History Today

The Cid of History and the History of Cid

A myth for all seasons - the treatment through the centuries of Spain's medieval hero as a blend of Robin Hood and King Arthur provides revealing insights into the political needs of both his contemporary and more recent biographers.

Pugin & the Medieval Dream

Once upon a time... nostalgia for the imagined medieval harmony of the arts, religion and society was a powerful impetus for the aesthetic revival in these areas in Victorian England.

Henry VIII and the Lords of the Council

‘Pastime with good company’ – how the image of ‘Bluff King Hal’ glosses over the harsh realities of life-and-death court intrigues played out among the nooks and crannies of the king’s private apartment.

Erasing the Past?

Gerhard Hirschfeld looks over the heated debate between West German historians and the Nazi past.

John Buchan's Richard Hannay

Stranger than Fiction - the undercover spying mission of a British officer disguised as a Boer in German South-West Africa provided John Buchan with inspiration for his most famous character.