Making a Martyr of Mary, Queen of Scots
Even when she was imprisoned, Mary, Queen of Scots carefully curated her Catholic image.
Religion
An Iranian in the Land of Israel
In the 1960s Iran and Israel were on friendly terms. One Iranian writer, Jalal Al-e Ahmad, saw the Jewish state as a model for his country’s future.
‘Huguenot Networks’ by Penny Roberts review
Huguenot Networks: Truth and Secrecy in Sixteenth-Century Europe by Penny Roberts reveals the clandestine cross-border contacts of Huguenot spies, diplomats, and scholars.
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.
Exclusion Crisis: Challenging James II’s Right to Rule
The Exclusion Crisis of the late 17th century posed a question of national importance: should the Catholic duke of York be allowed to succeed to the throne? And should he be subject to the same law as everyone else?
‘Waning Crescent’ by Faisal Devji review
Waning Crescent: The Rise and Fall of Global Islam by Faisal Devji charts how colonialism and nationalism propelled the Muslim world into modern history.
Runaway Nuns in Norman England
Anglo-Saxon noblewomen took shelter from the invading Normans in nunneries. Did that make them brides of Christ?
Baldwin, Saladin, and the Fall of Jerusalem
As Baldwin IV succumbed to leprosy, his potential successors fought over the throne. Their determination to prove their worth would bring medieval Jerusalem itself into peril
Good News: The Afterlife of Tyndale’s Bible
William Tyndale’s translation of the New Testament transformed the English language, but the text itself was almost erased.
Alfred the Great’s Indian Embassy
How likely is it that Alfred the Great sent two emissaries to India in the ninth century?