The Last Supper

Religion

Portrait of Martin Luther by Lucas Cranach, 1543. (Photo by Culture Club/Getty Images)

Europe's holy war: how the Reformation convulsed a continent

Pope Francis celebrates a priesthood ordination and mass in St Peter's Basilica at the Vatican. (Photo by Filippo MONTEFORTE / AFP via Getty Images)

General History

Sex and the (Vatican) City: a brief history of clerical celibacy

Puritans and the Mayflower. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Illustation of a pope

How long do popes reign? All you need to know about popes and the papacy

Pope John XVII

Has there ever been a married Pope?

Retiring royals: 9 rulers and royals who stepped down through history. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Ayatollah Khomeini

General ancient history

A brief history of Iran

Jumping beans, throwing shoes and weather forecasting: medieval ways to look ahead to the New Year. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Westminster Abbey, London

A brief history of Westminster Abbey

A stained glass depiction of the nativity.

The history of the nativity: how much is known about the birth of Jesus?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Is the world still living in the shadow of the crusades?

The Crown of Thorns allegedly worn by Christ during the Passion. It was one of the prized possessions in Notre-Dame Cathedral until April 2019 – when it was rescued by the inferno that gutted the building. (Photo by: Godong/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Father, son and holy goat? The dark side of medieval relics. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Black and white portrait image of Cardinal John Henry Newman.

Who was Cardinal John Henry Newman?

Cardinal John Henry Newman

How to become a saint. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The murder of Thomas Becket

Q&A: What happened to the assassins who killed Thomas Becket?

5 reasons why the King James version of the Bible matters. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The Temple Scroll, from the Dead Sea Scrolls

General ancient history

Digging for the Bible: 10 key discoveries from the Holy Land

Four figures in a boat, including the ibis-headed god Thoth and the scarab-headed god Khepri

8 ancient Egyptian gods and goddesses you might not know about

A painting by Italian painter Defendente Ferrari (c1480-1540) showing a Saint performing a miracle.

Medieval saints and sinners: tales of saintly miracles in the Middle Ages. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Tom Holland by Helen Atkinson

Tom Holland on Christianity’s enduring legacy. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Jan Žižka, the general whose peasant army defied the Holy Roman Empire in the 1420s.

Christ’s communists: the radical religious sect that challenged the Holy Roman Empire. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Dan Jones by Steve Sayers and Helen Castor

The Crusades, with Dan Jones. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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

Crusaders: did they fight for God or gold?

ExploreA 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&AWhy did the papacy move to Avignon in the 14th century?

ExploreYangon, 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&AWas there really a 'Great Flood'?

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. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.