The fall of Saigon, how Britain greeted VE Day, Renaissance sex workers, how the Roman Empire lost its gods, in defence of the Merovingians, and more.
Plus: reviews, opinion, crossword and much more!
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When VE Day finally came in May 1945 it was met with relief, exhaustion, and cynicism. Was the Second World War really over?
Renaissance Florence had a problem: it wanted female sex workers, but it also needed to offer them a way out. The solution was a new brothel district – and a nunnery for former prostitutes
Teodoro Castro or Iosif Grigulevich? Costa Rica’s ambassador to Yugoslavia was a Soviet spy sent to kill Tito.
The Vietnam War effectively ended on 30 April 1975 with the arrival of the North Vietnamese army in Saigon. Thousands fled the city, but many more were left behind.
Epic of the Earth: Reading Homer’s Iliad in the Fight for a Dying World by Edith Hall sees the signs of environmental collapse amid the adventures of Achilles.
The Roman Empire had two main populations: gods and humans. By its end, there was only one god left. How, and why, did he reign supreme?
Over the 18th and 19th centuries Britain’s economy, technology, and society were transformed by the so-called Industrial Revolution. Why?
The Merovingians have a reputation for long hair and barbarity. Instead, the dynasty, born out of the chaos of civil war, was one of peace, diplomacy, and bureaucracy.
On the 250th anniversary of her birth, Jane Austen still has lessons for readers of history.
Padraic X. Scanlan levels familiar charges against British colonialism and capitalism in Rot: A History of the Irish Famine. Is there more to the story?
