James Osborne

Was a ruthless Tudor matriarch behind the disappearance of the Princes in the Tower? Margaret Beaufort has long been put forward as a shadowy mastermind potentially behind one of England’s greatest royal mysteries. Does the case against her stand up to sc... See more

These deadly assassins were seconds from killing Saladin – and upending the Crusades Two near-fatal attacks on Saladin by the Nizari Ismailis reveal a Middle Eastern landscape far more complex than the usual Crusader-versus-Muslim narrative – and show how... See more

Henry VIII wanted a giant Tudor tomb. So why didn’t he get it? Henry VIII planned a monumental tomb to match his power and legacy. Instead, the king who reshaped England’s relationship with Rome now lies beneath a small, easily missed slab. Here’s how thr... See more

There were two leading motivations behind the government’s decision to lift the two-child benefit cap. The first was a fervent belief in the damage wrought by the policy. Across every echelon of the Labour Party, there is a settled consensus that the cap ... See more

Want to live like a Tudor? Historian Ruth Goodman did, and here are five crucial lessons she learned What did everyday life look like for the millions of ordinary people living in Tudor England? Historian Ruth Goodman found out by living the way they did,... See more