A Tyrant goes on Trial
Charges were brought against Peter von Hagenbach at the ‘first international war crimes trial’, held on 9 May 1474.
History Today
Death of an Occultist
Madame Blavatsky, founder of the Theosophical Society, died on 8 May 1891.
‘The Happy Traitor’ by Simon Kuper review
The Happy Traitor: Spies, Lies and Exile in Russia. The Extraordinary Story of George Blake unpicks the motives and damage inflicted by the double agent.
Polling in a Pandemic
The general election of 1918 was a ‘cynical muddle’ held as influenza killed thousands across a country emerging from the First World War.
The Lives of Napoleon
The erstwhile emperor continues to attract biographers and readers alike. Laura O’Brien assesses recent work on his life and legacy.
Breaking Time’s Arrow
A meditative, intensive and sweeping critique of the discipline of history.
Out of Time, But Not Out of Tune
We should listen to the voices of the past, for they may surprise us with their relevance.
400 Years of Melancholising
Robert Burton’s encyclopedic curiosity The Anatomy of Melancholy continues to offer remarkable insights into mental health.
Britannia’s ‘Huns’
The moral authority Britain gained during the First World War was undermined by the behaviour of the Crown Forces during the Irish War of Independence.
The Man who Haunts America
John Brown, the abolitionist firebrand, remains a potent figure in the United States’ febrile politics of race.