History Today

Whatever may be history’s verdict on the Ayatallah Khomeini, there can be no doubt that he has forced us to question some of our most fundamental assumptions about power in the twentieth century.

History taught Machiavelli that, as a prince must know how to act as a beast, he should be a fox to recognise traps, and a lion to frighten off wolves.

To its respectable neighbours Campbell Road – or Campbell Bunk – was described as the roughest street in north London. The reality was more complex...

Christopher Fyfe looks at how, in 1975 the Cape Verde Island gained their independence from the Portuguese after five hundred years of colonial administration that left them one of the poorest states in the world.

R.V. Wells provides historical context for a famous Renaissance battle scene.

Antonia Fraser looks at the life of the Catholic reformer and missionary, who believed passionately in women's education. Her life was recorded in a remarkable series of paintings, recounting her career and now on show in the convent in Augsburg.

'The entire world is trifling and futile' wrote Ibn Khaldun, the medieval Muslim to whom history taught the fragility of political power and the recurrent cycle of achievement and decline within the social order.

Thomas Gretton presents a special review of the impact of the 19th century French satirical artist.

'A kind of apotheosis of terracotta', the Natural History Museum has been open for a hundred years as a scientific institution to serve the huge lay audience who are knowledgeable about nature and eager to learn more. Robert Thorne reflects on how, in its centenary year, the museum's architectural perfection is under threat.