Proof that the Mongols weren’t so barbaric after all
Emperor of the Seas, Jack Weatherford’s new history of Kublai Khan’s reign, brings to life a thriving – and rather civilised – empire
Emperor of the Seas, Jack Weatherford’s new history of Kublai Khan’s reign, brings to life a thriving – and rather civilised – empire
A new film – Firebrand – sees Jude Law play the notorious king as a gross, reeking predator. But what do historians think of this portrayal?
Dan Jones’s superb narrative history, Henry V, stresses the great king’s piety, and how it grounded a world view that may seem alien today
Mythical creatures have long fascinated humanity, writes Natalie Lawrence in Enchanted Creatures. But what do they reveal about our world?
Justine Firnhaber-Baker’s House of Lilies is a chronicle of one of medieval Europe’s most powerful dynasties, the back-stabbing Capetians
Thomas Müntzer made Martin Luther look tame. Andrew Drummond’s lively history follows his challenge to the Pope and the German princes alike
From 18th-century ‘cruising’ to grim punishments, Noel Malcolm's Forbidden Desire in Early Modern Europe sheds is sure to raise hackles
The battle in northern waters took a terrible toll, until decryption changed the course of the war, as David Kenyon’s Arctic Convoys shows
The comedian’s trip through medieval history may pass at breakneck speed, but it’s an impressive blend of irreverence, accuracy and wit
Matthew Parker’s brilliant new book One Fine Day: Britain’s Empire uses one day in September 1923 to explore the empire at its height
Philosopher, poet, sci-fi author and scandalous celebrity, Margaret Cavendish was a woman out of time. This blazing biography does her proud
Machiavellian schemer – or innocent caught up in wider affairs? Two new books re-examine the life of Henry VIII’s infamous second wife
For thousands of years, this material has shaped the course of history, as Aarathi Prasad reveals in Silk: A History in Three Metamorphoses
This thrilling account of the 1741 Wager disaster, and the scandal that followed, is coming to screens soon thanks to Martin Scorsese
Hands of Time, by the watchmaker Rebecca Struthers, is a true joy – an enchanting mixture of memoir and history
Forced into working with the SS, Kitty Schmidt's remarkable life is investigated in a new book by Nigel Jones, Urs Brunner, Julia Schrammel