Empire

Both Don Carlos in 1568 and Don Ferdinand in 1807 were accused by their fathers of conspiracy to usurp the throne of Spain, as Douglas Hilt finds here.

Jan Read describes Al-Mansur, the honorific name for the leader who restored Moorish power in Spain during the late 10th century.

Roger Howell discovers that the Spaniards who conquered the Americas had little real understanding of the civilizations that they overthrew.

George Woodcock describes how, in opposition to Portuguese, Dutch and British intruders, the highland kingdom of Kandy in Ceylon flourished under a succession of Buddhist rulers almost until the year of Waterloo.

Michael Roberts examines the end of the reign of a Swedish monarch of "natural genius".

For 444 years Goa has been ruled by the Portuguese; today their rule is challenged by the Republic of India. By C.R. Boxer.

C.R. Boxer examines the travels and writings of Robert Knox in a 17th century Buddhist kingdom.

Administrator, Orientalist, patron of science and founder of Singapore, Raffles was an enlightened Governor of Java during the British occupation, 1811-1816.

Gibraltar provides one of the examples of how the British Empire was 'acquired in a fit of absence of mind'. 

Britain’s involvement in the Middle East between the wars proved a rich seam for authors of adventure stories which, in turn, helped to reinforce the imperial mission.