Feature

An English Puritan family by William Dobson, c. 1645. Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection. Public Domain.

Christmas under the Puritans

Celebration of Christmas was curtailed by England’s Puritan republic but the methods and results varied considerably.

Transfer of Louisiana to the United States in the Place d'Armes at New Orleans Dec. 20, 1803. Prints, Drawings and Watercolors from the Anne S.K. Brown Military Collection. Brown Digital Repository. Brown University Library. Public Domain.

The Louisiana Purchase, 1803

At the dawn of the 19th century, Napoleon Bonaparte liquidated the French empire in America, selling the vast Bourbon heritage along the banks of the Mississippi to the United States. Why?

The Wilton Diptych on display at the National Gallery. Sailko (CC BY 3.0).

Richard II: King of the White Hart

When Richard II succeeded his grandfather, Edward III, he turned to alchemy to create a more pious ideal of kingship. His reign left us one of medieval England’s most enduring and complex images.

The British soldiers at the front in France receive their Christmas mail. Nationaal Archief. Public Domain.

Christmas 1914, and After

The outrage that Christmas was tarnished by the ugliness of the First World War was felt by both British and German soldiers. In some cases, it led to a brief moment of truce.

’Triumphant Entry of Constantine into Rome’ by Peter Paul Rubens, c. 1621. Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields. The Clowes Collection. Public Domain.

Constantine, Christianity and the Battle of Verona

The Battle of Milvian Bridge is remembered as the moment when Constantine I secured the future of Christianity. The real turning point took place a few months earlier.

Terracotta Panathenaic prize amphora showing a race, c. 530 BC. Metropolitan Museum of Art. Public Domain.

National Rivalries at the Ancient Olympics

The ancient Greek Olympics were just as enmeshed in international politics, national rivalries and commercial pressures as their modern counterpart.

How Oil Became King

The great historical shifts in energy use, from wood to coal, to oil, nuclear power and beyond, have transformed civilisation and will do so again, as Richard Rhodes explains.

A group of Iraqi soldiers on the street, 1958. Museum of African Art (Belgrade). Public Domain.

Iraq’s Revolution: Bastille Day in Baghdad

The chain of events that led to the rule of Saddam Hussein began with the murder of the 23-year-old King Faisal during the 14 July Revolution.

London's Olympics: Political Games

David Runciman compares the 2012 games with the London Olympics of 1908 and 1948 to see what they reveal about the changing relationship between politics and sport over the last century.