History Today

The Roman invasion of Britain divided its constituent kingdoms and tribes. Some supported the Romans, others fiercely opposed their occupation and suffered dreadfully as a consequence. In the face of continuing resentment at their occupation the Romans, argues Graham Webster, changed from a policy of repression, and began to pay careful attention to the feelings and aspirations of their British subjects.

The history of the making of maps should be a source for historians at at least three levels; the geographical, the technical and the political. An exhibition has recently opened at the British Library commemorating the work of Christopher Saxton, 'the father of English cartography' and a short book, Christopher Saxton and Tudor Mapmaking by Sarah

Princess Abida Sultaan, granddaughter of the last woman ruler of Bhopal, Begum Sultan Jahan, examines the rule of the Begum dynasty.

The beautiful summer palaces of Yuan Ming Yuan outside Peking, designed by Europeans for the Emperor of China in the middle of the eighteenth century, have now been recognised as a curiosity of their country's heritage.

Popular art in the form of cartoons, caricatures and simple engravings offered great potential for political propaganda as the revolutionary leaders discovered. 

"We belong to that little group of peoples destined... for a special role, the tragic role. Their anxiety is not whether they will be prosperous tomorrow, great or small, but whether they will be at all..." - Lionel Groulx, Quebec historian

The tango was to Argentina what jazz was to New Orleans. As Simon Collier explains, it swept the world in the pre-First World War era and Carlos Gardel was its star.

Finlay McKichan uncovers what life was like for police constabularies a century ago.

The work of historians like Walter Rodney alters the way we look at the world, and in recognition of the significance of his work and life, History Today is publishing a tribute to him written by the eminent historian of Africa, Professor Richard Gray