My friend John, in a former life my Deputy Principal at The City Lit, wrote to point out that the shell associated with St James of...

Perhaps all of you knew, especially Londoners, that the Undercroft (now used for receptions etc) of The Banqueting Hall in Whitehall once...

Germany: An old friend, a new enemy Introduction : We are all related 1714 - 1815 -1914 1841 : Albert, The Good German 1858 : Vicky, the...

This week we shall take our first look at The Ottoman Empire with some social and cultural history. 1 The Fall of Constantinople 1453. ...

First, some fiction: The Scarlet Letter. Nathaniel Hawthorne's marvellous expose of Puritan society in 17th century New England (1850). ...

During the various lockdowns, it's been interesting to note the growth in licensed fast food sellers on Worthing's Prom; from fresh...

Most of the books listed below deal with a wider period than specified in my title, but are books I refer to when lecturing on this...

Ask the man or woman in the street what they know of Dickens or life in Victorian Britain, and many will answer 'The Workhouse'. This...

Little is known, and much is conjecture ( and most of that wrong). The Khazars were a Turkic people who fashioned a multi-ethnic Empire...

The Fall of the city to the Ottoman Turks 1453 1 Introduction and Setting the Scene 2 The poor state of Constantinople in first half of...

Italy: A Love-in with Garibaldi - Anglo-Italian relations 1815-1919 1 Napoleon shuffles the pack 2 Italy made Napoleon, and Napoleon...

The world doesn't stop even for a global pandemic. Last week I posted a small item about current political issues within Europe. This...

I thought it might be of interest to some folk if I wrote a small piece about the Seljuk Turks, whom we were talking about in yesterday's...

This blog is a short round up of some of the political issues within Europe at the present time. Russia still dominates European politics....

For many of us in the 60+ age group, (OK, I know I am well past 60, but it makes me feel good to say that!), we have been forced by...

'That Sweet Enemy, France' British feelings during The Napoleonic Wars 1815-1848 Russia - a common Anglo-French enemy Crimean War 1853-56...

Byzantine Politics in Byzantine Empire Short Introduction A story of intrigue, love, and blinding 1067-71 Emperor Romanos A question of...

I know a number of readers of this blog have access to Amazon Prime Video on the internet. I have recently watched two feature films on...

Many of us are reading more than ever as the lockdown cuts our options. So this is not a list like my earlier ones but a glimpse into my...