Religion

Crusaders defeat the Turks at Dorylaeum in 1097, as shown in a 14th-century illumination

Crusaders: did they fight for God or gold?

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St Mary's Church is revered as one of England's greatest architectural achievements. (Image by Alamy)

Explore A masterpiece of Gothic grandeur: the Church of St Mary, Warwick . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The Popes Palace, or Palais des Papes, in Avignon, France.

Q&A Why did the papacy move to Avignon in the 14th century?

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The magnificent gilded Shwedagon Pagoda, claimed to be 2,500 years old, dominates central Yangon, Myanmar's largest city. (Patrick Foto/Getty Images)

Explore Yangon, Myanmar: City of Golden Pagodas . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The fact that so many cultures have a myth about a devastating flood has led some historians to wonder if there may have been a real event that explains the myths. (Photo by Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images)

General prehistory

Q&A Was there really a 'Great Flood'?

(© Public Domain)

General Early Modern

Everything you need to know about the Holy Roman Empire

One of the earliest and most famous examples of extremism comes from ancient Rome. Starting in 264 BC and continuing for more than a century, Rome engaged in a series of wars with neighbouring Carthage. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

A brief history of extremism – from ancient Rome to al Qaeda

For our forebears, the secret to a good night's sleep lay in the contents of your gut. (Photo by Leemage/UIG via Getty Images)

6 sleeping tips and tricks from history

Construction of a medieval church

Bravado or blunder? Architectural fails of medieval church builders

The Knights Templar depicted on an antique map of Jerusalem. (Alamy)

The rise and fall of the Knights Templar

Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, last Shah of Iran, pictured in 1967 with his third wife, Farah Diba, and their son Reza. His attempted reforms during his final years in power alienated many of his nation's people. (Photo by Universal History Archive/Getty Images)

The Iranian Revolution: why 1979’s uprising still shapes the Middle East

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A Tudor rose on a wooden ceiling beam.

Monarchy and faith in Tudor England . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Image of the Lindisfarne Stone from Holy Island, Northumbria. It shows seven warriors, possibly vikings. The Vikings’ first recorded raid on Lindisfarne took place in AD 793. (Photo by CM Dixon/Print Collector/Getty Images)

Your guide to the Viking raid of Lindisfarne in AD 793

A 16th-century woodcut by Albrecht Dürer entitled 'The true and false apostles of Christ'. As the Reformation recast Europe's spiritual landscape, many believers fretted that their religion no longer felt true to them. (Photo by Alamy)

The fury that fuelled the rise of atheism

Portrait of theologian and Bible translator John Wycliffe (c1330–84). (Photo by Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty Images)

The murderous history of Bible translations