Jamie Sinnott-Davies looks at the events that led to the First Crusades.
From icemen to sailors: tattooing and its history
The canvas on which tattooing is etched on may only be skin deep, but the history of this art form goes much deeper. If, like me, you have partaken in the joy of the needle (having a professional doodler draw upon your skin not, I hasten to add, drugs) we are participating in a social Continue Reading
Archbishops behaving badly
Now that Dr. Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, has announced his impending retirement, there’s been a whole lot of speculation over his successor. But Christians really needn’t worry. Whoever gets the job can’t be nearly as brilliantly bonkers as some of Williams’ predecessors. Take Archbishop George Abbot for example. In 1621 he straight-up killed Continue Reading
Meddlesome priests
The Church of England has had something of a reputation as a reactionary, conservative institution; a pillar of the establishment; a homogeneous, unified, source of unwavering support for the ruling authorities. Not so. The Anglican Church has always been an organisation in which diverse and often radical doctrines have been given a platform. In the Continue Reading