HistoryExtra
type: channel
link: https://www.historyextra.com
description: Home of Britain’s bestselling history magazine and award-winning podcast
date: 2026-03-16T13:06:06.000Z
update period: hourly
update frequency: 1
update base: 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00
items: "We shall never surrender": 14 quotes that have defined the past century
items: The worst Roman emperors: 8 of the bloodiest from ancient Rome's history
items: A brief history of U-turns
items: From Oscar Wilde to David Irving: 9 landmark libel & defamation cases through history
items: The flush of youth: nine talented teenagers from history
items: 10 facts you (probably) didn't know about the First World War
items: Retiring royals: 9 rulers and royals who stepped down through history
items: 9 general election curiosities through history
items: 8 of the nicest kings in history
items: 9 notable ambassadors in history

"We shall never surrender": 14 quotes that have defined the past century
type: item
date: 2026-03-13T15:54:08.000Z
creator: Dr Seán Lang
subject: 20th Century
subject: Membership
subject: Period
subject: Civil rights
subject: Historical people
subject: Wartime Britain
description: Words have the power to alter the course of history. They can harden the resolve of an entire nation or people, encapsulate the ideals of a movement, and evoke joy – or provoke anger – long after they have been said. Here, Dr Seán Lang explores 14 of the most influential quotes of the past 100 years
encoded: <img src="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/7/2026/03/RooseveltGettyImages-464783507-622899f-e1773405930967.jpg" width="1500" height="1000" alt="Franklin D. Roosevelt sits at a desk in an official setting, with papers, a microphone, glasses, and an ashtray arranged in front of him, heavy curtains framing the background." title="President Franklin D Roosevelt prepares for his inaugural speech, 1933. The former New York governor had won the presidency based on his promised ‘New Deal’, which lasted until the Second World War (Image by Getty Images)" /> 1. “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself” Franklin D Roosevelt, 1933 The United States lay devastated by the Great Depression, an economic collapse without precedent that destroyed the country’s global image as a land of opportunity and reduced millions of Americans to poverty and destitution. The governor of New York, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, had run for and won the presidency on the promise of a massive recovery programme, dubbed the ‘New Deal’, but he knew he could do nothing unless the American people first regained their self-belief. In his inaugural address on 4 March 1933, Roosevelt reassured them that they had nothing to fear, except fear itself – “nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror, which paralyses needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.” The New Deal lasted throughout the 1930s until World War II set the country back towards full employment. Through the programme of reforms, regulations and projects, Roosevelt understood the power of words. He explained policies simply and clearly to radio listeners in his ‘fireside chats’, reassuring Americans that they had what it would take to improve their own lives and that the government would help. Roosevelt was elected an unprecedented four times, but it was that first inaugural message that set the tone for his time in office and helped give back the US its self-belief. <img src="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production…

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The worst Roman emperors: 8 of the bloodiest from ancient Rome's history
type: item
date: 2024-08-09T13:50:14.000Z
creator: Dr Seán Lang
subject: Period
subject: Roman
subject: Historical people
subject: Roman rulers
description: Ruthless and violent, ancient Rome's leaders are infamous for their tyrannical reigns of terror. But who were the worst Roman emperors? Here, historian Sean Lang examines eight of the bloodiest…
encoded: We all know about the Roman Emperors, don't we? Mad, bad and decidedly dangerous to know. Who can forget Peter Ustinov's Nero in the 1951 epic Quo Vadis?, or John Hurt's tortured and murderous Caligula in the BBC's I, Claudius? In fact, as historians point out (to anyone who will listen), many of the emperors on the list below were competent – even gifted – administrators, and the sources for some of the more lurid stories about them are not always above suspicion of exaggeration or invention. And some of the crimes that most shocked their contemporaries, like a penchant for performing in public, would not necessarily offend us so much today. Some emperors, like Nero or Domitian, have passed into history as models of erratic, paranoid tyrants; others, like Diocletian, were able administrators, providing good government (unless you happened to be a Christian, in which case you were in great peril). Even under the worst emperors Rome continued to function, but involvement in public life could become a decidedly dangerous business. Who are the worst Roman emperors? Tiberius Gaius Nero Domitian Commodus Marcus Aurelius Antoninus I (Caracalla) Marcus Aurelius Antoninus II (Elagabalus) Diocletian Tiberius Ruled AD 14–37 Tiberius was the successor to Augustus, though Augustus did not particularly want Tiberius to succeed him, and it was only the untimely death of the emperor's grandsons Gaius and Lucius, and Augustus's decision to exile their younger brother, Agrippa Postumus, that put Tiberius in line for the imperial throne. Tiberius was a gifted military commander and respected the authority of the senate. However, he had a gloomy and increasingly suspicious outlook that won him few friends and led him into a bitter dispute with Agrippina, the widow of his war hero nephew Germanicus. Fatally, Tiberius relied heavily on the ambitious and ruthless Aelius Sejanus, who instituted a reign of terror until Tiberius, learning that Sejanus planned to seize power himself, had him…

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A brief history of U-turns
type: item
date: 2022-10-21T08:37:33.000Z
creator: Dr Seán Lang
subject: General History
subject: Membership
subject: Period
subject: British prime ministers
description: Any politician will sometimes change course, but a full-blown U-turn can be a risky undertaking, as these five key historical examples demonstrate
encoded: Wellington and Catholic Emancipation, 1829 By the 1820s, most of the old restrictions on Irish Catholics (and, indeed, Catholics elsewhere in Britain) had been removed, but they were still debarred by their faith from sitting in parliament. Irish nationalist demands for Catholic emancipation were loud, but for Tory backbenchers the exclusion of Catholics from parliament had become a talisman guaranteeing the apparent superiority both of the Protestant religion and of parliament itself. So it was with incredulity that, in 1829, parliamentarians greeted an emancipation bill presented by the impeccably Tory and protestant Duke of Wellington and Sir Robert “Orange” Peel. Their hand had been forced by an Irish Catholic lawyer, Daniel O’Connell, who – because there was nothing stopping Catholics standing for election – had stood successfully in the 1828 County Clare byelection. Given his enthusiastic mass Catholic support, Peel and Wellington feared serious disturbances in Ireland if he were to be denied his seat, hence the emancipation bill. Although the bill passed, Wellington and Peel’s U-turn disgusted the Tories, making them even more determined to resist upcoming proposals for parliamentary reform. It was a futile stand, which brought down Wellington’s government and effectively kept them out of power for ten years. Robert Peel and the Corn Laws, 1846 Received wisdom was that the Tory party stood for landowners and for protecting against the cheap import of grain. That was until, in 1846, the Tory prime minister Sir Robert Peel repealed the protectionist Corn Laws and allowed foreign corn to flow freely into the country. The Corn Laws were of enormous symbolic importance, because their repeal signalled Britain’s decisive move away from protection towards free trade. Peel had been slowly won over by the arguments of the Manchester-based Anti-Corn Law League, a radical middle-class movement that held little appeal for his conservative landowning backbenchers. The impe…

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From Oscar Wilde to David Irving: 9 landmark libel & defamation cases through history
type: item
date: 2022-07-29T11:15:48.000Z
creator: Dr Seán Lang
subject: 20th Century
subject: General History
subject: Georgian
subject: Membership
subject: Period
subject: Victorian
description: Following the verdict in the ‘Wagatha Christie’ libel trial in the UK’s High Court, historian Sean Lang explains how the law of libel and defamation has developed in England and looks at nine landmark cases…
encoded: The origins of the law of libel go back to Anglo-Saxon times, though in the Middle Ages it was dealt with by canon law in church courts rather than before the king’s justices. Under the 1275 Statute of Westminster, however, slandering the king or the nobility (‘scandalum magnatum’) became an offence to be pursued under Common Law before the king’s courts. Until the 16th century, little distinction was drawn between spoken or written statements, but the rapid spread of printing made it important to separate the spoken word, which might easily be misheard or misreported, from the written word, which was permanent and unmistakable. Libel became a civil law offence in the 16th century, and the reign of James I (1603–25) saw a steep rise in the number of cases, many brought by the Attorney-General, Sir Edward Coke. Libel actions were of three types: false allegations of crime; of professional incompetence; or of carrying an infectious disease, especially sexual disease – a category that was often targeted at women. Libel actions could also be used by those in authority to silence criticism, especially as English law placed the burden of proof on the defendant rather than the plaintiff – as it still does. It is presumed that the defamatory statement is true, so the burden of proof is placed on the defendant to prove it is not. Apart from parliamentary privilege, which protected MPs from prosecution for defamatory statements they made in the Commons, the only sure defence against a libel accusation was to prove the truth of the statement complained of, which was a notoriously difficult thing to do. And in James I’s time, even that would not necessarily prevent a conviction. The 1843 Libel Act allowed the courts to take the offer of an apology or the absence of malicious intent into account, but the scales were still heavily weighted against defendants. By the 20th century, London was becoming the ‘libel tourism’ capital of the world, favoured by the rich because bringing a…

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The flush of youth: nine talented teenagers from history
type: item
date: 2021-09-22T09:05:41.000Z
creator: Dr Seán Lang
subject: General Modern
subject: Membership
subject: Period
description: Following Emma Raducanu’s tennis triumph in the US Open, historian Sean Lang picks out nine more gifted teenagers from the past who left their mark – not just in sport, but in politics, literature and kingship…
encoded: If Emma Raducanu’s phenomenal success in the US Open is making your own teenage achievements look a bit underwhelming, then do not read on. History has plenty of other talented teenagers. The concept of ‘teenager’ was a late 20th-century development: in earlier ages adulthood began at about 14. However, even if some of these examples would not have been thought children, they still showed immense promise at a disconcertingly early age… Alexander the Great (356–323 BC) The celebrated Macedonian warrior king died at 33, having conquered much of the world known to the Greeks, and his early years showed his promise. Even before his teens, Alexander the Great had tamed the ‘unrideable’ horse Bucephalus, which would later carry him into battle. He was tutored by Aristotle, developing a taste for literature as well as knowledge of medicine, philosophy and art. He governed Macedonia during his father’s absence on campaign and showed his own military ability, leading his men successfully into battle against rebels and neighbouring states. By time he acceded to the throne at the age of 20, following his father’s assassination, Alexander had already shown himself a sort of early Renaissance Prince, a scholar and a soldier in equal measure. Read more: What if Alexander the Great had lived longer? Joan of Arc (1412–1431) The ‘Maid of Orleans’ was 19 when she was burnt at the stake, having led a remarkable military campaign that galvanised the French nobility and people and forced the English out of much of their French territories. Her enemies accused her of witchcraft, partly because her wearing of men’s attire in battle was deemed unnatural and partly because, as a young woman, she was thought susceptible to the wiles of the devil. Her youth became an important part of her image in the Second World War, when collaborationists saw her as a victim of the English and the Resistance saw her as a youthful martyr of a ruthless occupier. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) Mozart is …

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10 facts you (probably) didn't know about the First World War
type: item
date: 2020-03-10T10:00:13.000Z
creator: Dr Seán Lang
subject: First World War
subject: Period
subject: Soldiers
description: It's one of the most well-documented conflicts in history, but how much do you know about World War One (also known as the First World War and the Great War)? Here, Seán Lang reveals 10 lesser-known facts about the global conflict fought between 1914 and 1918...
encoded: Also known as the Great War, the First World War was a global conflict primarily fought between two groups: the Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria and Italy) and the Triple Entente (Great Britain, France and Russia). It began on 28 July 1914, following the assassination of Franz Ferdinand a month earlier, and ended on 11 November 1918 with the signing of a ceasefire, or 'armistice'. It's one of the most well-documented conflicts in history, but how much do you know about World War One? Discover 10 surprising facts below... The alliance system didn’t cause the war Many people assume that the war resulted directly from the alliance structure that bound all the European great powers together before 1914. Germany was allied to Austria-Hungary and Italy; Russia was allied to France, and both countries had an entente (a diplomatic agreement) with Britain. Who was involved in the First World War? Who was on each side? Why didn’t the Allies march on Berlin in 1918? 10 ways Christmas was celebrated during the First World War The alliances certainly contributed to the prewar build-up of tension between the great powers but, perhaps surprisingly, none of these alliances actually produced a declaration of war. In July 1914 Germany gave Austria-Hungary a sweeping guarantee of support known as the ‘Blank Cheque’, which went far beyond the terms of their formal alliance. The French came in because Germany launched a pre-emptive strike against them; Britain declared war not because of the entente agreements but because the Germans invaded Belgium, and Italy first kept out of the war and then came in against its own allies! There were special battalions for short soldiers The minimum height requirement for the British Army was 5ft 3ins, but many shorter men were caught up in the recruiting enthusiasm of August 1914 and were keen to enlist. Rather reluctantly the War Office established a number of ‘bantam battalions’, attached to more conventional regiments. Many bantams were coal min…

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Retiring royals: 9 rulers and royals who stepped down through history
type: item
date: 2020-01-09T10:19:44.000Z
creator: Dr Seán Lang
subject: General ancient history
subject: General Modern
subject: Membership
subject: Period
subject: Stuart
subject: Tudor
subject: Victorian
description: Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, will step back from their roles as senior royals, it has been announced. Here, historian Seán Lang considers nine other royals or leaders who have retired through history…
encoded: Prince Andrew’s decision in December 2019 to step back from his royal duties, in light of the Jeffrey Epstein scandal – and now the news that Prince Harry and his wife Meghan will "step back" from their roles as senior royals – is far from the only time a royal or a ruler has, whether willingly or not, stepped down from power and out of the public eye. Probably the most famous royal retirement was Shakespeare’s King Lear, though few would think him a particularly encouraging role model. Leading politicians sometimes step down unexpectedly – US president Lyndon B Johnson’s decision in 1968 not to seek re-election took his supporters by surprise, as did Harold Wilson’s unexpected resignation as prime minister, most probably on health grounds, in 1976. More typical are leaders who seem determined to keep hold of power, either hanging on (like Churchill and Thatcher) or else storming back out of retirement, like Gladstone. ‘Royal Family’: the fly-on-the-wall documentary the Palace doesn’t want you to see A brief guide to the British royal family, by The Crown’s historian Robert Lacey Of course, many rulers have been forced from power against their will, and by no means did all of the following examples give up their power voluntarily. However, here are nine rulers and royals who acquiesced in giving up their power. Cincinnatus (5th century BC) The story of the Roman leader Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus has been much mythologised, but scholars agree that he was a real person and that his main claim to fame, his victory over the Italic Aequi people, did actually happen. According to tradition as recounted by the Roman historian Livy, the Aequi, a neighbouring Latin people seeking to expand their territory at Rome’s expense, had cornered a Roman army under Minucius at Mount Algidus, in the Alban hills south east of Rome. If they took the height, they would be in a position to strike at the city itself. According to the constitution of republican Rome, in an emergency – whic…

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9 general election curiosities through history
type: item
date: 2019-12-11T17:20:31.000Z
creator: Dr Seán Lang
subject: 20th Century
subject: General Modern
subject: Georgian
subject: Membership
subject: Period
subject: Victorian
subject: British prime ministers
description: From rotten boroughs to 47-day elections, the electoral system has, through history, featured a number of quirks and unusual customs. Here, Dr Seán Lang investigates...
encoded: Parliament was a medieval institution, originally summoned by Simon de Montfort in 1265 to add weight to his stand against King Henry III. By 1295 it had developed to consist of two burgesses from each town and two knights from each shire and, with some modifications in the Tudor period, this remained the basic structure of representation until the parliamentary reform campaigns of the 19th century. 8 things you (probably) didn’t know about medieval elections A brief history of election “rigging” in the United States There were no set rules for how towns and shires should choose their representatives, and there was great variation among them. Some held a relatively open election, while others restricted the choice to wealthy property owners. Others, meanwhile, simply left it to the city council to choose. As a result, by the 18th and 19th centuries the electoral system was not only looking hopelessly old fashioned, but it had thrown up a number of striking anomalies… Own a pot? You can vote! One voting qualification in the 19th century actually depended on owning a large cooking pot. Such people were known as potwallopers. In theory, the pot was to be taken as proof that they had a hearth big enough to contain it. This, in turn, was considered to be evidence that they were responsible citizens, owning the freehold of their own homes and making a major contribution to the life of the community. It was thought that this would ensure the right sort of people were voting on behalf of the community as a whole. Voting was regarded as a sort of reward for civic virtue, and recognition of the voter’s value to society. The notion that it constituted a civil right was generally regarded as dangerously radical – the sort of idea that had led to the French Revolutionary Terror, when the vote had indeed been extended to all adult Frenchmen. Rotten boroughs We might today take it for granted that an election will be contested, but that was by no means always the case in the 18th …

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8 of the nicest kings in history
type: item
date: 2019-11-18T15:15:33.000Z
creator: Dr Seán Lang
subject: Anglo-Saxon
subject: Georgian
subject: Period
subject: Roman
subject: Stuart
subject: Victorian
subject: Evergreen
subject: Family and parenting
subject: Historical people
description: From the people-pleaser Louis XVI to the “courteous and pleasant” Charles I, history is full of monarchs whose niceness prevented them from ruling effectively. Here, historian Sean Lang rounds up eight of the most affable kings in history – most of whom were too nice for their own good
encoded: Many a tyrant has known how to shine in company – by all accounts, Adolf Hitler was charming if you met him socially – but what if you are just pleasant and amenable by nature? Does that rule out a career as monarch? With a couple of exceptions, this list of perfectly pleasant rulers is not particularly encouraging… Vespasian (Roman Emperor, 69–79 AD) Vespasian was a successful general who managed to seize power from the political confusion that followed from the overthrow of Nero in 69 AD. Compared to Nero's dangerously erratic rule, Vespasian's reign was much calmer – he led a major rebuilding programme after the Great Fire of Nero's reign and he fast-tracked the hundreds of law cases that had emerged from the chaos after Nero's death. Vespasian’s military campaigning continued – he completed the suppression of a major rebellion against Roman rule in Judaea, where he had first made his name as a successful general – but at home his priority was strict economy after Nero's spending sprees (though he did splash out on the Flavian amphitheatre, or Colosseum, for gladiator combats). The 8 bloodiest Roman emperors in history 9 of the worst monarchs in history Vespasian was a genial cove, happily married but with a long-standing mistress – but he could be ruthless with critics and opponents. His dying words, according to the writer Suetonius, were an amused commentary on the Roman's obsession with emperor-worship: “I think I'm becoming a god”. Vespasian was succeeded by his popular elder son Titus, and a couple of years later by his vicious and unpredictable younger son, Domitian, who took a perverse pleasure in putting senators and actors to death on the flimsiest pretexts, often straight after having appeared to praise them. So, even nice emperors can leave nasty ones behind. Æthelstan (king of England, 925–939) Æthelstan was the grandson of Alfred the Great and was the first man to be recognised as king of all England. It is difficult to be certain about the personal…

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9 notable ambassadors in history
type: item
date: 2019-07-30T14:36:47.000Z
creator: Dr Seán Lang
subject: 20th Century
subject: Membership
subject: Period
subject: Second World War
subject: Tudor
description: From Anne Boleyn’s nemesis Eustace Chapuys to the hopeless Nazi Joachim von Ribbentrop, historian Sean Lang lists nine noteworthy ambassadors in history…
encoded: “An honest man sent to lie abroad for the good of his country” – so said Sir Henry Wotton (1568–1639), describing the role of an ambassador. Kings and nations have always needed to speak to each other, and until the advent of fast long-distance travel and instant communications, that meant sending an ambassador to speak for you at another monarch’s court and to report back on what he saw. Normally an ambassador, with a suite of aides and staff known collectively as an ‘embassy’, would be sent for a specific purpose; the idea of having ambassadors stationed permanently in another country was pioneered by the 16th-century Kingdom of Spain and the Republic of Venice, which saw the importance of up-to-date information in its all-important commercial activities. In the Middle Ages, messages were often carried by heralds and one of these, thanks to Shakespeare, has become one of the most famous ambassadors in history… Mountjoy in Shakespeare’s play Henry V There are two ambassadorial stories in Shakespeare’s Henry V (c1599). Early in the play the young king receives ambassadors from the dauphin who mockingly present him with a gift of tennis balls, suggesting that Henry would be better off staying at home playing tennis than going to war and, as it were, playing and losing against ‘the big boys’. When Henry arrives in France he is confronted by the rather cocksure French herald Mountjoy, who takes a similarly dismissive view of Henry’s small fighting force – until after Henry has triumphed at Agincourt, when Mountjoy has to eat his words and acknowledge Henry’s victory. Through foreign eyes: the forgotten ambassadors to the Tudor court Elizabethan England’s relationship with the Islamic world From Churchill and Roosevelt to May and Trump: 75 years of the 'special relationship' between the US and the UK As is often the way with Shakespeare’s history plays, he is ducking and weaving with the actual events. The story of the tennis balls may be true, but it is disputed, since…

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