All About History

I often think you can learn a great deal about the humility of a civilisation through its religious understandings of death. Facing the end is naturally humbling, of course, so how a society chooses to approach that and the story it tells itself abou

Yasser Arafat returned to Gaza after ten years based in Tunisia after he had made commitments to a peace process with Israel. Summits in Madrid in 1991 and the Oslo Accords in 1993 to end conflict with the PLO (Palestinian Liberation Organization) an

Drafted into the Italian army, socialist journalist Benito Mussolini supports the war, breaking with socialist politics to form the Partito Fascista Rivoluzionario (PFR). Mussolini founds the Fasci di Combattimento, or Fascist Party. The Manifesto of

1 In the midst of a political and constitutional crisis in which Italy is run by a weak and quarrelsome coalition government, the newly formed National Fascist Party led by Benito Mussolini holds a Fascist Congress in Naples on 23 October 1922. Fasci

This memorial museum may be one of the smaller attractions in Rome but nonetheless it is an extremely important one, highlighting some of the forgotten atrocities of WWII. Established in 1957 to document the fight for the liberation of Rome during th

Woman In Gold, the 2015 film starring Helen Mirren as Altmann and Ryan Reynolds as her lawyer, E Randol Schoenberg, is based on Maria Altmann’s battle to regain her aunt’s portrait, along with the other Klimt paintings taken from her family. After th

Q. WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER TO BE THE MEANING OF THE TERM FASCIST? A. The great historian of fascism Roger Griffin has noted, about the “bewilderingly wide range of ideal types of their essential definitional traits [that have] accumulated over time”, th

The Egyptian underworld, known by many names including Amduat or Field of Reeds, is a dark and frightening place populated by demons, anti-animals and deities. Descriptions of the underworld are found in numerous funerary texts painted onto the wall

With the cancellation in late 1940 of Operation Sealion – the planned Nazi invasion of Great Britain – and the entry into the war of the United States of America in December 1941, Berlin knew it was only a matter of time before the now-Allies landed

Oberst Hermann von Oppeln-Bronikowski made an impression. Tall and handsome, he had all the elegant manners of the Saxon aristocrat he was. In his black panzer uniform, with his Knight’s Cross dangling at his throat and his cigarette holder clamped b

Immediately after Charles I’s execution on 30 January 1649, Parliament abolished the monarchy, declared England to be a republic and prohibited any announcement of his son’s succession. Although this was disheartening, Charles’ spirits were raised wh

Dates: 3 March 1882 – 18 Jan 1949 Place Of Birth: Lugo, Italy It speaks volumes about the charismatic Charles Ponzi that even on the day that the Boston Post exposed his money-making scheme as a con he had investors lining up around the block to g

On 5 August 1651, a Scottish Covenanter army crossed the border into England and proceeded to make its way south, their progress hampered by internal strife between King Charles and his Scottish commanders, the apathy of the troops and the overt host

The 2019 Women’s Football World Cup is about to start in France, a gigantic event and showpiece of the beautiful game as it grows more diverse and increasingly gives female players a stage on which to show their skill. But 100 years ago, for the pion

Have you discovered anything new about Anne of Cleves during your research? Well, I’ve got some new theories about her! It was something that King Henry VIII said after their wedding night that gave me a storyline, because he kept saying that she wa

The king’s excitement to see his new bride had dissipated as soon as he had laid his eyes on her. She was nothing like the demure and pretty princess pictured in her portrait. After their meeting was over, the infuriated king rounded on Cromwell and

On the death of King Charles IV of France in 1328, Edward III of England was his closest male heir and therefore the legitimate successor to the throne of the childless Charles. This was due to the ancient Salian (or Salic) law that prevented female

Edward moves his forces towards Tours when he learns that the French under King Jean are approaching from the north. Unable to cross the River Loire, Edward retires southwest towards Poitiers. The French pursue and reach Poitiers on Sunday 18th Septe

Military aircraft took to the skies like never before during World War II. Although they had been used in the first global conflict – initially for reconnaissance but then as muscle to break the deadlock of trench warfare – advancing technology and a

• 2 x 7g sachet of baking yeast• 250ml warm water. No hotter than 40º C• 125ml warm milk, same as water• 4 tbsp caster sugar• 1 tsp salt• 75g unsalted butter, softened• 3 eggs• 500g plain flour• Zest of one orange• 175g honey• 125ml water• 1 litre of

Author Gordon Campbell (Editor) Publisher Oxford University Press Price £30 Released Out now The Oxford Illustrated History Of The Renaissance is the latest title in the celebrated Oxford Illustrated History series. Always generously illustrated, t

Certificate 15 Director Josie Rourke Cast Saoirse Ronan, Margot Robbie, David Tennant, Jack Lowden, Gemma Chan, Guy Pearce Released 20 May Josie Rourke’s film sits among a new breed of period dramas that have thrown out the stuffiness that such wor

Director Sean Ellis Cast Cillian Murphy, Jamie Dornan, Charlotte Le Bon Country Czech Republic, UK, France Released 2016 01 In the beginning, Jozef Gabčík (played by Cillian Murphy) and Jan Kubiš (played by Jamie Dornan) parachute into their occupie