His character fascinates to this day. In forty years, he brought Byzantium to the height of its power. Of all the rulers of the Eastern Empire, he was the one who had the best chance of rebuilding the Roman Empire. How close did he get to that goal, and why did he ultimately fail? Emperor Justin
Due to the partitions, Lviv grew to the rank of the truest capital. The inconspicuous, off-the-beaten-track city has experienced an incredible promotion. What was the reason for this surprising decision? To the question:Which city was the capital of Galicia and Lodomeria? most readers of Histori
For the leaders of Peoples Poland, the Church was the number one public enemy. They did nothing to limit the influence of the state-spoiling clergy. It seemed that the election of a Pole to the papacy would be a big blow to the authorities. However, it turned out to be quite beneficial - in at least
Aleksander Kwasniewskis alleged weakness for alcoholic beverages has become a breeding ground for countless jokes and internet memes. Filipino disease has entered our language for good. But does the former president really have a problem with alcohol abuse? According to the chief of his security, th
The word makeshift made quite a career in the 20th century. In Poland, it deserved a monument, because without temporary solutions we would have been unable to do anything. Starting with repairing a leaking tap and ending with ... protecting the most important people in the country. In 1989, the
For two years, the Polish secret services conducted a secret operation, the scale, scope and degree of danger of which were unprecedented. Despite these difficulties, the action was a complete success. What was it about and how did it come to entrust it to us? In the summer of 1988, a new intell
Not only good ideas contributed to the creation of the state of former American slaves in native Africa. It was about ... getting rid of black people from the New World. In return, they were offered their own land. How did they use it? Abolitionist movements promoting the abolition of slavery ap
In the ranking of the bloodiest tyrants in history, the chairman of the Chinese Communist Party would certainly be on the podium. His successive major campaigns have cost the lives of tens of millions of people. Why has no one been able to stop him? Mao Zedong, who led the Peoples Republic of Ch
Casimir the Great did not listen to anyone. Neither when he was warned against dangerous entertainment, nor on the way back, when the wounded man ignored all the exhortations of the courtiers and doctors. For the old king Casimir the Great, nothing was more important than having a son. He has ha
Władysław Biały was completely unique. Extravagant and capricious eccentric, unable to control his own home, let alone any country. At the same time, it was an important contender to the Polish throne, competing with Jadwiga Andegaweńska herself. Władysław the White, born around 1330, came from
Bitten by ... a corpse. Banging your head on the doorframe. Unrestrained laughter after eating the whole goose. Doesnt sound scary? And yet, in this apparently innocent way, even crowned heads perished. Who is it and why the victims of these and other equally absurd accidents could not be saved from
What exactly was the issue of the most famous dispute in the history of early medieval Poland? The laconic description of Gallus Anonymus, considered the most credible, causes problems to this day. Can we still say what the Krakow bishop Stanisław did to Bolesław the Bold? It did him much harm w
He protested in March 68. He co-founded KOR. During martial law, he was in prison. Antoni Macierewicz has been active in the mainstream of Polish politics from an early age. His fascinating fate is told in the book “Antoni Macierewicz. Unauthorized Biography ”, which is a prize in our competition.
When Bolesław Krzywousty died in 1138, his country was divided into several parts. Everything took place in accordance with the will of the deceased. But why did the prince decide to break his own inheritance? “The so-called Bolesławs last will evoked not only opposition from many powerful peopl
When it comes to gold, no one can be trusted. Poles found out about it during World War II, trying to find a safe hiding place for the national treasure. Even their closest allies stretched out their hands for tens of tons of reserves of the precious metal. Fortunately, not very skilfully. When
From the Polish perspective, Hitler was the devil incarnate, but there were those in Europe who saw in alliance with him a chance for their liberation. And they planned a Wehrmacht landing in their own backyard. But why are they telling everyone that they were neutral? From the mid-nineteenth ce
King Zygmunt I is a madman - suggested the 16th-century bishop and poet Stanisław Hozjusz. Like many other Poles, he could not understand why the monarch took the tribute from Albrecht Hohenzollern instead of incorporating his Prussian state into Poland. The Teutonic Order, the bane of medieval
Charging hussars. Turks fleeing in panic and one of the greatest victories of the Polish army. It is possible that all this would never have happened if the agents of Louis XIV had succeeded in dissuading King Jan III Sobieski from concluding an alliance with the Austrians. Frances rivalry with
Missed chance? A victory from which no benefits have been drawn? British history professor Robert Frost takes a completely different opinion. Looking at it from a distance, he firmly states:the great triumph at Grunwald changed the history of Europe. Robert Frost is a specialist in Polish history,
Polish historians still maintain that in 1386 the Lithuanian state disappeared from the map of Europe. Lithuanians talk about forgery, great genocide and Polish lies. What really happened in Krewo in 1385? And how to understand the document underlying the Polish-Lithuanian union? The bloody act is
Middle Ages:two children learn to play What was the elementary school in Florence like in Dantes time ? What structure did it have and what were its main characteristics? First of all, lets say that yes, even the Florentine children of the Middle Ages went to school, although the high-rankin
Obtaining documents is the basis of a spys job. In the Peoples Republic of Poland, counterintelligence obtained documents that made it possible to buy licenses for Western products cheaper. It was even possible to manufacture a vacuum cleaner… We are completely impartial, we watch everyone, said
What was happening in Athens during the Nazi occupation? What was life like under the German boot? Who and how did they resist? And who collaborated with the conqueror? But, above all, how did liberation come about? Fourteen Greek comic book creators, in the face of awe and abhorrence generated by
In the facilities of the port of Bremen, currently the town of Bremerhaven, a small airfield was built in 1925 to serve the islands off the north coast of Germany. From this point people and goods could be transported by air to the Helgoland Islands or the Frisian Islands. In 1935 Nazi Germany took