I always enjoy the stuff Dave Withun puts up on his blog Pious Fabrications and particularly the almost daily videos he puts on Youtube. They are well put together and thought provoking, and it’s good to hear a point of view a long way from my own. I’m generally happy just to read or listen

Valentinian and his brother Valens were both emperors but were not really equal partners, Valens was very much carried along in Valentinian’s coat tails.   So it was Valentinian that was responsible for dividing the empire in two.  The empire had been carved up in various ways for diverse reasons over its history so far.

I think most of us have already made up our minds about the Nazis.  On the whole, they aren’t popular.  But if you are wavering, have a read of Berlin by Anthony Beevor.  I put it down thinking, well I never liked them but I never realised they were that bad.  Stalin was desperate to

The Spanish Armada – One of Fifteen Decisive Battles (Thanks to Wikipedia) History books always tell you a lot about the era in which they were written, and never was this more true than of this classic from 1851.  Britain’s empire was at its apogee.  It would get bigger and richer, but at this point

  Jovian had given away a big chunk of the empire in his humiliating deal with the Persians.  He betrayed loyal subjects of key frontier towns in the process.  His purge of political enemies deprived the state of the services of some able administrators and soldiers.  But his army was saved.  He was in personal

As I blogged recently, I don’t follow the news very much on the grounds that I am better informed if I don’t.   But there are some stories I make a conscious effort to keep up on, one of which is what is happening in politics.  But I try to take a broad view.  I