A photo of St Peter's basilica in the Vatican, as seen from Fort St Angelo - Rome, Italy

Why did the Pope want to move to Malta?

In the 19th century, various states on the Italian peninsula united to become a single, new country. While some papal states merged with the others, the Vatican refused to be under the control of an earthly ruler. It even considered moving the seat of the Holy See to Malta.

A photo of the Central Bank - Valletta, Malta

The powerful Anglo-Egyptian Bank in Malta

In the 19th century an offshore British bank in Malta issued its own banknotes. It’s unusual to think of a private company issuing banknotes, more so in a small country like Malta. This article explains why this bank did so and why it was in Malta.

A photo of the harbour - Valletta, Malta

The mysterious secret of Dr James Barry

There weren’t many female physicians in the 19th century. Irishwoman Margaret Bulkley pretended to be a man for over 40 years to practise medicine. This article explains how this happened, Bulkley’s life in Malta and how we know what happened.

A photo of the church-tower - Žulová, Czechia

Frydberk castle

The criminals who built Frydberk ? castle terrorised the Bohemian countryside in mediaeval times. Conquered, plundered, turned into a ? brewery and then the Church built a place of worship out of its tower. This is the castle’s amazing story ?

A photo of world leaders at the signing of the Munich agreement

The truth behind the Sudetenland

Before living in Prague I thought I knew about the Sudetenland and how Hitler annexed it before World War II. There’s a lot I’ve learnt about the nuances of history in the region/s that carry this name. This article is my attempt at straightening out the facts from the commonly-held myths.