In the May issue of History Today, Tom Holland explores the origins of Islam, and considers how scholarly enquiry can expand our understanding of the great religion’s early years, much as it has our knowledge of the Jewish and Christian past.

Also in this issue:

• Claudia Baldoli re-visits the bombing of Rome by the Allies during the Second World War;
• Richard Jones offers some new theories on the Luddite movement;
• Derek Wilson re-assesses the eventful life of Isabella, Edward II’s French Queen;
• Nigel Jones explores the appeal of a referendum to dictators and democrats alike;
• David Coke describes how William Hogarth was influential in ensuring the lasting success of the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens in London;
• and Taylor Downing revists an article from the archive which questions the accuracy of popular representations of the wartime RAF.