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An illustration of the English King Aethelstan, in front of Viking silver.

How England’s first king used an unexpected weapon to defeat the Vikings

A tank crossing trenches at the battle of Cabrai during the First World War.

First World War

The First World War’s deadliest battle was stalling, but everything changed when Little Willie arrived

This statue depicts Hatshepsut carved with the masculine features traditionally associated with Egyptian kingship. By adopting male dress and iconography, Hatshepsut reinforced her legitimacy as pharaoh.

Long before Cleopatra, another female pharaoh redefined ancient Egyptian power

This engraving depicts the battle of Zama in 202 BC, the decisive clash of the Second Punic War. Led by Scipio Africanus, Roman forces defeated Hannibal’s Carthaginian army, ending Carthage’s challenge to Roman power and marking Rome’s emergence as the dominant force in the western Mediterranean.

General ancient history

Long before the ancient Roman empire, a rival superpower looked set for supremacy

An illustration depicting the Mexican-American War.

In 1848, the US ended a war with its neighbour and took its land. What happened next?

A composite image of an ancient Egyptian cat statue against a red hieroglyphic backdrop.

Did the ancient Egyptians really love cats? The dark truth might break your heart

A composite image of Maria Modena and a baby.

Over 70 observers watched this Stuart queen give birth. Why did they still doubt the baby was real?

A composite image showing the Queen Mother in front of the Bayeux Tapestry.

Could the Queen Mother have secured the loan of the Bayeux Tapestry to the British Museum 45 years ago?

A composite image of post-medieval women being persecuted.

In post-medieval Scotland, two specific crimes reveal the challenges faced by ordinary women

Busts of Julius Caesar (right) and Octavia, who became the first Roman emperor.

He was ancient Rome’s mightiest figure – and rumours said he had a secret affair with Julius Caesar

A portrait of Queen Victoria in front of an image of Buckingham Palace.

Buckingham Palace was the height of royal power – so why did Queen Victoria and Albert hate it?

A Victorian-era journalist snuck into an infamous asylum, and what she exposed shocked New York

Step inside a Roman home, and you might be surprised by what you find

This 16th-century portrait of Lady Margaret Beaufort, found in St John’s College, Cambridge, depicts the formidable matriarch of the Tudor dynasty. Mother of Henry VII, Beaufort has sometimes been implicated in later rumours surrounding the fate of the Princes in the Tower — accusations modern historians largely dismiss.

Was a ruthless Tudor matriarch behind the disappearance of the Princes in the Tower?

This 12th-century tapestry detail from Skog Church in Hälsingland, Sweden, depicts key figures from Norse mythology. Odin appears on the left, one-eyed and carrying an axe beside the sacred tree on which he sacrificed himself; Thor stands at the centre with his hammer, Mjölnir; and the fertility god Frey holds an ear of corn.

Thor was the Vikings’ “archetypal masculine god” – so why did he dress as a bride?

A detail from the Bayeux Tapestry showing a moment of violence between the Anglo-Saxons and Normans.

After 1066, this medieval fine was imposed to deter anti-Norman violence

Medieval illustration of warriors riding horses.

Warhorses were one of the most deadly weapons on a medieval battlefield. But why didn’t they run away?

A group of soldiers playing football during the First World War.

First World War

The First World War’s Christmas truce is a heartwarming story – but it never happened

Meet the reluctant US president who accidentally changed American political norms forever

Did the ancient Romans wear underwear? The truth is surprisingly complicated

This portrait presents Saladin wearing an elaborate headdress, emphasising his status as a ruler of the medieval Islamic world.

Meet the shadowy assassins who were seconds from taking out Saladin – and upending the Crusades

This scene comes from the Bayeux Tapestry, the nearly 70-metre-long embroidered narrative that chronicles the events leading to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.

The Bayeux Tapestry is beautiful, but what was its purpose? New research might have the answer

Painted in 1540 by Hans Holbein the Younger, this iconic portrait shows Henry VIII at the height of his power. The king’s imposing stance and lavish dress project authority and magnificence, reflecting a reign that transformed England’s religion, politics, and monarchy.

Henry VIII wanted a giant Tudor tomb. So why didn’t he get it?

Emperor Moctezuma II, ruler of the Aztec Empire at the height of its power. His reign oversaw a flourishing capital at Tenochtitlan and an expansive tribute system, but it ended abruptly with the arrival of Spanish conquistadors in 1519.

Did Aztec civilisation really ‘collapse’? The reality isn’t as simple as you might think

This Roman mosaic depicts Orestes and Iphigenia, with Iphigenia holding a small statue of Artemis — imagery drawn from Greek myth and popular across the Roman world. Mosaics like this often decorated the floors of bath complexes and latrines, where vibrant storytelling scenes enlivened communal spaces.

Ancient Roman culture would be baffling to modern eyes – and their toilet habits prove it

This composite image brings together Edmond Halley, the comet that bears his name, and the Bayeux Tapestry’s famous depiction of its 1066 appearance. Halley’s calculations in the 18th century revealed the comet’s regular return, transforming a phenomenon once read as an omen of catastrophe — as it was before the Norman Conquest — into a predictable event governed by celestial mechanics.

Has history’s most famous comet been misnamed for centuries? “The answer is clear,” say historians

This 1835 painting by Daniel Maclise imagines the first meeting between Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. Their relationship would set in motion a political and religious upheaval — leading to England’s break with Rome and Anne’s eventual rise and tragic fall as queen.

Want to live like a Tudor? Historian Ruth Goodman did, and here are five crucial lessons she learned

This 4th-century AD mosaic from Terranova near Tuscolo depicts gladiators locked in combat, capturing the drama and choreography of the arena in late Roman Italy. Even as public spectacles waned in some parts of the empire, scenes like this show how gladiatorial fighting remained a potent form of popular entertainment.

Female gladiators shocked the ancient Roman world — but not for the reason you think

This illustration shows the chief of the Taensa people receiving the French explorer René-Robert Cavelier de La Salle on 20 March 1682. Set in what is now Louisiana, the scene reflects the early encounters between Indigenous nations of the Lower Mississippi Valley and Europeans

Step inside the lost Native American city that rivalled medieval London

This 2nd-century AD mosaic from La Chebba, part of a larger scene showing the Triumph of Neptune, includes a boy gathering fruit — a small detail that reflects broader Roman ideas about health and diet. Fresh fruit played an important role in Roman nutrition, valued for its balance, seasonality, and association with natural well-being.

If ancient Romans didn't understand calories, how was their theory of nutrition so accurate?