Spring, 1525: news of the Reformation was sweeping across Europe. Change was afoot. And Germany was on fire. Across the Holy Roman Empire, peasants wielding weapons, farm tools and homemade banners ro

In 1494, the high castle walls that had dominated the Middle Ages came tumbling down in clouds of gunpowder smoke. It was the start of a new age

I learnt to type on a heavy black manual typewriter at secondary school in the late 1970s. Although I was keen to learn, I took a strong dislike to the messing about with ribbons and carbon paper. It

In his new book, Edmond Smith addresses a question that has occupied generations of historians: why was Britain the first country to industrialise, thus securing its global dominance in the 19th centu

The secret meaning of Vermeer’s art

It was the summer of 1066 and two powerful leaders were rallying their supporters behind them and preparing for war. Their clash would result in political chaos, the spilling of much blood, and one of