The Copybook

Short passages for reading, drawn from history, legend, poetry and fiction.

1369

© MEH Bergmann, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC-BY-SA 4.0.

The Fall of Constantinople Clay Lane

Hospitality and sympathy, but no help - the Byzantine Emperor learns a bitter lesson about western diplomacy.

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1370

© Bill Nicholls, Geograph. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0.

Cap o’ Rushes Clay Lane

A girl’s choice of words sees her turned out of hearth and home.

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1371

Photo by Capt J.L. Evans, No 5 Army Film and Photographic Unit, via the Imperial War Museums and Wikimedia Commons. Licence: public domain.

The Normandy Landings Clay Lane

‘D-Day’ on 6th June, 1944, kicked off the Allied invasion of Europe and raised hopes of an end to the Second World War.

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1372

Photo by Maesi64, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC-BY-SA 1.0 Universal public domain dedication.

The Bishop’s Gambit Clay Lane

The mayor and bishop of Zakynthos went to extraordinary lengths to protect the most vulnerable people of their island.

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1373

© CHK46, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC-BY-SA 4.0

The Falkland Islands Clay Lane

A proudly British group of islands far off in the South Atlantic.

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1374

© Chris Downer, Geograph. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0.

The Lessons of History St Bede of Jarrow

England’s first and greatest historian explains why history is so important.

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