Listicle

Tostig Godwinson, brother of King Harold II of England, and King Harald Hardrada of Norway receive the submission of the city of York

Hastings, Stamford Bridge and Gate Fulford: three battles that lost England

A stone bust of the Greek god Dionysius

The gods and their whims: your guide to ancient Greek religion

Ancient Greek statesman Solon sits on a throne, with a subject petitioning him

Who’s who in ancient Greece? Meet 14 influential ancient Greeks

A bas relief fragment portraying Cleopatra

The female 'kings' of ancient Egypt

Soldiers of the Third Reich surround a huge bonfire during a winter solstice festival in December 1936. The Nazis attempted to use elements of pagan beliefs to promote a Germanic ‘national religiosity’. (Photo by Getty Images)

Witches, werewolves and vampires: the Nazi's quest for the supernatural

An illustration of the head of Louis XVI

Guillotined in the French Revolution: the bloody story through 7 severed heads

Pregnant woman before giving birth in the 13th century

16 things you (probably) didn't know about the rituals behind royal births, from the medieval era to the present day

c900 AD, Viking ships invading England. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

5 key Viking discoveries in Britain – and what they reveal about how the Vikings really lived

In partnership with Jorvik Viking Centre

Bodiam Castle. (Getty Images)

How to build a medieval castle: 9 top tips

The German battleship Bismarck of the German Kriegsmarine during early World War II

Second World War

Bismarck: why was the WW2 German battleship so feared? Plus 9 things you didn’t know about its only mission

A portrait of Napoleon

Napoleon: a life in 10 objects

Outlander: the real history that inspired the time-slip drama

Vladimir Ilyich Ulianov

Vladimir Lenin and his lust for power

Troops pictured during the Gallipoli campaign of the First World War

First World War

Gallipoli: 5 reasons why the First World War campaign was a failure

'The Last Supper' by Leonardo da Vinci.

Leonardo da Vinci's paintings: a guide to 8 famous works

Mary Anning (Kate Winslet) and Charlotte Murchison (Saoirse Ronan) in Francis Lee's new film 'Ammonite'. (Photo courtesy of Lionsgate UK / See-Saw Films)

The real history behind Ammonite

Viking women gathered outside a home - illustration

What was life like for Viking women?

A depiction of Robin Hood, the heroic archer in English folklore who supposedly robbed the rich and gave to the poor. (Photo by Culture Club/Getty Images)

Robin Hood: 7 myths about the legendary outlaw of Sherwood Forest

A 19th-century engraving. A young woman plays a harp, singing a duet with a man holding the music book, Duets de L’Amour. (Photo by Historica Graphica Collection/Heritage Images/Getty Images)

A survivor's guide to Georgian marriage

A portrait of Samuel Pepys, English writer and diarist. (Photo by Culture Club/Getty Images)

7 things you (probably) didn’t know about Samuel Pepys

Henry VI of England. (Photo by iStock/Getty Images)

Henry VI may have had a "sex coach" - plus 4 more curious facts about his life

The time travelling Tudor: Anne Boleyn’s most surprising representations in film, TV and literature

President Nixon making final TV address

The 5 most notorious presidents in US history

Henry VIII’s mistresses: who else did the Tudor king sleep with?

The Oseberg ship from around AD 820 is one of the most well- preserved Viking ships ever excavated (Photo by Noe Falk Nielsen/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Viking ships: 5 lesser-known facts

Battle of Bosworth, 22 August 1485

10 things you need to know about the battle of Bosworth

Colourised print of the Lighthouse of Alexandria as imagined in the 18th century

General ancient history

The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: what were they, and what happened to them?

A thin section of the Great Wall of China near Beijing

General ancient history

10 facts about the Great Wall of China

A portrait of Elizabeth I, c1565

The 10 best English queens in history

The Kray brothers

The A-Z of British gangs and gangsters