History Today

Everyday Misery

Returning to the communist ‘cage’ of a childhood in Albania.

Statute of Kilkenny

The parliament of Kilkenny, which passed the eponymous Statute, opened on 18 February 1366.

Frieze panel showing triumphant Romans carrying the seven-branched menorah from the Temple of Jerusalem from the Arch of Titus, Rome, by Edizione Brogi, c.1875-1907. Rijksmuseum. Public Domain.

Jerusalem Burning, AD 70

When Roman forces burned the Temple in Jerusalem in AD 70, the Flavian dynasty thought it had defeated the Jewish god in the name of Jupiter. It was mistaken.

Colonel Nasser (left) and General Naguib at a press conference, 1953.

The Strange Death of Liberal Egypt

For most Egyptians independence came with the revolution of July 1952, not with the end of the British protectorate in February 1922. Yet, as the experiences of three patriotic writers show, independence did not mean freedom.

The Fall of Isfahan

In March 1722 rebellious Afghan forces laid siege to the Safavid capital. Was the great Iranian empire on the brink of collapse?

On the Spot: Marjoleine Kars

‘As an immigrant, I wanted to understand the roots of my adopted country.’

Haile Selassie during the Italo-Ethiopian War, 1935.

Crimes in Africa

Italy’s imperial record of murder and looting, fire and devastation in Ethiopia.

Sherlock Holmes and Cocaine: The Seven-Per-Cent Solution

Sherlock Holmes is the 19th century’s most famous cocaine user, but why did he take it?

Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy and his son Charles the Bold, 15th century.

All that Glitters

An extravagantly entertaining account of a medieval ‘theatre state’.

Photographs and autographs of Baroness Mary Vetsera and Crown Prince Rudolf, 19th century.

Love Lies Dead at Mayerling

Letters discovered in 2015 get us closer to understanding the tragic truth of the royal murder-suicide of Crown Prince Rudolf and Baroness Mary Vetsera at Mayerling.