On the 330th anniversary of William of Orange’s arrival in England, author Angus Donald argues that the ‘Glorious Revolution’ of 1688 was neither a revolution nor glorious, but a coup won by treachery. I went to a friend’s wedding recently. I wore a suit, prayed a little, received Holy Communion and happily belted out Jerusalem […]
The Last Royal Rebel by Anna Keay
During the horrific, botched execution of James, Duke of Monmouth, in 1685, the crowd remained silent and ‘many cried’, until, incensed by the ‘barbarous usage’ of the duke, they surged forward and would have torn the executioner to pieces had soldiers not prevented it. Yet the label on Monmouth’s portrait in the National Gallery reads: […]
Britain’s Worst Leader?
In the wake of Brexit, Tom Harper looks to history for comparisons. David Cameron probably doesn’t deserve to be impaled on a red-hot poker. But it wouldn’t be unprecedented. Trying to digest the enormity of the Brexit vote, I’ve been looking to history for comparisons. To be clear: I think it’s a catastrophe. Leave aside, […]