Portraits

portraits

Marie of Romania: a female corrective to the strongman

While her legacy was buried by Romanian communists, Queen Marie's strength, fulsome ego and ascent to global celebrity provides a blueprint for leaders seeking to dominate a noisy ..

Tessa Dunlop June 9, 2026

portraits

Shajar al-Durr: the slave who became a sultan

Kidnapped and enslaved as a child, Shajar al-Durr rose to become the first Mamluk Sultan of Egypt, defeated a crusade and ransomed the King of France.

Katherine Pangonis May 26, 2026

portraits

Robert Peel: a very modern statesman

A rare and talented figure, Robert Peel laid the foundations of what would become the intellectual core of conservative statecraft, striking a balance that later generations would ..

Ioannes Chountis de Fabbri May 21, 2026

portraits

Eglantyne Jebb and the birth of Save the Children

A controversial figure in her own age, the founder of Save the Children overcame arrest and prosecution to establish what is now the world’s leading independent development agency ..

Clare Mulley April 15, 2026

portraits

Francis of Assisi: God’s holy fool

Eight centuries after his death, Francis of Assisi, ascetic, poet, and visionary, still embodies a transformative and enduring vision of ‘holy foolishness’.

Richard Marranca April 3, 2026

portraits

Ernst Linder: the Swedish general who rode into battle for Finland’s freedom

In Finland’s David vs Goliath struggle against the Soviet Union, Ernst Linder, a 71-year-old cavalryman, led Swedish volunteers into combat, creating a legendary chapter in the his..

Gordon F. Sander March 25, 2026

portraits

Katsushika Oi: The hidden hand behind Hokusai

Katsushika Oi, historically overshadowed by her father Katsushika Hokusai, should be recognised as a pivotal figure in the history of Japanese art.

Katherine Govier March 20, 2026

portraits

The courage of Noor Inayat Khan

The British-Indian spy Noor Inayat Khan was moved by a moral aversion to Nazism that overcame her pacifist convictions, a source of inner strength that allowed her to defy her Germ..

Helen Fry March 13, 2026

portraits

Isabella d’Este, first lady of the world

Long overshadowed by her notorious sister-in-law Lucrezia Borgia, Isabella d’Este was among the most astute diplomats and influential cultural patrons of the Renaissance.

Cath Pound February 20, 2026