Relevant History

The idea of England and France as one country sounds like a ridiculous idea. But for a short period, England and much of France were indeed ruled by the same kings. How close did they come to becoming an actual country? The story of Richard the Lionh...

Richard the Lionheart is going on Crusade, rushing to relieve the siege of Acre. As the king of England and ruler of much of France, he brings with him the largest military force in the Crusader coalition. But on his way to the Middle East, he gets s...

Following the siege of Acre, Richard the Lionheart finds himself alone at the head of the Crusader army. Now, he and Saladin will battle for the ultimate prize: Jerusalem. Both men face a race against time. Richard’s brother John is conspiring agains...

On the way home from the Third Crusade, King Richard I is kidnapped and held for ransom by political rivals. After the damage done by the rebellious Prince John and French King Phillip, Richard will spend the rest of his life reuniting his kingdom. I...

Can a bad leader, even a bad person, ever truly deserve credit for a valuable achievement? Today, we’ll discuss King John, commonly considered the worst leader in the history of the British monarchy. His reign consisted of a series of failures… along...

The divide between the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox churches is one of the most enduring in the history of religion. What began as a theological dispute came to encompass culture and politics as much as anything else. But what solid...

During the Fourth Crusade, what began as a Christian holy war against Egypt turned into a Venetian war of conquest against the ancient Byzantine Empire. The conquest, in turn, began as what amounted to a hostile business takeover; but it would turn i...

The story of India is the story of humanity itself. From the first humans to leave Africa to Alexander the Great and the Emperor Chandragupta, some of history’s greatest events have happened here. But how  did India go from the cradle of civilization...

The Delhi Sultanate is a land of intrigue, ethnic conflict, and high art. Which one of these things is most important depends on your point of view, and on who the Sultan is at the moment.Enter an era where anything can happen. Great kings and Sultan...

Following the reign of Muhammad bin Tughlaq, the Delhi Sultanate is shrunken, weakened, and nearly bankrupt. He is succeeded by his cousin, Firuz Shah, who doesn’t even want his job. But even as Firuz Shah and his descendants rebuild the Sultanate, a...