At the mercy of the mongols

Driven by the hunger for new territory, in the 16th century Russia embarked on the ruthless subjugation of a vast and hostile land in the frozen east

Ancient India gave the world its number system, anticipated Galileo’s heliocentric theory by a millennium and spread its culture from Egypt to Siberia–only to be almost entirely forgotten. It’s past time to restore it to its rightful place in history

Emily Briffett: Why does the 14th century, which is often dubbed ‘calamitous’, have such a bad reputation? Helen Carr: Some pretty bad things happened during the 14th century – including the greatest

The last word

Spring is the time to see the muscular and noble goshawk, usually as elusive as a ghost circling and swooping through the sky

I stop short of taking my next step. Somewhere amid the squeak-crunch of snow beneath my boots and the footfalls and heavy breathing of our labrador, Hobbes, there is something else. The two of us sta