The flight to varennes backfires

Over a long career, John Hardman has specialised to great effect in teasing out, from speeches, decrees, minutes, memoranda, letters, diaries and unsent drafts, the varied moods of French political de

The morning air was charged with anticipation as the people of New Orleans gathered before the Cabildo, the grand seat of government on the Plaza de Armas (now Jackson Square). Almost three weeks earl

Not many successful breakaways involve almost 5,000m of climbing over 324km, but that’s exactly what Napoleon Bonaparte pulled off in just six days in the spring of 1815. After escaping from exile on

The Voodoo Queen

Criss-crossing Europe in pursuit of pleasure, Casanova acquired almost as many passport stamps as he did notches on his bedpost, discovers Deborah Nicholls-Lee

I enjoyed reading the interesting article by Caitlin Ellis on the rivals for the throne in 1066 (October). In particular, it was fascinating to read about Edgar Ætheling’s claim, which was surely the