Short passages for reading, drawn from history, legend, poetry and fiction.
© Yasir Hussein, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0.
Two former soldiers in India find British bureaucracy cramps their style, so they set off to become kings of their own land.
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© Adam D. Hope, Geograph. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0.
Walter Raleigh had many grievances against James VI and I, but for peace with Scotland he was willing to forget them all.
By George Arnald (1763–1841), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
As Napoleon Bonaparte swept from victory to victory in Europe, he began to think he might add the East to the possessions of the French Republic.
By Charles West Cope (1811-1890), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
King Charles I ended two years of uneasy peace with his Parliament by bursting into the Commons with a heavily-armed tactical unit.
By Seeta Ram (fl. 1810-1822), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
As Governor of Bengal, Robert Clive hoped to use his powers and his formidable reputation to make the East India Company mend its ways.
© MM, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0.
Demosthenes was about sixteen when he decided he wanted to be a lawyer, but he was the most unpromising advocate imaginable.