History Today

A farmer gives milk from the holy cow to Hindus, Parsees and the British, by Ravi Varma, c. 1848-1908. Wellcome Collection. Public Domain.

Why Do Religions Decline?

The spiritual marketplace is crowded – is there something Darwinian about it?

The Ehemann organ in the Holy Trinity Church, Ulm, 1643. Kartensammlung Moll. Public Domain.

Why the Organ Split the Church

Indulgent symbol of papist excess or mouthpiece for God’s second greatest gift? What place was there for the organ in the Reformation church?

The Sick, the leprous, and the lame praying at Saint Hedwig's tomb, from the Vita beatae Hedwigis, 1353. The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, Ms. Ludwig XI 7, fol. 87v, 83.MN.126.87v. Public Domain.

The Pilgrim as a Historian

Pilgrimage is not meant to be easy, but it remains a popular pursuit – even for non-believers.

The policewoman of the future as imagined by Harry Furniss, Judy Magazine, 5 August 1885. Public Domain.

The Female Detectives of Victorian Britain

The real female Victorian detectives were every bit as bold as their fictional counterparts – and far more prevalent than we might assume.

Diogenes in the Book of Good Morals, by Jacques le Grant, 15th century. Musée Condé, Chantilly/Bridgeman Images.

‘The Green Ages’ by Annette Kehnel review

Can The Green Ages: Medieval Innovations in Sustainability by Annette Kehnel find anything worth recycling in medieval modes of living?

Porus surrenders to Alexander the Great, from History of the World, by Evert A. Duyckinck, 1870. Look and Learn/Bridgeman Images.

How Ancient Greece Shaped the British Raj

British agents of empire saw their actions in India through the texts of their classical educations. They looked for Alexander, cast themselves as Aeneas and hoped to emulate Augustus.

‘Street Scenes in Times of Peace’, by Zhu Yu, c. 1293-1365. Art Institute of Chicago. Public Domain.

On the Spot: Gina Anne Tam

‘What is the most common misconception about my field? That China has “5,000 years” of continuous history.’

Manuel II Palaiologos meeting with Henry IV, from the St Albans Chronicle, late 15th century. Lambeth Palace Library/Bridgeman Images.

A Christmas to Save the Byzantine Empire

Henry IV had a special guest for Christmas in 1400: the Byzantine emperor Manuel II Palaiologos. United by their Christian faith, they were nonetheless on separate sides of the East-West schism. How did they celebrate?

Channel Tunnel illustration © Ben Jones/Heart Agency.

Fear, Friendship and the Channel Tunnel

November 2024 marks the 30th anniversary of the first passenger trains between London and Paris. What does the history of the Channel Tunnel tell us about Britain’s relationship with its neighbours?

St Brice’s Day Massacre, from Cassell’s Illustrated History of England, 1890. Chronicle/Alamy Stock Photo.

The St Brice’s Day Massacre

When paying off the Vikings failed to yield lasting peace, on 13 November 1002 king Æthelred ordered the slaughter of England’s Danes instead.