A City Besieged: Kaffa on the Edge In the mid-14th century, the Genoese city of Kaffa (modern-day Feodosia in Crimea) …

A Royal Capture That Shocked Europe In the early 16th century, one of Europe's most glamorous monarchs, Francis I o…

The Hidden Threat Lurking Beneath Venice's Beauty In the glittering days of the Italian Renaissance, Venice, the ma…

The Bright Mind of Alexandria In the early 5th century, Alexandria, Egypt, was a center of learning, blending Greek, R…

The Ruthless Rise of Mithridates VI Mithridates VI of Pontus, often called Mithridates the Great, was one of the most e…

Genghis Khan: The Ruthless Conqueror with a Hidden Soft Spot for Trade When we think of Genghis Khan, the first images …

A Meteor from Central Asia: The Early Life of Timur In the 14th century, Central Asia witnessed the rise of one of hist…

A City Under Siege: The Desperate Defense of Orleans In the spring of 1429, the city of Orleans was suffocating. Engl…

The Unlikely Calm Before a Storm In 585 BCE, two mighty armies faced each other on the banks of the Halys River (modern…

The Papal Schism: A Church in Chaos The late 14th century saw Europe in chaos as the Catholic Church faced one of its m…

The Batavia: A Jewel of the Dutch East India Company In 1628, the *Batavia*, a ship of the mighty Dutch East India Comp…

A Necklace Worth a Kingdom In 1785, an extravagant necklace containing 647 diamonds became the centerpiece of a scandal…

A Revolutionary Mystery: Who Was Agent 355? The American Revolution is filled with tales of heroism, but few are as en…

The Enigma of the Iron Mask One of the most tantalizing mysteries in French history revolves around a man whose face …

The First Signs of Madness King George III of England is often remembered as the monarch who lost the American colonie…

The Rise of a Golden City Tenochtitlan, the gleaming capital of the mighty Aztec Empire, was one of the most awe-inspir…

The Pirate Queen of the Emerald Isle Few figures in history are as bold and rebellious as Grace O'Malley, also know…

The Emperor Who Saw Himself as a Gladiator In ancient Rome, most emperors were known for their military strategies, pol…

The Game That Was More Than Just a Game The story begins in the 12th century, at the height of medieval Europe's …

The Epic Battle for Candia In the 17th century, the Ottoman Empire, a vast and unstoppable force, sought to extend its…