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.
Italy
The Pazzi Conspiracy
On 26 April 1478 the attempted coup against Florentine tyrant Lorenzo de’ Medici ended in disaster.
‘Lying Abroad’ by Carol Chillington Rutter review
Lying Abroad: Henry Wotton and the Invention of Diplomacy by Carol Chillington Rutter is a case study of the archetypal early modern ambassador.
The First Venice Biennale
By the late 19th century the relationship between art and Italy felt consigned to history. On 30 April 1895 creativity and controversy returned with the first Venice Biennale.
Italo Calvino: A Traveller in a World of Uncertainty
If the present, with its conflicts and uncertainties, is impossible to know, asks Italo Calvino, how can we hope to understand the past?
The Sicilian Vespers
Two thousand were slain on the night of 30 March 1282 as the Kingdom of Sicily rose against the hated Charles of Anjou in the Sicilian Vespers.
Servants on the Grand Tour
An army of help accompanied wealthy British sightseers on their 18th-century sojourns across the Continent. What was it like to travel as a servant on the Grand Tour?
The First Christmas Celebration
On 25 December 336 Rome’s believers celebrated Christmas Day – the earliest recorded use of that date as it spread across Christendom.
Oswald of Northumbria: An English Saint in the Alps
The English saint Oswald of Northumbria proved incredibly popular in the medieval German-speaking world. How did he get there?
The Excommunication of Henry VIII
Henry VIII’s break with Rome was a watershed moment for England and for Christendom. Did the papacy have itself to blame?