Homepage

Tudor
Copy of the Whitehall mural showing Henry VIII, his parents, and Jane Seymour
Henry VIII: An Introduction
Henry VIII could be called England’s most memorable king. Everyone has seen his image: tall, imposing, and rotund. Likewise, everyone knows that he had six wives, and that he divorced two of them, and executed a further two. He brought the Reformation…
Georgian
Final scene from Hogarth's 'A Rake's Progress'
Bethlem: A Mental Place
Bethlem is a place so famous for chaos and confusion that its nickname, Bedlam, has entered the English language as a synonym for madness. But has its reputation been deserved, or has it been on the wrong end of morbid fascination and sensationalism…
Normans and Beyond
William with his half-brothers depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry
The Norman Conquest: Cataclysm or Continuity?
Without doubt, the Norman Conquest had an impact on England, but recently historians have stressed its continuity, questioning whether the invasion can be viewed as a cataclysm. After all, any incident claiming the description must have far-reaching consequences for the organisation of the country, its government, laws and institutions, and its…
Stuart
The trial of Charles I
The Trial and Execution of Charles I
30 January 1649 was bitterly cold. It was enough to make Charles I, King of England, don two shirts: he didn't want the crowd to see him shivering as he was led to his place of execution. Charles' downfall had come about through unsuitable personality traits, bad decisions made in difficult circumstances, and disagreements with powerful men and…
Second World War
Arbeit Macht Frei, Auschwitz
The Wannsee Conference
The Wannsee Conference of 20 January 1942, was a cross-departmental meeting of the Nazi government. Its goal was brutally and clinically simple: to organise the final solution to the Jewish question.

Latest Articles

Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson
Edward VIII and the Abdication Crisis
On 11 December 1936, Edward VIII abdicated after spending just 11 months on the throne. His reason for doing so was simple: he wanted to marry the socially-unacceptable love of his life, Wallis…
Read more
The Great Storm of 1703 Goodwin Sands
The Great Storm of 1703
On the night of 26 November 1703, what has been described as the worst storm in the history of the country hit Britain. Over the next eight hours, it reaped terrible damage across Wales and the south…
Read more
The Battle of Stamford Bridge
The Battle of Stamford Bridge
The year 1066 is remembered in Britain for just one battle: the Battle of Hastings. And why not? After all, it had a profound effect on England, and has been called the most important battle in…
Read more

Latest Quizzes

Liberty Leading the People - Eugène Delacroix (1830)
Quiz: The French Revolution
The French Revolution has been called the defining moment of the Enlightenment and the modern era. Whether you love it or hate it, find out how much you know about it!
Read more
The Parthenon in Athens
Quiz: The ancient Greeks
From great heroes to democracy, the ancient Greeks fascinate us, but how much do you really know about them?
Read more
Quiz: The golden age of piracy
Quiz: The golden age of piracy
Criminals of the sea, desperate sailors or romantic heroes? How much do you really know about pirates?
Read more

Latest News

RMS Titanic
Why did Titanic sink?
A new documentary, aired on Channel 4, suggests that the real reason RMS Titanic sank was not ice, but fire. Titanic expert Senan Molony claimed in the documentary, shown on New Year's Day, that an…
Read more
Origins of ancient dogs
The origins of ancient dogs
Although we know that modern dogs are descended from domesticated wolves, the time and place this happened has been hotly debated.
Read more
Endeavour Thomas Luny 1768
Has Captain Cook's Endeavour been found?
Researchers with the Rhode Island Marine ArchaeologyThe study of the things humans have left behind. See 'Some Notes of Archaeology'. Project (RIMAP) have announced there's an 80% to 100% chance they…
Read more

Latest Reviews

Chalke Valley History Festival 2017
Falling in love with the Chalke Valley History Festival
Chalke Valley History Festival is designed to inspire, excite, and inform. Established in 2011 as a fundraiser for the local cricket club, the festival has rapidly grown in size to become the largest…
Read more
Black Country Living Museum
The Black Country Living Museum, West Midlands
The Black Country Living Museum is the UK's third largest open-air museum, covering the history of the area from the 1850s to the 1950s. Set within 26 acres of land, it has a range of period…
Read more
The Silk Roads: A New History of the World
The Silk Roads: A New History of the World
Peter Frankopan's The Silk Roads provides a new economic perspective on world history, taking as its centre not Europe, but the 'true middle of the world', 'the halfway point between east and west,…
Read more

Fact of the Day

The man who built the town stocks in Boston, Massachusetts charged so much that he became the first man to be put in them.

Quote of the Day

"By seeing London, I have seen as much of life as the world can show."
~ Samuel Johnson

On This Day

1792 The Tuileries royal palace that was home to Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette and defended by the Swiss Guard, was attacked by Parisians and the National Guard. Louis ordered the Swiss to cease fire, which led to the massacre of some 600 of their number. France was declared a republic and Louis was executed five months later.
1793 The Musée du Louvre was officially opened in Paris.
1842 The Mines and Collieries Act was passed, prohibiting women and children under the age of 10 from working underground.
1945 A day after the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan announced its intention to surrender, although it refused to contemplate a reduction in the power of the emperor.