Scandals of the Glorious Revolution
Rumours about the sexual proclivities of King William III began to spread as soon as he took the English throne. What went on behind the closed doors of the royal court had implications for the nation.
Britain
Bodies in the Blitz: The Murder of Rachel Dobkin
The devastation and chaos inflicted on London by wartime bombing raids provided an opportunity for murderers to conceal their crimes.
Radical Conservatives and the Federal Union
Britain’s Second World War Conservatives and their utopian dream of world government.
‘The Lost Queen’ by Sophie Shorland review
The Lost Queen: The Surprising Life of Catherine of Braganza, Britain’s Forgotten Monarch by Sophie Shorland returns the consort to her rightful place in Restoration history.
‘All His Spies’ and ‘Spycraft’ review
All His Spies: The Secret World of Robert Cecil and Spycraft: Tricks and Tools of the Dangerous Trade from Elizabeth I to the Restoration bring Tudor and Stuart espionage in from the cold.
The ‘Experts’ from Afghanistan
Britain’s dearth of Afghan informants provided an opportunity for a disinherited Indian prince and his son to present themselves as an authentic conduit to the Muslim world. Soon they were advising the nation on subjects from geopolitics to the powers of the occult.
The Extraordinary Rise and Inexplicable Decline of Lit & Phils
The Literary and Philosophical Society was once ubiquitous, allowing minds to meet and views to collide. Their disappearance has left more questions than answers.
The Dog Days of Medieval Summer
For those learned in medieval medicine and astronomy, the dog days of July heralded dangerous times.
Lessons from Attlee
A British general election rarely results in radical changes, no matter the colour of the rosettes. One exception was Labour’s landslide victory in 1945.
The Publication of Nineteen Eighty-Four
On 8 June 1949, George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four was published. His final novel, its themes had been present throughout his literary career.