Existing research offers several explanations for why states apologise for past abuses. However, these explanations have not been tested systematically. To fill this gap, I first introduce a new dataset that covers the universe of political apologies in the context of armed conflict. Then, I conduct empirical investigations to find out which theoretical explanations matter for an apology. I complement my quantitative analyses with two qualitative ones. First, I conduct an expert interview with a political leader who issued an apology. Second, I offer in-depth case studies. My results from the statistical analyses reveal that political apologies depend on the number of armed groups in a conflict and regime type. I follow up on these results with the interview and the case-studies to show the processes and mechanisms related to a state’s calculus for apologising.