Greetings everyone,
It’s James here. The year 2025 has certainly brought no end of bleak news for the world, which has only underscored the need to cherish what is beautiful and good, and here at INVICTUS we indeed have much to cherish.
Earlier this year, my wife and I were blessed with the arrival of our third child. It is with great joy now that Evan and his wife, too, have just welcomed a baby girl into the world.
With fatherhood being among the highest callings of a man, we will be taking this week off regular posting, as Evan embraces these first enchanting moments with his daughter!
Beyond our respective calls to fatherhood, we at INVICTUS have been blessed too by your support, which we have not taken, do not take, and will never take for granted. When we return to regular posting next week, we have some special surprises for our readers, as outlined below.
In the meantime, if you would like to leave a word of congratulations to Evan, you can do so either by commenting here on Substack, or by replying to this email. Either way, I will make sure your messages reach him!
Now for the rest of the email, we are going to update you on some of the exciting things that are coming up at INVICTUS, and share some of reader-favorite articles for all those who have recently joined the list!
Coming Up
While our regular pieces will resume next Tuesday, they will be accompanied by special additions over the coming weeks.
The first, coming next week, is a special guest piece that will be contributed by Colin Gorrie, a linguistics PhD and fellow Substack author, who will sharing a deep dive into the original text of Beowulf, and what it can teach us about the Anglo-Saxon approach to life’s hardships!
As promised, we are in the process of launching a podcast series for our paid subscribers, in which we interview distinguished individuals, be they members of the European aristocracy or other accomplished thinkers, historians or biographers, to discuss what we can learn from those who shaped our history.
Following Evan’s interview with HI&RH Archduke Eduard of Austria, the Hungarian Ambassador to the Holy See, on how to raise a dynasty, this last week I sat down for an enlightening conversation with Sir Jacob-Rees Mogg, a former UK cabinet minister and one of Britain’s most eloquent and unapologetically conservative voices. As a man who has frequently been targeted by the British media for his convictions and his Catholic faith, I asked him a series of questions on how to raise a family in a society that is increasingly hostile to Christianity.
As a father of six himself, Sir Jacob offered many remarkable insights, including practical everyday wisdom for both current and prospective fathers alike. The week after next, our free subscribers will be able to listen to excerpts from the interview, while full members will receive the full conversation.
In the meantime, over the past year it has been a profound honour to witness the INVICTUS grow to an extraordinary 15,000 members. With much of that growth occurring in the second half of this year, we would like to take this opportunity to share with you some of our highlights so far...
Reader Favourites
If you have recently joined us at INVICTUS, or are just having a look — welcome!
It is our firm belief that the best way to discover the greatest wisdom our history holds lies in going directly to the words of those who shaped it. We look at primary sources to see how influential figures were able to achieve what they did, and what we can learn as a result.
While all our content is available on our homepage, if you are a newcomer here is a selection of some of our favourite pieces to get you started…
The Sources of Roman History - Part One
Here at INVICTUS, we strongly believe that our ancestors deserve a seat at the table of our civilisation. We believe their triumphs are our greatest inspiration — and their failures, our greatest teacher.
Hidden Gems from Early INVICTUS
Prior to the adoption of our current format in July, we published many articles focusing on pivotal yet lesser-understood events in history and the extraordinary men who lay at the centre of them.
To that end, here is a selection of some of the pieces which proved popular with our readers…
Who Is the Rightful King of France?
“Paris! Paris! Royaliste!” is not a chant you might think would be fashionable in the contemporary French capital. Yet it was precisely these words that echoed from almost a thousand marchers just last week, on the evening of the 18th January.
The Grand Tragedy of the Last Emperor of Mexico
When the sun rose over the mountains of Mexico’s Sierra Gorda on the 19th June 1867, it did so with cruelly deceptive beauty.
How to Read the Stanza della Segnatura
In 1508, four years after The Wedding of the Virgin proved his talent had surpassed that of his master Perugino, Raphael Santi received the opportunity that would seal once and for all his earthly immortality.
The Seven Works of Mercy
In 1606, Michelangelo Merisi — called “Caravaggio” after the Lombard town where he passed much of his youth — was a wanted man. It was no mere misdemeanor that haunted him, but the gravest of earthly crimes.
If you have made this far, we hope you have enjoyed the above articles, and are honored by your enthusiasm and grateful to have you with us.
In the meantime, we look forward to seeing you next week!
sic itur ad astra
James
Congratulations to James and Evan on the safe arrival of your babies! I can already tell you're both good fathers.
Congrats to you both! 🎉👍