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Thomas Cromwell: a thug in a doublet?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Where now for Richard III?

A noisy history of the world. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

One of the two 19th-century bronze sphinxes sited next to Cleopatra's Needle, London's oldest monument. (Peter Dazeley/Getty Images)

Where history happened: Egypt in Britain. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Abraham Lincoln in 1863. The 16th president of the United States "understood the value of hard work, had deep beliefs and pursued them," says Alastair Campbell. (Ann Ronan Pictures/Print Collector/Getty Images)

My history hero: Abraham Lincoln (1809–65). This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

An oil painting depicting the battle of Camperdown, a "crushing British victory" over the Batavian (Dutch) Republic in the North Sea. (Universal History Archive/Getty Images)

Tales from Nelson's navy. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Ye olde travel guide: Florence 1380. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Holding the line: France in the First World War. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

"I read and studied much": Adolf Hitler at his Berghof mountain retreat in c1936. (Photo by Imagno/Getty Images)

Hitler's philosophers. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The call for the First Crusade was initially made by Pope Urban (pictured) in 1095. (Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images)

Britain and Islam: a matter of faith. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Image by Jonty Clark.

Ye olde travel guide: Calcutta 1905. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

My history hero: Clara Schumann (1819-96). This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

An illustration depicting the battle of Naseby, arguably one of the most significant land battles in British history. (Ann Ronan Pictures/Print Collector/Getty Images)

20 important battles that shaped Britain

"Although the circus as we know it has its roots in the 18th century, the history of its three basic forms (clowning, equestrianism and animals) goes back much further," says Vanessa Toulmin. (Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty Images)

Where history happened: the circus in Britain. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A big day in history: A speck of glitter triggers the California Gold Rush. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

BBC History Magazine

Elizabeth I's faithful tutor

A rail revolution: Dan Snow on the meteoric rise of British railways. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The Bank of England in a late 18th century illustration. A 1783 investigation into malpractice at the Bank is reminiscent of the current financial crisis. (Guildhall Library & Art Gallery/Heritage Images/Getty Images)

Georgian banking blunders. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The Black Prince's tomb in Canterbury Cathedral depicts Edward III's son as a resting warrior, a paragon of knightly virtue. The prince conceived the tomb's design himself but not everyone has bought into his favourable assessment of his life's achievements. (Photo by RDImages/Epics/Getty Images)

The Black Prince: hero or villain?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

John Linnell's 1816 portrait of Cornish engineer Richard Trevithick. His high-pressure steam engine "was the invention that unleashed power on this planet," says Michael Mosley. (Universal History Archive/Getty Images)

My history hero: Richard Trevithick (1771-1833). This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A portrait of Jane Austen. (Photo by: Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty Images)

Where history happened: Jane Austen. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

George Frederick Handel married opera's passion with the respectability of biblical texts, says Tim Blanning. (Photo by The Print Collector/Print Collector/Getty Images)

10 milestones in the history of western music. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Ye olde travel guide: Aksum AD 537. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Effigy of Thomas a Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, Canterbury Cathedral, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Canterbury, Kent, England, United Kingdom, Europe

Where history happened: the cult of Thomas Becket. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Medieval ploughmen ploughing with oxen

The dark side of the Anglo-Saxons. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

First Textbook

Toys and games that killed in Tudor England. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A 1864 campaign banner. (David J & Janice Frent/Corbis via Getty Images)

US presidents: Race, religion and re-election?

A Mayan funeral mask, made from jadeite and shell

The Maya and the apocalypse. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The LibraryYe olde travel guide: Hong Kong 1842. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Our Lady of Sorrows, by unknown artist (20th century), photographic reproduction, 103x65 cm, inv 1602. Copyright Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosian. (Getty Images)

The day a Mexican farmer had a vision of the Virgin Mary. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.