Different Ways Medieval Crusaders Might Have Thought And Felt About Their Wars
A knight stands on the walls of Jerusalem, staring out at the parched land beyond the city. He is weary from weeks of travel and…
Disease, Starvation, and the Brutal Russian Winter – Why Napoleon’s Invasion of Russia Failed
In 1812, Napoleon’s Grande Armée (Great Army) invaded Russia. Though made up of about 680,000 soldiers, they lost. Historians have given many reasons as to…
The Death Of A Medieval Grand Master – An Ancient Order of Knights Falls In A Merciless Last Battle
For more than two hundred years the might of the Order of Teutonic Knights had been steadily growing. It was forged in 1190, in the…
The Mysterious Death of the Legendary Confederate General Stonewall Jackson
While the Battle of Chancellorsville was Robert E. Lee’s greatest victory, it was the beginning of Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson’s ultimate defeat. On May 2, 1863, Confederate…
Heroes of America: The Red String Band Rebelled Against the Confederacy in the Civil War
It is easy to think of wars from earlier centuries in rather simplistic terms, especially as they fade further into the past. The American Civil…
The One of the Bloodiest Medieval Wars Was Fought Because Of A Bucket
In 1325, two armies clashed near what is today the Italian town of Castello di Serravalle in the region of Emilia-Romagna. It was the largest…
After The Civil War, This Woman Tried To Unite Science and Theology
Following the US Civil War, Graceanna Lewis tried to take her passion for science and make an academic career from it. A self-taught naturalist, she…
“My Heart Refused Such Sinister Grandeurs” – The Fall Of The Last Napoleon
It was a turbulent time in Europe. The year was 1870, and the Kingdom of Prussia held the reins of power. Prussia’s king, Wilhelm, was…
The King Comes Back To Claim His Own – Last Battle of the Viking King
It was the age of the Great Mongol Khans. It was the age of Byzantium, of the Holy Roman Empire. The wars of the Reconquista…
Arab Women Shame Their Fleeing Men Back Towards the Fight At The Battle of Yarmouk
Most people are familiar with the general history of the Arab expansion after the death of Mohammad. The Arabs didn’t sit idly in Saudi Arabia,…
The Viking Mercenaries of the Byzantine Empire – The Varangian Guard
The Byzantines Hired Viking Mercenaries as Guards The relationship between the Byzantine Emperors and their Varangian Guard was a complex affair. The Byzantines were first…
The United States Navy’s First Submarine – Lost at Sea
The USS Alligator was the first known submarine of the United States Navy. But it wasn’t the first American submarine. That was the “Turtle,” a…