The Last Testaments of Richard II and Henry IV
Tyrant and usurper: the last wills of Richard II and Henry IV give rare insight into the medieval monarchs who wore the crown.
Political
‘Catherine de’ Medici’ by Mary Hollingsworth review
In Catherine de’ Medici: The Life and Times of the Serpent Queen, Mary Hollingsworth helps the pragmatic queen escape her ‘black legend’.
‘Outposts of Diplomacy’ by G.R. Berridge review
Outposts of Diplomacy: A History of the Embassy by G.R. Berridge shows us that debates about the role of the ambassador are as old as the institution itself.
On the Spot: Alice Hunt
‘What is the most common misconception about my field? That the republic was an absolute failure and the Restoration inevitable.’
How the South Became Republican
America’s southern states were once strongholds for the Democratic Party. In 1952, Eisenhower decided to win them over.
‘Hitler’s People’ by Richard Evans review
Hitler’s People: The Faces of the Third Reich by Richard Evans asks what manner of men made themselves the Führer’s ‘paladins’.
An Ottoman Winter in Toulon
The unholy alliance between France and the Ottoman Empire in 1530 caused great concern but had little military success.
Gustav Vasa: The Father of Modern Sweden?
A bloody massacre in Stockholm’s city square set Sweden on a course for independence under the leadership of Gustav I Vasa. A master of the ethos of 16th-century monarchy, his legacy is complicated.
‘A Revolutionary Friendship’ by Francis D. Cogliano review
A Revolutionary Friendship: Washington, Jefferson, and the American Republic by Francis D. Cogliano explores a relationship more complex than that of comrades turned rivals.
Radical Conservatives and the Federal Union
Britain’s Second World War Conservatives and their utopian dream of world government.