but not to be seen doing so.
The Land Between Rivers
All 19th-century British visitors to Mesopotamia knew that it was the birthplace of civilisation. Could steam power revive ancient greatness while also keeping Russia at bay?
Secrets of the Silk Road
The discovery of a cave full of manuscripts on the edge of the Gobi Desert reveals the details of everyday life on the Silk Road.
The Catholic Conundrum
Despite persecution, Catholics survived in Protestant England. For the authorities, they were a problem with a silver lining.
The Nazi Spider in the Spanish Press
Hans Josef Lazar pulled the strings of Hitler’s propaganda in wartime Spain. Then he disappeared. Who was he?
Heirs and Spares
It was not easy to be the second son. The younger brothers of the French kings could choose either to rebel or reconcile, but neither option was straightforward.
Opium for the Masses
In Republican China, amid the chaos of dynastic collapse and war, opium became a rare stable currency, yielding huge riches for those who knew how to work the system.