The God-fearing diarist Wallington revealed a spiritual
crisis far removed from the cosmopolitanism of his fast-living
contemporary.
Jacob Boehme was an unlikely seventeenth-century mystic, but his visionary imaginings of the world struck a chord with followers far and wide – and his work has much to offer today.
Was the revolution that created the United States of America inevitable? The life of Joseph Galloway shows what might have been.
One of the few leaders on whom history has bestowed the title ‘the Great’, Akbar was a noted connoisseur of cultures and architect of political pluralism.
The Fortune journalist and best-selling author is largely forgotten now, but he played a key role in shaping mid-20th century perceptions of strategy and the role of the corporation.
Over a remarkable and tempestuous career, George Kennedy Young rose to become Deputy Director of MI6 at the height of Britain’s Cold War. But his evermore extreme ideology prevented him from reaching the top.
The Russian recluse, a scientific self-starter who left school at 14, developed pioneering theories of space travel that anticipated the great feats of the Space Race fifty years later.
Monica – mother to Augustine of Hippo, lionized by the Latin Church – is a women of many names and many more mysteries.
Having witnessed first-hand the mechanised onslaught of the Great War, Captain Basil Liddell Hart sought a philosophy of warfare based in the prudent use of technology, psychology and deception – and the avoidance of the ‘total war’ catastrophes of preceding decades.
Byzantine princess Anna Komnene, banished to a convent for her political ambition, devoted her gifts of observation to charting the fortunes of her father’s empire – etching her legacy as Europe’s first female historian.
Debonair and open-faced diplomat George McGhee’s shuttle diplomacy helped accelerate Britain’s decline as a player in the Middle East.
Olympe de Gouges – executed in the aftermath of 1789 for speaking her mind – has yet to be recognised properly by the modern Republic.
Nicias of Athens sought compromise when those around him were begging for blood – carving his own tomb in the process.
No matter how perilous her situation, Margaret of Austria lost neither her calm nor her composure, nor even her sense of fun.
Spengler’s philosophy represented a startling synthesis of ideas – they have a pressing relevance today.
His intense faith led Gage to switch his religious allegiance during the tumultuous 17th century – he went on to have an enormous impact on Britain’s colonial future.
Willie Wilde – Oscar Wilde’s older brother – had been destined for a distinguished public life, but the siren song of dissolute journalism proved too tempting.
Pious puritan Dowsing was committed to destroying all aspects of ‘popery’ in English churches. His radicalism is a warning from history.
An isolated, austere, and fastidious heiress – Helen Sutherland dedicated herself to art.
In the tumult of revolutionary France, Comte Lanjuinais risked his life by defying the Jacobins.
The apostle for a new way of life, Ebenezer Howard dreamt of a new world of ‘garden cities’.
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