WRITER & HISTORIAN
When the Jesuits first arrived in Ethiopia in 1557 they encountered a Christian society whose roots rivalled Rome for antiquity. The region had converted in the fourth century; its royal family claimed descent from the bibilical king Menilek and the queen of Sheba. But, from the point of view of western Christendom, it had been... Continue Reading →
Zhu Youjian, known as the Chongzhen Emperor, was the last of the Ming dynasty to rule China. He came to the imperial throne of China in October 1627 aged 16, on the death of his older brother. As crown prince he had dreamt of seeing a black dragon coiled around a pillar in the palace,... Continue Reading →
Sweden was on a war-footing constantly in the last decades of the sixteenth century. Taxes fell disproportionately on the peasantry, who in Finland – still under Swedish dominion – also had to accept the billeting of troops in the villages. Soldiers were allowed to take whatever they wanted from village stocks of food and fodder.... Continue Reading →
Like much of her reign, the accession of Razia to the sultanate of Delhi, is shrouded in mystery. The only contemporary chronicler of her reign is the Tabakat-i-Nasiri of Minhaj Siraj Juzjani, whose career had thrived during her brief tenure, and who was full of praise for her skills. “A great sovereign,” he wrote of... Continue Reading →
The defenestration of three Catholics from the high windows of the castle in Prague in May 1618 helped precipitate the Thirty Years War. But it wasn’t the first time the people of Bohemia had resorted to this distinctive method of extra-judicial killing. On the first occasion, two centuries earlier, the proximate causes were the same:... Continue Reading →
“There is nothing that doth more advance and sour a man’s misery”, the eulogist said at the funeral of Sir Marmaduke Rawdon in April 1646, “than this one thought and apprehension: that he was once happy.” Before the outbreak of the English civil war, Rawdon had been a highly successful merchant in London; his unofficial... Continue Reading →
White King by Leanda de Lisle On New Year’s Day 1640, Charles I was in the Banqueting House participating in what would be the last court masque of his reign. Charles himself performed as King Philogenes, the lover of his people, who rescues his kingdom from a Fury named Discord. “All that are harsh, all... Continue Reading →
Mathew Lyons 