Four Medici Popes shape history during their reigns: Pope Leo X, Pope Clement VII, Pope Pius IV, and Pope Leo XI. Centered in Florence,...

The Italian or Roman Inquisition is established 1542 by Pope Paul III, largely as a response to the Protestant Reformation. Reformers...

The Catholic Inquisition is an institution in Christianity from the 12th to 19th century. Its purpose is to identify and eliminate heresy...

The Protestant Reformation is one of the most significant movements in Western history. It transforms not just the Christian Church but...

The Habsburg Dynasty in history is one of Europe’s most powerful and influential royal families. From origins in the Swiss canton of...

The Thirty Years' War (1618-1648) is one of the most destructive conflicts in European history. Up to 8 million people lose their lives...

The Thirty Years' War (1618 - 48) is a major factor in the collapse of the European Renaissance and devastates a continent for three...

Lucrezia Borgia is an enigmatic figure of the Italian Renaissance (c. 1350 - 1550 AD). This period sees revival of art, culture and...

Powerful Medici, Borgia, Sforza, Gonzaga and Este families rise to prominence in the Renaissance. Behind the vast artistic innovations...

Cosimo Ruggeri is an Italian astrologer , alchemist, haruspex , favorite and advisor to the queen regent of France, Catherine de Medici....

Alexandria, founded by Alexander the Great, is one of the intellectual capitals of the ancient world. It boasts the famous Library of...

In 300 AD, the Roman Empire is falling apart. Under the rule of Emperor Diocletian, who wants to restore the grandeur of Rome, the empire...

The Ottoman-Venetian Wars are seven major conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and the Republic of Venice from the late 14th to the 18th...

The Diocletianic or Great Persecution, a significant event in the history of the Roman Empire, marks a period of intense hostility toward...

Following the Peace of Nisibis, Emperor Diocletian and Galeriu s Maximianus r eturn to the bustling city of Antioch, today's southern...

Ancient Alexandria, jewel of Egypt, is renowned as a city of philosophy, medicine and alchemy. A crucial turning point happens 297 AD....

The Knights Templar, or the Poor Knights of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, are a religious military order formed in 1099 during the...

The 16th and 17th centuries mark a tumultuous period in European history, defined by a series of religious wars with cataclysmic effects...

Jean de Roquetaillade (1310 - 1370 AD) or John of Rupescissa is a prominent figure in medieval France. A fiery Franciscan friar,...

Medieval France sees many changes in the turmoil of war, plague, mad royals and the birth of the Inquisition. A precisely defined social...