The history, mythology, and literature of Greece, taken up by the Roman Empire, shaped the development of European and American culture. ToposText is a free tool, a mobile app and website, for going back to the primary sources and historic roots of western civilization, and in particular a tool for students and travelers eager to experience the ancient world through its surviving texts.

In 1554 and again in 1556,[1] Ferdinand named Busbecq ambassador to the Ottoman Empire under the rule of Suleiman the Magnificent. His task for much of the time he was in Constantinople was the negotiation of a border treaty between his employer (the future Holy Roman Emperor) and the Sultan over the disputed territory of Transylvania. He had no success in this mission while Rüstem Pasha was the Sultan's vizier, but ultimately reached an accord with his successor Semiz Ali Pasha.

After the fall of the Republic, Roman emperors initially referred to themselves only as princeps despite having enormous power.

The historian Peter Turchin coined the phrase elite overproduction to describe this phenomenon. He found that a constant source of instability and violence in previous eras of history, such as the late Roman empire and the French Wars of Religion, was the frustration of social elites for whom there were not enough jobs. Turchin expects this country to undergo a similar breakdown in the coming decade.