All About History

Looking at the reign of Louis XIV of France, it’s easy to see the similarities between his centralised absolutist monarchy that he began to impose from 1661 and the cults of personality employed by the dictators of the 20th century. Louis began to bu

Having amended the rules for how serving-age men were drafted into the US military, the first lottery draft took place on 1 December 1969 to draw those born between 1 January 1944 and 31 December 1950. The change was a response to criticism that the

Located in the Sacred Valley, the four-sided Intihuatana ritual stone pointing north, south, east and west was carved from a single piece of granite and is understood to have been used as a sun dial and possibly an astronomical observatory. The Incas

Noblemen would wear a colourful tunic over a knee-length loincloth with a patterned design around the waist, while the women would wear long dresses pinned at the shoulder with a sash. The fine quality of the alpaca or vicuña cloth woven with ornamen

Manco Cápac was the founder of the Inca dynasty and the first Sapa Inca. Considered to be the son of Inti, the sun god, Manco Cápac’s origin is shrouded in myth. According to one tale Inti took pity on the people living in Lake Titicaca and sent Manc

Q. WHAT ARE KHIPUS AND WHAT DID THE INCAS USE THEM FOR? A. Khipus, coloured and knotted cords for recording information, remain one of the greatest mysteries of the Incas and the Andean people. During the Inca Empire, khipus recorded biographies, hi

One of the most fascinating Inca ruins, Moray is an archaeological site located in a remote area of the Sacred Valley. At first glance its concentric terraces are reminiscent of an ancient Roman amphitheatre, but sadly the purpose for this unique des

In the early hours of 6 January 1649, the ten-year-old Louis XIV and his younger brother Philippe were woken from their sleep and hustled into a carriage that was waiting outside their apartments in the Palais Royal in Paris. Accompanied by their mot

France had been in varying degrees of turmoil for well over a century before Louis XIV’s accession and he was determined to unify the nation with himself as figurehead, bringing much needed order to the realm. To accomplish this, it was not enough th

The sumptuous Queen’s Apartments were created for Louis XIV’s first wife Marie Thérèse, who moved into them in 1682, just a year before her death, which took place in the bedchamber. Although he was fond of his wife, who was also his first cousin, Lo

Daughter of King Philip III of Spain, Anne of Austria married Louis XIII of France in 1615, but the couple did not have their first child, Louis, until 1638. After her husband’s death in 1643, Anne became regent for their young son and worked tireles

The Second World War was a time of deep economical, political, and military unrest – and its severe impact was felt not only by civilians, but by well-known faces of film, too. A multitude of known actors, producers, and singers of Hollywood’s golde

It is nine in the morning and I am reaching down into the mud of the Thames foreshore to grab something that may not have seen the light of day for centuries. Above me thousands of commuters are scurrying to their offices with barely a glance at the

at the start of his long reign, India’s King Ashoka seemed destined to become one of history’s great conquerors. Instead, having spilled much blood to seize and expand his realm, he did something far more remarkable – he disavowed violence. The move

Chanakya was born to a Brahman family in the northwestern province of Taxila – a centre of culture and learning where the finest studied science, economics, law, medicine and warfare. A teacher’s son, the genius became a professor himself at a young

The process of reassessing and reevaluating history is an ongoing and rigorous one. It’s one of the many reasons why a study of history can be so rewarding; a surprise can often be waiting for you in a place you thought well explored. In recent years

Over the past two years, royal etiquette has been a popular topic as consequence of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s engagement and the birth of their son, Archie. The world’s press watched closely as Meghan adjusted to her new life in the British ro

Pressure from Hunnic conquests from the east and a civil war among Germanic tribes north of the Danube meant that in the late summer of 376 CE, the Gothic tribe of the Thervingi gathered on the borders of the Roman empire. Modern estimates suggest th

The Army of the Eastern Roman Emperor, Valens, marches north eight miles (almost 13 kilometres) from Adrianople (Edirne) along the modern Tundzha River, approaching the position of the modern village of Murtaçali. There, a vast wagon laager marks the

What was happening in the run-up to the attempted assassination of Roosevelt in 1933? The inauguration of Roosevelt took place at a much later date than we were used to in the electoral calendar. He’s elected in November 1932, but instead of taking

Author Matthew Lockwood Publisher Yale University Press Price £25 Released Out now Though books about the American Revolution are plentiful, in To Begin The World Over Again, Dr Matthew Lockwood approaches this well-trodden path from a different pe

Potage Saint-Germain was a popular split pea soup at the court of Versailles. The nobility – including King Louis XIV himself – was obsessed with peas and Madame de Sévigné famously wrote, “The craze for peas continues; the impatience to eat them, to

Author Kerstin Lücker & Ute Daenschel, translated by Ruth Ahmedzai Kemp & Jessica West Publisher The History Press Price £20 Released Out now A History Of The World With The Women Put Back In was a bestseller in Germany when it was published in 201

Author Patricia Fara Publisher Oxford University Press Price £10.99 Released Out now War, women’s rights, and modern science meet in this fresh and feminist work by Cambridge scholar Patricia Fara. Newly released in paperback, the cleverly titled A

Certificate 15 Creator Nigel Williams Cast Helen Mirren, Jason Clarke, Joseph Quinn Released: 25 November 2019 Made as part of the ongoing transatlantic partnership between Britain’s Sky and America’s HBO, Catherine the Great is headlined by Oscar-

Director: Alan Rickman Starring: Kate Winslet, Matthias Schoenaerts, Alan Rickman Country: United Kingdom Released: 2015 01 Sabine de Barra, played by Kate Winslet, is a fictional character hired by André Le Nôtre to build the Bosquet de la Salle-de