People watching the Royal Wedding

United Kingdom

Two garden gnomes on grass

A brief history of garden gnomes

5 facts about the history of football

Babies from a nursery are walked in a pram, c1953

A nation in numbers: 100 years of British life in 7 statistics

17th century engraving showing the execution by hanging of four witches. (Photo by Fototeca Gilardi/Getty Images)

QuizWould you have been accused of witchcraft?

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, back to back

‘Two steps behind’: male royal consorts through history

A broker looks at his screens at Frankfurt's stock exchange on 15 September 2008. (Photo by Thomas Lohnes/AFP/Getty Images)

The 2008 financial crisis explained

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 bigamy trial that scandalised Georgian England

Entrance to Doo Cave, one of the caves in the Wemyss Caves system. Wemyss Caves are home to the largest collection of Pictish-inscribed symbols in one place. (Photo by Getty Images)

General ancient history

Discover Fife: 6 fascinating historical places to explore

In partnership with Welcome to Fife

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

The Imperial State Crown

Second World War

Q&AWhere were the crown jewels kept during World War II?

Unravelling the Bayeux Tapestry HistoryExtra podcast series title card

Unravelling the Bayeux TapestryEpisode 5: What now?

The battle of Hastings was fought on 14 October 1066. Had Harold survived it, William might have found his position untenable because of straightforward logistics, says historian Marc Morris

What if...William the Conquerer had lost at Hastings?

Miniature depicting scenes from the Battle of Tewkesbury, where Edward IV defeated the Lancastrian forces of Margaret of Anjou

How Edward IV reclaimed his throne at the battle of Tewkesbury

Dan Jones on 1,000 years of British history

King John hunting on horseback, 14th century. (Photo by Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images)

Was King John murdered?

Mutiny at sea: the forgotten story of murder and brutality aboard HMS Wager

Portrait of John of Gaunt

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

A depiction of the Norman army, from the Bayeux Tapestry

Battle of Hastings quiz: how much do you know about the 1066 clash?

Unravelling the Bayeux Tapestry HistoryExtra podcast series title card

Unravelling the Bayeux TapestryEpisode 4: What's missing?

Portrait of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu (1689-1762) by Joseph Highmore (Photo by Alamy)

The feminist who waged war on smallpox

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

The Great Fire of London, 2-5 September 1666 (Photo by Alamy)

The Great Fire of London: everything you wanted to know

No 10 Downing Street has been home to dozens of prime ministers (and numerous cats) since the iconic residence was first offered to Sir Robert Walpole

23 things you (probably) didn't know about No 10 Downing Street, the official residence of Britain's prime ministers

Robert Walpole, the first prime minister of Great Britain

Robert Walpole: Britain's first prime minister

Bog bodies: what can they teach us?

The Irregulars. From left to right: Prince Leopold (Harrison Osterfield), Jessie (Darci Shaw), Bea(Thaddea Graham), Spike (McKell David), and Billy (Jojo Macari)

The Irregulars: the real history behind Netflix’s supernatural Sherlock spinoff

Our illustration shows Thomas Boleyn, whose flair for diplomacy and mastery of languages made him one of Henry VIII's most trusted ambassadors. (Illustration by Sean McSorley)

Thomas Boleyn: why Anne Boleyn's father was more than a grasping courtier

Poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Elizabeth Barrett Browning: your guide to the poet’s life, work and love

Triumphant Death chases Londoners from their city

How 17th-century London reacted to the Great Plague