Recently published

‘The Church Militant’, by John Collet, 1779. Prints, Drawings and Watercolors from the Anne S.K. Brown Military Collection. Brown Digital Repository. Brown University Library. Public Domain.

‘The Crisis of Colonial Anglicanism’ by Martyn Percy review

The Crisis of Colonial Anglicanism: Empire, Slavery and Revolt in the Church of England by Martyn Percy takes the British Empire’s church militant to task. Is there a case to answer?

A stud merino ram, Boonoke, New South Wales, 1930s. State Library of New South Wales. Public Domain.

History Matters

Wool Aliens of the British Empire

From imported plant species to water pollution, Britain’s 19th century wool trade transformed the world.

Seated Amitabha Buddha, Ming dynasty China, c.1600. The Cleveland Museum of Art. Public Domain.

Review

‘Buddhism’ by Donald S. Lopez Jr. review

Buddhism: A Journey Through History by Donald S. Lopez Jr. swiftly soon loses sight of the Buddha himself. Is that a bad thing, and was he ever there?

A portrait of Charles I, anonymous artist, c.1650. Rijksmuseum. Public Domain.

Head to Head

Did Charles I Have to Die?

King Charles I’s execution in 1649 turned the world upside down – were other outcomes possible?

‘Scientific Researches! New Discoveries in Pneumaticks! [sic] or an Experimental Lecture on the Powers of Air, May 23, 1802’, by James Gillray. Minneapolis Institute of Art. Public Domain.

Making History

Have We Forgotten How to Listen to Lectures?

Unlike books and podcasts, lectures hold their audience captive – in person, at least.

Bertrand Russell at press conference in New York, 1950. Rijksmuseum. Public Domain.

Review

‘Vietdamned’ by Clive Webb review

Can Vietdamned: How the World’s Greatest Minds Put America on Trial by Clive Webb rescue Bertrand Russell and Jean-Paul Sartre’s activism from irrelevance?

Portrait of James VI of Scotland, by Adrian Vanson, c.1585. Purported to be the marriage portrait sent to the Danish court to seduce Anna, his future wife.

Feature

James VI and I: Spinning the English Succession

Eager to be first in line, the astute James VI of Scotland responded to the question of the English succession with a war of words.

Mary I of England and Philip II of Spain, Hans Eworth, 1558. Bridgeman Images.

Missing Pieces

Bloody Mary and the Missing Heir

A male heir might have saved Queen Mary’s reign, and changed the shape of global Catholicism for good.

Mavis Tate and Edward Wickham talk with a young Czech survivor in the prisoners’ barracks at Buchenwald, April 1945. Associated Press/Alamy Stock Photo.

Feature

Britain’s Witnesses to Buchenwald

In April 1945 ten British politicians flew to Germany tasked with investigating the ‘truth’ about Buchenwald concentration camp.

Stone head of a man wearing a cap or helmet, found in Yorkshire, c. 2nd-3rd century. Metropolitan Museum of Art. Public Domain.

Review

‘The Celts: A Modern History’ by Ian Stewart review

Historians may no longer talk of a single Celtic culture, but in The Celts: A Modern History Ian Stewart crafts a unified history of a changing idea.