At what point did the Scots first see themselves as a distinct kingdom separate but equal to that of England? Scottish sovereignty and independence have medieval origins.

Just two countries supported the Republic during the Spanish Civil War: the Soviet Union and Mexico. While Soviet help came with strings attached, Mexico’s reflected the country’s contentious relation...

Is the soul immortal, or does it die with the body? At the turn of the 18th century, amateur theologians like Henry Layton began to speculate, much to experts’ chagrin.

At what point did the Scots first see themselves as a distinct kingdom separate but equal to that of England? Scottish sovereignty and independence have medieval origins.

On 6 October 1802 Ludwig van Beethoven confessed his despair at the loss of his hearing in the Heiligenstadt Testament.

Wikipedia turns 25 this year. Its success was not a given and reveals much about our changing relationship with information online.

Surgeons trying to eliminate pain eventually arrived at anaesthesia – but not before a contest with older, more unusual therapies. Why was mesmerism so magnetic?

Wikipedia turns 25 this year. Its success was not a given and reveals much about our changing relationship with information online.

On 6 October 1802 Ludwig van Beethoven confessed his despair at the loss of his hearing in the Heiligenstadt Testament.

Signed at the height of the Second World War, the Atlantic Charter set out the terms for the decolonisation of French North Africa.

Burn This Letter: Love and Trouble in a Marriage of Four by Susan Pedersen wonders whether a radical relationship might offer inspiration for a radical restructuring of society.

The Carolingian Empire was consolidated by one of Europe’s most celebrated kings, but Charlemagne’s death meant that decline was inevitable.

Brutality, corruption, and abuses of power in the Metropolitan Police at the turn of the 20th century led to an inquiry – but no reform.

Speech, rather than hearing, has long been at the heart of deaf exclusion. Embracing sign language changed that.

Burn This Letter: Love and Trouble in a Marriage of Four by Susan Pedersen wonders whether a radical relationship might offer inspiration for a radical restructuring of society.

Two imperial ventures at Kut al-Amara, one in the First World War and another in the Iraq War, reveal the similarities – and differences – in the exercise of power.

Neanderthals Among Us: The Making of a Prehistoric Human by Peter Sahlins charts the ascent of an idea from prehistory to popular culture.

A miniature Emancipation Proclamation helped to recruit Black soldiers during the Civil War.

The jurisprudence of the Middle Ages may complement the legal efforts of today’s environmentalists.

At what point did the Scots first see themselves as a distinct kingdom separate but equal to that of England? Scottish sovereignty and independence have medieval origins.

In 1938 a sensational spy trial exposed a Nazi plot to seduce and blackmail US officers. Despite America’s technological might, counterintelligence had been slow on the uptake.

Thousands of poor London children were sent from Britain to Canada in the 19th century. For their organisers, it was Christian deliverance; for many children, the reality was very different.

As Spain and France moved into Morocco, the people of the Rif Mountains united to form a new state. For five years they fought one of the most successful wars of resistance in imperial history.

Norse travellers reached every corner of the known world, but they were not tourists. The ‘racially pure’ Vikings of stereotype were, in fact, cultural chameleons adopting local habits, languages and ...

The Carolingian Empire was consolidated by one of Europe’s most celebrated kings, but Charlemagne’s death meant that decline was inevitable.

Wikipedia turns 25 this year. Its success was not a given and reveals much about our changing relationship with information online.

As Spain and France moved into Morocco, the people of the Rif Mountains united to form a new state. For five years they fought one of the most successful wars of resistance in imperial history.

Before the Spanish conquest, the history of the Aztec Empire was recorded orally and with hieroglyphs. In danger of being lost or forgotten, Indigenous historians began to write it down.

In the 17th century news spread that the Jewish messiah had finally arrived. Within a year Sabbatai Zevi had converted to Islam. Who was he, and what had happened?

The study of history at UK universities appears to be under existential threat. Should anyone care?

Speech, rather than hearing, has long been at the heart of deaf exclusion. Embracing sign language changed that.

The study of history at UK universities appears to be under existential threat. Should anyone care?

Coal merchant and concert promoter Thomas Britton passed away on 27 September 1714 after a prank went awry.

A miniature Emancipation Proclamation helped to recruit Black soldiers during the Civil War.

The jurisprudence of the Middle Ages may complement the legal efforts of today’s environmentalists.

The jurisprudence of the Middle Ages may complement the legal efforts of today’s environmentalists.

For the exiled James Francis Edward Stuart lavish celebrations offered opportunities to cultivate supporters and promote the Jacobite claim to the British throne.

Is a united Africa, freed from the legacy of colonialism, possible? The Pan-African movement has been advocated by many different voices, underpinned by a belief in the common destiny in the peoples o...

Philip Hensher’s A History of the Novel in Britain is certainly novel but how does it fare as history?

Is a united Africa, freed from the legacy of colonialism, possible? The Pan-African movement has been advocated by many different voices, underpinned by a belief in the common destiny in the peoples o...

Philip Hensher’s A History of the Novel in Britain is certainly novel but how does it fare as history?

Detective stories captured the imaginations of the British middle classes in the 20th century. The fortunes of home-grown writers such as Agatha Christie reflected Britain’s social changes.

The geologist William Buckland worked through many theories about the creation of Earth and the biblical Flood. None of them were quite right.

As Spain and France moved into Morocco, the people of the Rif Mountains united to form a new state. For five years they fought one of the most successful wars of resistance in imperial history.

Before the Spanish conquest, the history of the Aztec Empire was recorded orally and with hieroglyphs. In danger of being lost or forgotten, Indigenous historians began to write it down.

What’s the meaning of the galloping herds painted on the walls of Lascaux’s cave system?

In the 17th century news spread that the Jewish messiah had finally arrived. Within a year Sabbatai Zevi had converted to Islam. Who was he, and what had happened?