Emperor Julian cast off his Christian upbringing to gain the favour of Rome’s pagan gods, but in the heat of battle they deserted him.

The young Roman Emperor Theophilus backed away from marriage to the formidable Cassiani, but he could not forget her.

By the early eighth century, sacred art was thriving in newly-Christian England, but in the East seeds of doubt and confusion had been sown.

The saintly Bishop helped the captain of a merchant ship to cut through the red tape, and save his town from starvation.

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