Category: HISTORY
The Duchesses of Osuna and Alba
María Josefa Pimentel, Duchess of Osuna, and María Teresa de Silva, Duchess of Alba, were two of the most powerful and influential women of 18th-century Spain. As patrons, salon hostesses, and cultural icons, they shaped the Enlightenment in Madrid—through art, politics, and their legendary rivalry.
The Two Isabellas: Power, Piety, and the Shaping of Empires
Two formidable women—Isabella I of Castile and Isabella Clara Eugenia—left indelible marks on Spanish and European history. One ruled with reform and religious zeal, the other with diplomacy and cultural flourish. This article explores how their reigns shaped empires, unified kingdoms, and defined eras of both conquest and peace.
Spanish Women Who Made History
Throughout the history of Spain, few women have claimed their place through merit alone. This article highlights three extraordinary Spanish women in history—Urraca I of León, Beatriz Galindo “La Latina”, and Luisa Roldán, the first female court sculptor of Spain. These women broke societal norms, wielded influence in politics, education, and art, and reshaped what was possible for women in medieval and early modern Europe.
Pierre II, Duke of Brittany
Far from being a passive figure in Breton history, Pierre II stood firm against French overreach, navigated dynastic threats from Scotland, and defended his duchy from English aggression. In just seven years, he modernized Brittany’s institutions, upheld its independence, and proved that principled diplomacy could rival the power of empires.
Showing the Unimaginable
In The Zone of Interest and Occupied City, filmmakers Jonathan Glazer and Steve McQueen explore the Holocaust and Nazi occupation through radically different lenses—one through the chilling banality of evil, the other through haunting reflections on memory and place. Each film forces us to confront how history seeps into the present.
Medicine’s Dubious History
In Giant, composer Sarah Angliss brings the tragic story of Charles Byrne—the 18th-century “Irish Giant”—to operatic life, weaving a haunting tale of bodily autonomy, scientific ambition, and lost humanity. Premiering at the Aldeburgh Festival, this bold new work confronts the dark legacy of medical progress built on exploitation, echoing disturbing parallels with modern celebrity culture and our ongoing fascination with physical difference.
From a Swiss farm to a palace in Constantinople: the extraordinary life of Elisabeth Tschumi.
Months passed, walks and outings followed one after another and then came the day when Ahmet Tevfik asked Elisabeth Tschumi for her hand. She happily accepted the marriage proposal, however, aware of Muslim traditions, made him promise that she would remain his one and only wife. Ahmet Tevfik agreed, but he too had a request.
Failures and Successes of the Ukrainian Revolution
Delve into Historical Memory Laws in Ukraine and their controversial stance on Soviet and Nazi history as a new norm.