History Today

Portrait of a man in a fur-trimmed coat holding a letter, Italian painter, c.1540. Metropolitain Museum of Art. Public Domain.

‘Huguenot Networks’ by Penny Roberts review

Huguenot Networks: Truth and Secrecy in Sixteenth-Century Europe by Penny Roberts reveals the clandestine cross-border contacts of Huguenot spies, diplomats, and scholars.

Pope Sixtus V, surrounded by achievements of his papacy and places with which he was associated, c.1589. Metropolitan Museum of Art. Public Domain.

Gambling on the Pope

The death of a pope presented a lucrative opportunity in Renaissance Italy. Fortunes could be made – but only if you could correctly guess the conclave’s chosen successor.

Frigate bird, by John White, 1585-93. Trustees of the British Museum.

Following 16th-Century Seabirds

European mariners in the Atlantic in the 16th century used a reliable navigational aid: seabirds.

Illustration from a French edition of Gulliver’s Travels, 1727. Public Domain.

Isaac Newton on Laputa

Irked by both his character and his tendency towards corruption, Jonathan Swift spent years ruthlessly satirising Isaac Newton.

Two Russian peddlers, 1917. Photo by Erik Hägglund/The Society of Swedish Literature in Finland.

The Persecution of Finland’s Russian Peddlers

In the 19th century Russian peddlers became a scapegoat in Finland’s resistance against the tsar’s empire.

Gay Pride marchers in London, 1974. LSE Library. Public Domain.

‘The Log Books’ by Tash Walker and Adam Zmith review

The Log Books: Voices of Queer Britain and the Helpline That Listened by Tash Walker and Adam Zmith reveals unsung – but not unheard – LGBTQ+ heroes of Switchboard.

The Rise and Fall of Snake Oil

Over the course of the 19th century snake oil transformed from folk remedy, to industrial medicine, to notorious fake.

Beating the Bounds

May is a month for praying for a good harvest, enjoying the natural world – and reaffirming ancient boundaries.

King Philip II of Spain banqueting with his family and courtiers, Alonso Sánchez Coello, 1596. Museum Narodowe w Warzawie. Public Domain.

‘Infanta’ by Magdalena S. Sánchez review

In Infanta: The Short, Remarkable Life of Catalina Micaela, Magdalena S. Sánchez discovers a 16th-century marriage documented in remarkable detail.

A Whig Toast – A Tory Sentiment, Isaac Cruikshank, c.1798. Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection. Public Domain.

‘Centrists of the World Unite!’ by Adrian Wooldridge review

Whig is beautiful? Centrists of the World Unite! The Lost Genius of Liberalism by Adrian Wooldridge looks for signs of life in the liberal movement.