Celibacy, Misogyny, and Sodomy
The medieval insistence on clerical celibacy had dangerous and long-lasting consequences.
Religion
Nero Versus the Christians
Was Nero the Antichrist? The bestial image of the Roman emperor persists in popular culture, but the truth is more complex.
History Wars
The cultural politics of papal Rome.
The Inquisition’s Secret Weapon
With the aim of converting souls rather than punishing them, the Jesuits were vital collaborators in the Roman Inquisition.
A Spiritual Wilderness
In the Victorian countryside, what did going to church on Sundays actually mean?
Holy Women and the Rise of Royal Power in France
Medieval French monarchs used – and abused – the charismatic power of religious women.
Inside the Ancient Bull Cult
King Minos and the Minotaur remain shrouded in mystery and mythology, yet evidence of a Bronze Age ‘Bull Cult’ at the Minoan palaces abounds. Were bulls merely for entertainment or did they have a deeper significance?
The Lost Voice of Notre-Dame
The devastating fire at Notre-Dame destroyed more than just bricks.
To Each, Their Own God
A study of cultish rituals in Roman Britain reveals a cross-fertilisation of religions.
Murder at the Vatican
An unsolved Renaissance mystery casts light on the dark world of extortion, revenge and power politics at the heart of the Catholic Church.