History Today

The dilemmas of allegiance posed for Americans by the outbreak of war with the British crown led Benedict Arnold, 'the most brilliant soldier of the Continental Army’, into the Loyalist camp.

Philip Mansel looks at the commemorations surrounding the 250th anniversary of the death of a Habsburg monarch.

Mike Curtis uncovers the work of museums and archaeological groups in the West of England.

Bruce Collins assesses various wars of national liberation and role of guerrillas throughout the world.

Andrew Selkirk discusses the changing face of Pre-Conquest Britain.

'They do this for their Christian faith and for the saving of souls' – as Russians travelled west, they began to notice moral divides between the countries they visited and their own society.

A slave-state where despotic superstition ruled - Herberstein's vision of sixteenth-century Russia set the agenda for future European attitudes.

Early Russian architects adopted and adapted foreign influences to suit their native styles, but the late seventeenth century saw this trend reversed and western movements came to dominate native architecture.

Peter Biller looks at the restoration of one of England's finest remaining early town halls.

Not just 'the Comet man' - Halley's achievements as a polymath testify to the breadth and vigour of English scientific enquiry and experiment in the years after 1660.