“being married off to a russian grand duke was far from glamorous – it could be absolutely terrifying”

On 17 August 1579, a ship sailed up the Thames and dropped anchor in Greenwich. Moments later a duke emerged, dressed in the finest clothes that money could buy, and conversing with his entourage in F

TWO figures stood on the western side of the Dnieper rapids: a tall youth and a little girl in a blue headscarf. Both were dressed in the distinctive clothes of the Cossack people. The little girl poi

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

Maurice Ravel has been an enduring part of my world, both as a performer and teacher. As a little girl I played the Mouvement de menuet from his Sonatine at a piano competition, which the renowned pia

The rebellious charm and cruelty of a high-society mischief maker

An ocean of prejudice met the American heiresses who came to Britain at the dawn of the 20th century, but there was more to them than their wealth. Some earned their own titles, one flew helicopters and another made history as Britain’s first female MP