“kingship was often portrayed as ancient and natural but, in reality, it started with thieving thuggery”

I n 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue. That, at least, is what the famous rhyme tells us. Memorising such dates is a common experience of being taught history – a cliché superbly lampooned by the w

The Story of Tudor Art: A History of Tudor ...

I greatly enjoyed your interview with Alice Roberts about her new book Domination, (Books Interview, September), and its argument that the church was essentially Rome rebadged, with its structures and

A reactionary radical’s case against progress

Look out for a future edition of heat edited by the bestselling author – if Katie Holloway manages to persuade him

The celebrated historian explains why he’s taking to the stage with a Maxim gun on his new live tour