July 2011

Tom Asbridge examines whether the image of the crusades as an age of 'total war' between Islam and the west is an accurate one.

Michael Scott explains how extravagant displays of wealth were as controversial in ancient Greece as they are today and examines how the Greeks sought to alleviate the problem

Sarah Foot questions why Alfred the Great is still venerated while the even greater achievements of his grandson, Æthelstan, are overlooked.

Denis Judd asks whether the century between the 1851 Great Exhibition to the 1951 Festival of Britain was one of gradual decline for Britain.

Ashley Jackson and David Tomkins explore eight representations of Britain's imperial adventure – from expansion to endgame.

Joe Maiolo, advisor to a recent BBC documentary about the V weapons, relates how in 1944, Britain managed to mitigate disaster as the Nazis unleashed a barrage of flying bombs and rockets on London.

Joseph Boughey talks to BBC History Magazine's Charlotte Hodgman about nine places related to the post-war leisure revolution on Britain's inland waterways.

Robert Low offers his advice to travellers heading for the buzzing capital of Byzantium, Constantinople, in 976.