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Anne Hathaway, Hamnet and Judith: who were William Shakespeare's family?

Napoleon Bonaparte

Napoleon Bonaparte: facts about his life, death and career

The death of Wat Tyler', 1859. Tyler was a leader of the 1381 Peasants' Revolt in England, which saw a group of rebels march on London to oppose the institution of a poll tax and demand economic and social reforms. He was killed by officers loyal to King Richard II during negotiations at Smithfield, London. (Photo by Print Collector/Getty Images)

Your guide to the Peasants' Revolt of 1381

British troops guard a wall during the Irish War of Independence, which bears a nationalist message

The Irish Republican Army: a brief guide

Portrait of King George V of England. (Photo by Getty Images)

Your guide to King George V: facts about his life, reign and death

Q&AWhy do we say ‘white elephant’?

A portrait of William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare: a guide to the life of England's greatest playwright

Peter O’Toole (top) plays Henry II alongside Richard Burton

"Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest?" The truth behind Henry II's notorious lament

Aidan Turner as Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo: the real history behind the new Renaissance drama

A 1782 cartoon by James Gillray that depicts Buller as ‘Judge Thumb’. (Photo by Library of Congress)

Q&AWhy do we say ‘rule of thumb’?

The battle of Towton during the War of the Roses, 1461. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

The Wars of the Roses: the 15th-century clash of kings that heralded the dawn of the Tudor dynasty

Portrait of John of Gaunt

John of Gaunt: father of England’s medieval monarchy and self-styled Spanish king

The relationship between Anne Boleyn (Natalie Portman) and her brother George (Jim Strugess) is explored in 2009 film 'The Other Boleyn Girl'

George and Anne Boleyn: their real relationship explored

A statue of Tollund Man, a bog body from the Iron Age. (Photo by Getty Images)

General prehistory

Q&AWhat are bog bodies?

Da Vinci's sketch 'The Vitruvian Man'. Da Vinci's talents ranged from anatomy to military engineering, and many of his innovations were not explored further for several centuries. (Photo by: Photo12/UIG via Getty Images)

Your guide to Leonardo da Vinci: his life, inventions and milestones in his career

Richard III: your guide to the last Yorkist king of England

The 'Alexander Mosaic' showing Alexander the Great

Alexander the Great: all you need to know about the empire builder and military genius

The 1815–46 Corn Laws: your guide to the crisis and why they were repealed

A photograph of the battle of Moscow, 1942, first printed in Signal, a magazine published by the German Third Reich from 1940 to 1945. (Photo by Art Media/Print Collector/Getty Images)

Second World War

Operation Barbarossa: why Hitler’s invasion of the Soviet Union was his greatest mistake

A portrait of King Henry VII of England, the first Tudor monarch

Henry VII: your guide to the first Tudor king

A scene from the Bayeux Tapestry depicting the Norman invasion of 1066. The tapestry was most likely embroidered by women in Norman England in a workshop setting using four embroidery stitches – stem stitch; split stitch; chain stitch; and laid work, sometimes called ‘Bayeux Stitch’, says Dr Alexandra Lester-Makin. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

The Bayeux Tapestry: what is it, why was it made and what story does it tell?

Paul Delaroche's impression of Lady Jane Grey's execution

Who was Lady Jane Grey? The tragic story of the 'Nine Days Queen'

Otto von Bismarck, pictured on horseback, was instrumental in the creation of a unified German state and was among the most influential politicians of late 19th-century Europe.(Photo by ullstein bild/ullstein bild via Getty Images)

Otto von Bismarck: a brief guide to the ‘founder of modern Germany’

Adolf Hitler. (Photo by Heinrich Hoffmann/Archive Photos/Getty Images)

Second World War

Your guide to Adolf Hitler: key facts about the Nazi dictator

Actor Boris Karloff as Frankenstein's Monster in James Whale's classic 1931 film

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein: the birth of a gothic monster

Queen Victoria smiling

Q&ADid Queen Victoria really say "We are not amused"?

Did Winston Churchill and Adolf Hitler (pictured) ever meet? (Photos by Getty Images)

Second World War

Q&ADid Churchill and Hitler ever meet?

Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie in profile: facts about her life

Queen Victoria in her coronation robes.

Your guide to Queen Victoria and a timeline of her life – plus 16 fascinating facts

19th century advert for snuff

Q&AWhat was snuff?