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George VI’s Nazi dilemma

Hitler’s aristocratic admirers George VI’s Nazi dilemma As war raged across the globe, the king had to confront admirers of Adolf Hitler uncomfortably close to home, writes Alexander Larman “I NEVER THOUGHT HITLER WAS SUCH A BAD CHAP” THE DUKE OF WINDSOR, SPEAKING TO LORD KINROSS, c1965 Even today, 80 years after the Second World […]

Books interview: Peter Frankopan

INTERVIEW / PETER FRANKOPAN “Climate is a factor that underpins all of human history” Peter Frankopan talks to Rhiannon Davies about his pioneering new book exploring how humanity’s complex relationship with the natural world has altered over the millennia PROFILE Peter Frankopan is professor of global history at Oxford University, and Stavros Niarchos Foundation director […]

The first families of the second city

The Chamberlains and Cadburys The first families of the second city The story of modern Birmingham is dominated by two clans, whose radical views and fierce commitment to public service forged its distinctive identity. Richard Vinen traces the rise of the Chamberlains and the Cadburys Workshop of the World. Chocolate Capital. Venice of the North. […]

At the mercy of the mongols

Life under the Mongols At the mercy of the mongols They pulled off one of the most astonishing campaigns of conquest in history. But how did they treat their subject populations once the dust had settled? Nicholas Morton examines what life was like under the Mongols One curious and less-well-known impact of the Mongol empire’s […]

Lady killers

Crime and punishment / Lady killers “Before my children shall be taken, I will kill every one of them” The BBC series Lady Killers investigates historical murders perpetrated by women. As series consultant Rosalind Crone reveals, there was often a lot more to these cases than initially met the eye Accompanies series two of Lady […]

William Douglas The infamous bushranger

Crime and punishment / Amazing lives William Douglas The infamous bushranger Hard drinker, bandit, prize-fighter and reader of skulls. Meg Foster unravels the myth of “Black Douglas”, whose life of crime across 19th-century Australia made him a target of lynch mobs and the popular press In May 1855, hundreds of Victorian gold miners moved to […]

Debtors’ prison

Crime and punishment / Debtors’ prison “Come and assist your loving mother. I am in prison for debt” “Dear mother, so am I” Debtors’ prisons inflicted untold misery on families in the 18th and 19th centuries. Yet, writes Alexander Wakelam, England’s credit-fuelled economy would have ground to a halt without them In May 1728, the […]