History Today

Were the Germans justified in executing a British merchant captain for ramming a U-boat in March 1915? Phyllis Hall considers a curious episode from the First World War.

J.S. Cummins considers the impact of syphilis on the 16th-century world – a tale of rapid spread, guilt, scapegoats and wonder-cures, with an uncomfortable modern resonance.

Judith Herrin considers the Jekyll-and-Hyde output of Justinian's court historian, alternately respectful official chronicler and tabloid-style exposer of imperial scandal.

The grandest African ruins south of the Sahara and the enigmatic discovery of Ming China there.

A small, far-away country, but one whose tangled relations with its neighbours, Ian Armour suggests, lead inexorably to the debacle of 1914.

Sun, sea, sand and ... salesmanship. Nigel Yates describes the mixture served up by English coastal resorts to lure the visitor to a cornucopia of attractions before the days of the package holiday abroad.

John Childs surveys the remarkable career of a professional soldier who fought for six nations yet remained consistent to his church and personal principles

Roger Whiting explores sets of playing cards at the time of the Spanish Armada and the Glorious Revolution.

Edward Corp visits the 17th-century royal apartments of the Chateau Vieux.