@consequencehistory
Passionate about sharing insights into the past and how the narrative of History shapes our view of the World today. Exploring Medieval, Early Modern and Modern Historry. Substack - subscribe for free. https://substack.com/@consequenceshistory
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Violent protest on the streets of Belfast as H Block prisoners continue their hunger strike. Getty Images.
Our article plotting the history of hunger strikes as political protest is available to read now.
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Glencoe, 1692. John Blake MacDonald (1829–1901), Royal Scottish Academy of Art & Architecture
Read our three-part Deep Dive on the consequences of the Glorious Revolution for free, now.
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Our new article on the antifascist Ernst Busch is live on Substack.
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Image: French volunteers of the 11th International Brigade arriving in Madrid. 1936.
New article live on antifascist performer, Ernst Busch!
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William III addressing the Convention Parliament. 1689. Anonymous
Part 2 of our deep dive on the Glorious Revolution is live!
We investigate the Williamite war in Ireland during the 1690s.
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The Reception of His Royal Highness the Prince of Orange at his entering London - 1688. Engraving by Romeyn de Hooghe (1645-1708).
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Prince of Orange Landing at Brixham, engraving by William Miller after J M W Turner (Rawlinson 739), published in The Art Journal 1852 (New Series Volume IV). George Virtue, London, 1852
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After a bit of a hiatus, we're back!
We've kicked off our deep dive on the Glorious Revolution 1688. Neither glorious nor a revolution. Parts 1&2 live!
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Image: Ceiling of the Painted Hall, of King William III and Queen Mary II Enthroned, by Sir James Thornhill. Royal Naval College
Dorothy Day remains one of the most important social activist figures in American history. A radical journalist, feminist, and pacifist, she saw capitalism as “a system that kills” and insisted justice without mercy is violence.
Her legacy asks us: whose voices will we stand behind today?
From 1000 - 1300, the Normans redrew the political and cultural map of medieval Europe. From Rouen to Palermo, they combined piety with power, conquest with robust administration.
Read the full essay: substack.com/home/post/p-...
Image: Roger II crowned by Christ; Palatine Chapel, Palermo (c.1140)
Our next serialised Deep Dive is in the works!
The Glorious Revolution: neither glorious, nor a revolution. An integral part of British history, it gets far less attention than events like 1066 or Agincourt. Yet, constitutionally it was vital to creating Britain's present national identity.
Dundee once had one of the UK’s largest Irish migrant communities, yet avoided the sectarian tensions seen in Glasgow or Liverpool. Stable jute work, strong unions, and a largely female Irish workforce shaped a different, quieter story of belonging.
Read more here: substack.com/@consequence...
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At Consequences: History, we write long-form essays on forgotten histories that still shape our world. If you want the deeper dive into this story and others, subscribe for free on Substack:
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The Baltic Crusades show how religious language becomes a mechanism to exert political power, and how conquest becomes embedded in our memory. These medieval campaigns built states, set boundaries, and forged myths that still echo across Europe today.
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And today? The region is still a geopolitical fault line. Russia frames the Baltics as being in their historic sphere of influence. NATO sees a frontier to defend democracy. Old narratives of an east–west struggle continue to haunt modern military strategy and political identity.
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Centuries later, far right nationalism turned these Baltic Crusades into an origin myth; finding inspiration in medieval conquest to justify their expansionism. The Nazis leaned on this, invoking “Drang nach Osten” to justify their own colonial violence.
A stark warning for geopolitics today.
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When the Livonian Brothers of the Sword collapsed in AD 1237, the Teutonic Order absorbed their lands. The Teutons built a powerful state across Prussia and Livonia, leaving a legacy later corruped by nationalists and fascists who wrongly claimed primacy from this medieval precedent.
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Within a generation, Livonia’s pagan societies were transformed. New castles, new taxes, new hierarchies. Far from the Holy Land, crusading became a catalyst for state-building and an engine for the expansion of the Holy Roman Empire that outlasted the Middle Ages.
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Converting the pagans of Livonian was brutal. The Swordbrothers, an order of warrior-monks, enforced Christianity with raids, burnings, and forced baptisms. This was crusading at its apex; characterised by sharp steel, new laws, and a rewritten landscape.
Image: Battle of Uexküll, AD 1205.
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In 1201, Bishop Albert of Buxhövden founded Riga. He came under the guise of a pious missionary, and built a fortified bridgehead for conquest. Riga became the beating heart of Christian expansion into Livonia, backed by merchants, soldiers, and the Church.
Image: Albert on Riga Cathedral
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We talk about the Crusades as if they were all about Jerusalem. But some of the most consequential campaigns happened in the Baltic, where faith, land, and power collided. This “northern frontier” shaped Europe far more than many realise. Certainly more than you learn in school.
Papal Indulgences weren’t abstract theology. They turned war into “holy mission,” blending fear, faith, and politics. A spiritual incentive system that reshaped medieval Europe.
Read more for free on our Substack:
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Image: Pope Urban's sermon at Clermont, AD 1095.
James Barr’s A Line in the Sand is a brilliant exposé of how Britain & France carved up the Middle East from WWI to 1948. A tale of rivalry, spies, cynical deals, and the seeds of a genocide. Essential reading if you’ve ever asked: How did we get here? 🍉
www.simonandschuster.co.uk/books/A-Line...
In June 1932 the Tailteann Games opened at Croke Park, Dublin, Ireland. According to folklore, these ancient games were first held as a mourning ceremony for Tailtiu: foster-mother of Lugh Lámhfhada, the God of Justice. Nearly erased by colonialism; They show that culture survives suppression.
At C:H we're fascinated by the legacy of the Crusades. But arguably, the most influential Crusade wasn’t to take Jerusalem. It was in the Baltic. A medieval prince-bishop founded Riga & used warrior-monks to carve out a state.
More in our Deep-Dive: open.substack.com/pub/conseque...
Here at Consequences: History, we write about how forgotten narratives shape the world we live in. Not kings and battles, but power, identity, and unheard voices.
If you're interested in the history behind today's political and cultural crises, read our deep dives:
consequenceshistory.substack.com