Some detailed knowledge of both dynastic families is essential to students of English and European history. The ‘Wars of the Roses’ was not a civil war (q.v.); nor…
General History’s Saturday Humour
Thousands of venerable, even ancient jokes lie festering in every corner of an English house. The language seems to connive with the typically British sense of humour. Every…
Spain: the King’s apology
Almost too much printer’s ink and telecaster’s saliva has already been spent on this subject. A few days ago Juan-Carlos I, a Spanish Borbón to his fingertips, left…
Dr. Arnold of Rugby (and his son Matthew)
Thomas Arnold is probably the most celebrated real (as opposed to invented) headmaster in history. He is the lynch-pin of a book called Tom Brown’s Schooldays written by…
Two US generals from World War II
Continuing our series on important military leaders from the 1939-1945 war, we briefly examine the careers of two very well-known names from North America – Marshall and Patton….
G-H Sunday Philosophy: the sadness of Zapatero
I feel a degree of sympathy for the ex-President of the Government in Spain. What can he do on Sundays? His agnostic wife Sonsoles goes off to sing…
Saturday Humour
Here are some stories so old they wear beards from here to Omsk. But they suffice to make you cultured bloggers chortle. Or at least one hopes so:-…
Appeasers and Opposers
Before the Second War a number of leading politicians and prominent people in society in Europe might have been suspicious of Hitler’s intentions, but preferred to come to…
Guderian, Keitel & von Rundstedt: II World War generals
These three German generals were all born in the 19th century. The first named in the title was probably the greatest tank commander the world has seen; certainly…
Henry IV (of England) & Henry IV (of Navarre)
There are two hundred years between these two notable monarchs, and we will look at the English one first. Both are important in history, over-balanced by ambition,…