The Athenians are credited with coming up with a wide variety of concepts that are practiced in the modern world. They range from democracy to theatre and literature. Actually, many of the foundational rules that govern most countries today were written in Athens. For many years, the city was a powerhouse of new concepts. […]

Throughout French history, few heroines have been admired as much as Joan of Arc. This teenage girl etched her way into French history thanks to her divine mission; she had been told by God to reclaim French territory from the English. Whatever the actual reasoning for the activities that she undertook in the name […]

The annulled marriage of King Henry VIII to Anne of Cleves has become known as the marriage that ended because Anne was too ugly for Henry. But this narrative glosses over the true circumstances of a politically motivated marriage, which was successful in some ways despite its brevity.   Heir and a Spare   […]

Augustus infamously had a difficult time securing an heir. Each man he chose died before his time until the old emperor had to “settle” for his stepson Tiberius. Augustus’s favorite heirs seem to have been his grandsons Lucius and Gaius Caesar, whom he groomed from infancy, but both died as young men.   The […]