On the 29th of March, 1867, Queen Victoria gave Royal Assent to the British North America Act which formally established Canada. The history of Canada is a long and layered story of Indigenous civilizations, European exploration and rivalry, colonial struggle, gradual...

On the 28th of March, 1566, the foundation stone of Valletta was laid by Jean Parisot de Valette. I have only been to Malta once, and that was to learn to scuba dive in 1988. Jean Parisot de Valette (1494–1568) stands as one of the most formidable figures in the long...

On the 27th of March, 1309, Pope Clement V imposed excommunication and interdiction on Venice, and a general prohibition on all commercial transactions with the city, following the seizure of Ferrara which was a papal fiefdom by Venice. Both Venice and Ferrara feature...

On the 26th of March, 1169, Saladin became the emir of Egypt. Ṣalāḥ al-Dīn Yūsuf ibn Ayyūb—known in the West as Saladin—was one of the most remarkable figures of the medieval world. A soldier, statesman, and devout Muslim, he became the great champion of Islam during...

The Treaty of Amiens was signed on the 25th of March, 1802, ending hostilities between France and the United Kingdom. It can’t have been a great success because the Battle of Trafalgar was in 1805. Let’s look into it. The Treaty of Amiens was one of the most...

On the 24th of March, 1944, seventy-six allied prisoners of war escaped from Stalag Luft III in what has become known as The Great Escape. I wrote recently about Dachau and that when we were in Krakow we had decided not to visit Auschwitz. I did want to visit the site...

On the 23rd of March, 1540, Waltham Abbey was surrendered to King Henry VIII. It was the last religious community to be closed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The origins of Waltham Abbey lie in the early Anglo-Saxon period. Tradition holds that in the 7th...

On the 22nd of March, 1933, Nazi Germany opened its first concentration camp at Dachau near Munich. It is the only concentration camp I have visited. When we visited Kraków last year, we decided against visiting Auschwitz. One concentration camp is enough. My father...

On the 21st of March, 630CE, Emperor Heraclius returned the True Cross to Jerusalem. For contemporaries, this was not merely the recovery of a sacred object, but the dramatic vindication of Christian empire after decades of catastrophe at the hands of the Sasanian...

On the 29th of March, 1867, Queen Victoria gave Royal Assent to the British North America Act which formally established Canada. The history of Canada is a long and layered story of Indigenous civilizations, European exploration and rivalry, colonial struggle, gradual...

On the 28th of March, 1566, the foundation stone of Valletta was laid by Jean Parisot de Valette. I have only been to Malta once, and that was to learn to scuba dive in 1988. Jean Parisot de Valette (1494–1568) stands as one of the most formidable figures in the long...

On the 27th of March, 1309, Pope Clement V imposed excommunication and interdiction on Venice, and a general prohibition on all commercial transactions with the city, following the seizure of Ferrara which was a papal fiefdom by Venice. Both Venice and Ferrara feature...

On the 26th of March, 1169, Saladin became the emir of Egypt. Ṣalāḥ al-Dīn Yūsuf ibn Ayyūb—known in the West as Saladin—was one of the most remarkable figures of the medieval world. A soldier, statesman, and devout Muslim, he became the great champion of Islam during...

The Treaty of Amiens was signed on the 25th of March, 1802, ending hostilities between France and the United Kingdom. It can’t have been a great success because the Battle of Trafalgar was in 1805. Let’s look into it. The Treaty of Amiens was one of the most...

On the 24th of March, 1944, seventy-six allied prisoners of war escaped from Stalag Luft III in what has become known as The Great Escape. I wrote recently about Dachau and that when we were in Krakow we had decided not to visit Auschwitz. I did want to visit the site...

On the 23rd of March, 1540, Waltham Abbey was surrendered to King Henry VIII. It was the last religious community to be closed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The origins of Waltham Abbey lie in the early Anglo-Saxon period. Tradition holds that in the 7th...

On the 22nd of March, 1933, Nazi Germany opened its first concentration camp at Dachau near Munich. It is the only concentration camp I have visited. When we visited Kraków last year, we decided against visiting Auschwitz. One concentration camp is enough. My father...

On the 21st of March, 630CE, Emperor Heraclius returned the True Cross to Jerusalem. For contemporaries, this was not merely the recovery of a sacred object, but the dramatic vindication of Christian empire after decades of catastrophe at the hands of the Sasanian...