The beef between the Byzantine and Holy “Roman” Emperor — The Franks had done something terrible. Although there already was a Roman emperor, residing in Constantinople, the Frankish king Charlemagne had himself crowned as Roman emperor, too! This was not just a usurpation; it shattered Rome’s legacy, and indeed Christianity, forever. The Franks, having hitherto called the emperor in Constantinople…

Building bridges, breaking barriers — The Kremlin is cooking up new ways for regime survival. Military victory in the Ukraine quagmire is ever more elusive. So Russia is in a desperate search for ways around it. Putin’s solution is commerce. Europe accounted for more than a third of Russian trade before 2022. This position needs…

From hack to harmony in the Persian Gulf — A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is still putting on its shoes. This proved to be true when the diplomatic order broke down in the Persian Gulf, back in 2017. Out of the blue, the tiny emirate of Qatar was embroiled in a bitter feud…

“Like turkeys at a shooting range” — They used to be the cream of the crop, but as Russia’s commandos are being devastated they look increasingly like sour milk. Even Russian bloggers are complaining about the performance of these special forces. Russia’s elite brigades now face decimation and defeat at the hands of Ukraine. …

Alexander’s legacy in ruins — All that glitters is not gold. And Alexander’s city-building campaign is no exception. The Macedonian king is credited with the foundation of a grand total of 70 cities. In this article, I’m going to explain to you how that’s, by and large, false. Alexander the Great, in all likelihood, founded…

Finland finally joins the alliance — The Turkish parliament has unanimously voted to ratify Finland’s entry into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The Finns moved towards NATO membership — a stance they themselves long opposed — after Putin’s aggressive attack on Ukraine in February 2022. …

Microsoft’s Image Creator put to the test — I love history and technology. So when HungryMinded wrote about Bing’s Image Creator a couple of days ago, I couldn’t wait to check it out. And boy oh boy, did I fall down the rabbit hole! If you’ve missed the latest developments, just search for “ChatGPT” right here on Medium…

East Asia on edge over skyrocketing defense spending — Like Germany, Japan is undergoing a significant transformation in its defense policies, and the effects are felt across East Asia. After World War II, both countries adopted a pacifist approach, vowing never to attack their neighbors again. …

Charlemagne was an upstart usurper — Ah, the Romans. Who doesn’t want to be like them? Ever since the legions conquered an empire from the border of Scotland to the deserts of Arabia, many European empires have tried to imitate, claim or even continue Rome’s legacy. From the First French Empire under Napoleon to Fascist Italy…