Volume 75 Issue 2 February 2025

On 23 February 303 Roman emperor Diocletian embarked on his Great Persecution of the empire’s Christians. Why?

Are beavers beasts or fish? For medieval philosophers, this was an important question with implications for the dining table.

A tool for tyrants... or their undoing? The Crowd in the Early Middle Ages by Shane Bobrycki crafts a history for the medieval mob.

‘What historical topic have I changed my mind on? I underestimated the role of women.’

The Brothers Grimm: A Biography by Ann Schmiesing brings folklore’s most famous double act out of the shadowy realm of legend.

Russia’s entry into the global economy was met with glee by international firms in the early 1990s. The exodus has been just as sudden.

In 1920 the English writer Jerome K. Jerome set out the arguments in favour of Irish home rule.

The Price of Victory: A Naval History of Britain: 1815-1945 by N.A.M. Rodger looks above decks for the story of the modern Royal Navy.

In Augustus the Strong: A Study in Artistic Greatness and Political Fiasco, Tim Blanning looks for a legacy for the ‘incorrigible Saxon’.

Political reputations are forged by actions, but the long view of history can be hard to predict.