The past is never dead, it isn’t even past
As readers and fans of the site will know, Aspects of History runs a Books of the Year feature each December. There is often a history book which stands out for our board and contributors, such as The World by Simon Sebag-Montefiore and The White Ship by Charles...
There was a point, early on in Napoleon, when Marie Antoinette is taken out to be executed in front of the mob, that I realised I should relax, not quibble over inaccuracies, and simply enjoy the show. The camera cuts to a man in the crowd, and that man is Napoleon...
Six of the Best: Books on Napoleon With Ridley Scott’s new movie, Napoleon, out soon and starring Joaquin Phoenix as Bonaparte and Vanessa Kirby as Josephine, much discussion has been prompted over its historical accuracy. If your interest is peaked then you must...
Books of 2023 from Aspects of HistoryAlan Bardos Author of The Dardanelles ConspiracyMy book of the year is SAS Forged in Hell. The next instalment of Damien Lewis’ WW II odyssey with the men of 1 SAS, as they become the ‘tip of the spear’ in the invasion of Sicily...
On the day I meet with Simon Sebag Montefiore to discuss his new book, The World: A Family History, the Russians have plundered the body of Prince Grigory Potemkin who was the subject of Sebag’s breakthrough book in 2001. Catherine the Great & Potemkin (Aspects of...
Cleopatra Selene, the daughter of Cleopatra VII, Queen of Egypt, and Marcus Antonius (known as Mark Antony), Roman consul and triumvir, was born in 40 BCE. This made her around ten years old when the civil war between her father and his fellow triumvir Gaius Julius...
Throughout the 700s, the ancient Saxon kingdom of Mercia was the powerhouse in Saxon England. The key to its success, as in the Saxon kingdoms of Northumbria and Wessex both before and after it, was the longevity of its kings. First, King Æthelbald, and then his...
Putin's War Russian Genocide presents a critical exploration of the initial year of Russia's incursion into Ukraine, commencing in February 2022. This remarkable volume brings together a diverse panel of experts, including former soldiers, academics, and legal...
In an age when people have taken to pulling down statues – albeit this hasn’t happened for a couple of years now – you know that there’s a disconnect between the past and the present. Whether that misconnection is born of ignorance, misunderstanding or ingrained...
On Remembrance Sunday, 8th November 1987 in Enniskillen in Northern Ireland, a bombing took place that proved to be a turning point in The Troubles. 12 civilians were killed, the final victim having died 13 years later in December 2000, with ages ranging from 20 to...
