April 2013

Articles from the April 2013 issue of BBC History Magazine

Anne Boleyn, second wife of Henry VIII, c1507-1536. (Ann Ronan Pictures/Print Collector/Getty Images)

Guilty or not guilty: why did Anne Boleyn have to die?

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The Spanish Armada: Tudor spin portrayed the events of August 1588 as a glorious English victory but, argues Robert Hutchinson, bad weather and bad tactics had more to do with the Spanish fleet's failure than Elizabethan derring-do. (Ann Ronan Pictures/Print Collector/Getty Images)

The Spanish Armada: England’s lucky escape

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British soldiers in Normandy. Though Goodwood cost the British some 200 tanks, infantry losses were relatively light, says Mark Urban. (Capt. E G Malindine/IWM via Getty Images)

Second World War

Operation Goodwood: one of the biggest British disasters of the Second World War?

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A Pompeian fresco from the first century showing a woman tuning a musical instrument. Excavations at the partially buried Roman city reveal that women played a prominent role in the home, and that they took personal grooming very seriously indeed. (Photo by: Werner Forman/UIG via Getty Images)

At home with the Romans

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A 13th-century miniature of King John. (AKG)

Q&A: Did King John ever display goodness?

This 14th-century miniature shows men enjoying a glass of red wine. Alcohol features prominently in medieval and Tudor accounts of breakfast. (DeAgostini/Getty Images)

How the Tudors invented breakfast

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The Battle on the Ice, fought between the men of Novgorod and the Teutonic Knights, was a landmark in European history, says Dominic Sandbrook. (Alamy)

A big day in history: Nevsky’s Russians crush the Teutonic Knights

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The three Kenyans who were tortured by British forces in the 1950s are joined by supporters at a demonstration outside the Royal Courts of Justice. (BEN STANSALL/AFP/Getty Images)

History on trial

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When completed in the early 12th century, Durham Cathedral was "absolutely up-to-the-minute in its design and near-perfect in its execution," says Marc Morris. (Jim Gibson via Getty Images)

Where history happened: Norman churches

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A coin showing the head of Alexander the Great. "No one else has ever come anywhere near his achievements," says Gregg Wallace. (Ken Welsh via Getty Images)

My history hero: Alexander the Great (356-323 BC)

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Illustration by Jonty Clark.

Ye olde travel guide: Rio de Janeiro 1820

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Illustration by Glen McBeth for BBC History Magazine.

Q&A: When were punctuation marks first used?

Second World War

Q&A: Were the martial songs in Nazi newsreels typical of the period?