History Today

The eldest son of King John was born on October 1st, 1207.

King Leopold II’s personal rule of the vast Congo Free State anticipated the horrors of the 20th century, argues Tim Stanley.

US presidential candidate Mitt Romney is a Mormon, which is a problem for some voters. But, says Andrew Preston, so was the Catholicism of John F. Kennedy and it did not stop him winning the 1960 election.

Oliver Stone’s 2004 film Alexander portrayed the great Macedonian king as bisexual. Was he also a transvestite? Tony Spawforth looks to uncover the truth.

Roger Hudson sheds light on a haunting photograph from the Greek Civil War.

Peter Hennessy looks back to his 1994 Longman-History Today lecture, delivered just as a revolution in British contemporary history was beginning to bear fruit.

Richard Lowe-Lauri looks at the decline of bull running in the English town of Stamford.

Onyeka explores the changing meanings of words for Africans in Tudor England.

The ‘British Empire’ was the name given by imperialists in the late 19th century to Britain’s territorial possessions. It was meant to create an image of unity and strength. But such a view is illusory, argues Bernard Porter.

J.L. Laynesmith unravels one of the mysteries of the Bayeux Tapestry.