In every issue of BBC History Revealed, we present an essential guide: an in-depth primer on one area of the past, from ancient Greece and Rome to figures such as Henry VIII and William Shakespeare, through to landmark events including the the sinking of the Titanic, the Russian Revolution and the battle for women's suffrage.

Explore the full series below, exclusively available to download for HistoryExtra subscribers – and check back each month for your latest essential guide.

The Black Death

The Crimean War

The Restoration

The Gold Rush

Black British history

The Victorians

The history of medicine

The Civil Wars

Ancient Greece

The British Home Front

The Golden Age of Piracy

Medieval queens

The Russian Revolution

William Shakespeare

The Suffragettes

Life in Nazi Germany

The French Revolution

The Wars of the Roses

Ancient Rome

Henry VIII and his six wives

The Titanic

The Vikings

The medieval church

Roman Britain

The Industrial Revolution

The Elizabethans

The history of witchcraft

The American Revolutionary War

Egyptian pharaohs

Crime and punishment

The Cold War

The Edwardians

Pompeii