Europe

As we head into the Paris Olympics, has the dream been compromised, even ruined, by other upheavals in France’s fevered summer?

An Italian-born princess and sole heir to the Sforza dukedom, Queen Bona helps us understand how elite Renaissance women acquired, maintained and negotiated power

The Jagiellonian arrases – tapestries that decorate the walls of Wawel Castle in Poland – may be one of the earliest known artistic representation of the long-extinct dodo

Violence, corruption and murder dominate our modern headlines, but little has changed since execution ballads were sung in sixteenth-century Europe

It was a stunning victory for Boris Johnson and the Tories in the UK’s general election, giving the party its biggest seat haul since 1987 – but what does the result tell us about 21st Century politics?

The debate about the controversial Saint Nicholas character, considered racist by many, is a symptom of deeper divisions in Dutch society

The human and material toll of the world’s largest tank battle was horrendous as the Wehrmacht’s tactical edge was overwhelmed by superior means of destruction

Italians head to the polls for the country’s General Election under a new electoral system amid anti-immigration sentiment, promises of cash for retirees and proposals of a new currency

The European experiment has been both revolutionary and successful, but having lurched from one crisis to the next in recent years, does the future look as bright?

Spain says it will not recognise the latest referendum on Catalonian independence – but what can historical precedents tell us about the likelihood of future autonomy for Catalonia?