All About History

Forged by the iron will of Charlemagne, the Holy Roman Empire’s birth in 800 CE signalled the beginning of a new era in a Europe that had been stumbling in the dark for centuries. By means of conquest, alliances and marriage, the continent's new powe

Future PLC Richmond House, 33 Richmond Hill, Bournemouth, Dorset, BH2 6EZ Editor Charles Ginger Designer Andy Downes Editorial Director Jon White Senior Art Editor Andy Downes Editor Jonathan Gordon Designer Kym Winters Editor in Chief Timothy Willia

Charlemagne imprisoned Hunald II in 769 when the latter led a revolt in an attempt to regain the duchy of Aquitaine, which once belonged to his father. Charlemagne was involved in the conflict between King Desiderius of the Lombards and the pope. In

Luther posts his 95 theses on the church door in Wittenberg in protest at some of the Church’s practices, including the sale of indulgences as a means of raising money. Luther publishes and circulates a damning pamphlet in which he discusses the seve

Early modern printing was an imperfect process. The paper used for pamphlets was of poor quality, copy-editing protocols were often sloppy, and printers usually rushed works through the presses to steal a march on their competitors. In 1525, Luther a

WITTENBERG, 1483–1546 The originator of the Reformation and its most energetic pamphleteer. In 1523 alone he produced more than 50 significant works. NUREMBERG, 1494–1576 Not all pamphleteers were learned theologians. Sachs, a cobbler by trade, produ

From the beginning, Isabella was a woman who knew what she wanted – to marry a king. Charles V to be precise. Daughter of King Manuel I of Portugal and Maria of Aragon, Isabella was born to be a queen. When she found out that Charles was considering

Construction begins An archetypal medieval keep, with four turrets and a moat, is built. This would eventually become known as the Swiss Wing. Schweizertor One of only a handful of Renaissance monuments in Vienna, this wing is built to house the Impe

When Charles became king, he also became the first person to ever rule Castile and Aragon at the same time. To many, this made Charles the very first king of Spain. When he was elected Holy Roman Emperor after the death of Maximilian, his grandfather

In all probability, there was no philosophical basis for Rudolf’s worldview. He was a dabbler, an angler in the pool of ideas, an encourager of avant-garde thinkers who loved to have scholars and artists around him opening windows on esoteric and eve

Gustav II Adolf – known to history as Gustavus Adolphus – ascended to the Swedish throne in 1611. Gustavus inherited a poor country and an even poorer army, but he swiftly morphed his peasant farmer conscripts into one of Europe’s most elite fighting

TROOPS: 20,000 CAVALRY: 20,000 CHARLES V, DUKE OF LORRAINE LEADER Experienced in battle, this courageous Austrian statesman convinced the relief army to take the shortest route and devised the approach to battle. POLISH HUSSARS KEY UNIT The fabled ‘w