History Today

The Origins of Islam

The same spotlight of historical enquiry that scholars have long been shedding on the biblical past is now starting to illumine the origins of Islam, as Tom Holland explains.

The RAF: On Record, Off Target

Taylor Downing appreciates the continuing relevance of an article questioning the accuracy of popular views of the wartime RAF.

London's Mayor: Running for Office

The election for London Mayor took place on May 3rd, marked by the bitter rivalry between the present incumbent Boris Johnson and his predecessor Ken Livingstone. But, says Penelope J. Corfield, it’s just another chapter in London’s long electoral history.

Painted out of History

The abdication crisis of 1937 forced a royalist magazine to present a different face to the world, as Luci Gosling reports.

The Book of Becket

The true nature of the relationship between Henry II and his ‘turbulent priest’ Thomas Becket.