The Poisoned Will of Jean Meslier
A French priest’s shocking attack on religion called for the fall of altars and the heads of kings.
History Today
Remedies Against the Devil and Dementia
The medical advice in Bald’s Leechbook outlasted the language in which it was written.
On the Spot: Andrew Roberts
We ask 20 questions of leading historians on why their research matters, one book everyone should read and their views on the Tudors …
A Kinder, Gentler History
The past can seem like a timeline of horrors. But might it also remind us of our own failings – and help to put them right?
Listening for the Change
Understanding the period and context in which a piece of music was created can offer great rewards for the listener.
1917: The Fragility of Power
The First World War ensured the success of the Russian Revolution. Peace would have strangled it at birth.
The Spears of Peace
The arrival of a Christian mission on the island of Dobu in Papua New Guinea was met with ambivalence, but it resulted in a mixing of cultures and the development of new traditions.
‘The Turkish Lawrence of Arabia’
The dramatic life of the outlaw and special agent Eşref Bey epitomises the end of the Ottoman Empire.
The Man in Carriage No. 2013
Leo Steveni was a British officer based in St Petersburg at the time of the Russian Revolution. He became an active eyewitness to the chaos of the Civil War that followed.
Capturing the Cat
The arrival of big cats to 19th-century London forced a change in the image left by mythology and the Old Masters.