Europe

Marius Ostrowski explains why the Church was so dominant in the Middle ages, but also sees traces of a growing secularism.

F.G. Stapleton seeks to understand why the Pontiff of 1939-58 has been called ‘Hitler’s Pope’.

Jonathan Phillips sees one of the most notorious events in European history as a typical ‘clash of cultures’.

Michael Broers argues that the influence of Napoleon’s Empire was out of all proportion to its duration.

As Battle of Britain Day approaches Brian James has been finding out why some of today’s leading military historians argue that it was not the RAF but the Royal Navy that saved Britain in 1940.

Christopher Tyerman explains why he believes the crusades were important in shaping the ideology and fiscal and political structures of the secular state.

The controversial decision to uncover the remains of the famous 18th-century castrato Farinelli in Bologna may or may not prove insightful for music historians ... while an exhibition on castrati in London illuminates this exclusive profession for the wider public.

Richard Dimbleby’s account of what he witnessed at Bergen-Belsen in April 1945 has become infamous in Britain. Less well known is the work of two other BBC employees who made radio programmes about Belsen shortly after the camp’s liberation.

The Holy Roman Empire had survived over a thousand years when it was finally destroyed by Napoleon and the French in 1806.