Early comic panel illustration

England

Black and white image of island prison, taken from the sky

The battle of Alcatraz, 1946: the most violent escape attempt in the prison’s history

What happened to Britain’s lost Roman legion?

A 13th-century fresco showing Isabella of Angouleme, Eleanor of Aquitaine and two squires

Eleanor of Aquitaine: the worst royal mother-in-law?.

England’s last witches.

Hadrian’s Wall: everything you wanted to know.

Froissart illustration of Hugh Despenser the Younger's execution by being hanged, drawn and quartered. Despenser is on a ladder, as a man beside him disembowels him and tosses his entrails into a fire

‘Godly butchery’: the horrifying history of hanging, drawing and quartering

A woman slops here chamberpot from a window onto pedestrians in the street below in this woodcut

Were medieval cities really filthy?.

The Normans had a profound influence on Britain – so why do we not speak French?

A woman on a bike cycles in front of a castle

General History

A real castle for Christmas: 5 places to explore and stay this festive season

How Shakespeare inspired terrorists.

Shakespeare's house in Stratford-Upon-Avon

Q&AWhy was Stratford-upon-Avon a hotbed of Confederate activity?.

William Hogarth, seen in a self-portrait with his pug

William HogarthThe satirical artist inspired by the teachings of the Bible.

Winston Churchill delivering his famous 'iron curtain' speech at Westminster College

Second World War

8 of Churchill’s greatest speeches

Depiction of a musician and dancing fool in Paris, 14th century

What was life like for a court jester?

The Great Army attacks the East Anglian town of Thetford in this illuminated manuscript from 'The Life of Edmund'. Viking pikemen scale the ramparts on ladders

The secrets of the Viking Great Army

A French manuscript from c1100 shows Viking warriors sailing to Brittany. The Viking Age touched all areas of life and can still be felt today

What if...The Vikings had never left their homelands?.

A sword/hammer type coin from the Danelaw

The Danelaw: is the ‘realm’ of the Vikings in Anglo-Saxon-era England a place or an idea?

The man who made King Alfred great.

Josiah Wedgwood: the radical father of English pottery.

Photograph of Mrs Beeton bracing herself against a chair while wearing a long, dark-coloured gown

The secret life of Mrs Beeton: 10 pieces of life advice from her famous Book of Household Management.

Q&AWhat is gaol fever and how was it caused and spread?

Illustration of Hereward the Wake, the rebel who rose against William the Conqueror

Hereward the Wake: the Anglo-Saxon rebel who became William the Conqueror's nemesis

Charles and Diana on honeymoon in Balmoral

Diana: the rebel princess.

8 historical reasons behind Anne Boleyn’s appearance in Princess Diana film Spencer

Guy Fawkes and the men behind the gunpowder plot. Guy Fawkes, best known of the conspirators, is third from the right. (Print Collector/Getty Images)

Why did the 1605 gunpowder plot fail? 9 big questions about the conspiracy to blow up parliament.

Side-by-side portraits of Henry VIII's first two wives, Anne Boleyn and Catherine of Aragon.

Do we have to be ‘Team Catherine’ or ‘Team Anne’ when it comes to Henry VIII’s wives?.

Alfred the Great (849–899). (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Who was King Alfred the Great?

Gulielma Lister: the female botanist who became the queen of slime moulds.

Dinosaur dung became a valuable commodity in 19th century Cambridgeshire. (Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty Images)

Dinosaur dung billionaires: the Victorian 'gold rush' for fossilised faeces.

A West Indian immigrant in 1960s Britain: A real lonely Londoner.