Charlemagne may have been the first Holy Roman Emperor but what did he do to dispel the 'Dark Ages'? Mary Alberi looks at the work of his leading court intellectual, Alcuin, and how his hopes for a 'New Athens' in the Aachen palace school promoted the Carolingian Renaissance.
Clare Thomson on the pace of change in the Baltic States.
Penelope Johnston on feelings of pride in North America.
Homes for heroes? Gertrude Prescott Nuding argues that the inspiration behind and debates over the founding of Britain's National Portrait Gallery reveal the Victorian establishment at its most earnest about who was worth celebrating in 'our island story'.
Peter Burley looks at how changing times and political climates are echoed in the 20th-century's view of the Revolution on film.
The campaign to preserve the Battle of Naseby site in Northamptonshire, a pivotal moment in the English Civil War.
Rosemary Burton observes new plans for museums.
Michael Houses looks at the grievances and history of the troubled Middle East country.
Running after foreign gods - Richard Stoneman explains how Rome's Syrian rival, the city of Palmyra, and her formidable queen Zenobia influenced the religion and mores of the later Empire - and brought us in the process Christmas Day.
Tom Nairn looks at the role of the monarchy and its impact on British national identity.
