August 2019

Expert articles from the August 2019 issue of BBC History Magazine

Uncertain futures: Children of black American servicemen and white British women often spent time in case, such as this group photographed at Holnicote House in Somerset. (Photo by Lesley York – Author provided)

Mixed-race babies born after the Second World War

Professor Dame Janet L Nelson

Charlemagne: medieval empire builder

Clash between the English Temeraire and the French Redoutable ships during the Battle of Trafalgar, October 21, 1805. (Photo by DeAgostini/Getty Images)

The battle of Trafalgar

Margaret Hodge has been the MP for Barking since 1994. She held a number of ministerial positions during the 1997–2010 Labour administration, and was appointed DBE in 2015. (Photo by AP/REX/Shutterstock)

My history hero: Katharine Graham (1917–2001)

Illustrations by Ian Morris.

The Civil War cross-dressers: the women who swapped dresses for breeches

Professor Dame Janet L Nelson has published extensively on early medieval Europe. She is professor emeritus at King's College London, a fellow of the British Academy and a former president of the Royal Historical Society. Her previous books include 'Charles the Bald' (1992) and 'The Frankish World' (1996). (Photograph by Frank Monks)

Books interview with Janet Nelson: “The only way this huge regime could work was by Charlemagne trusting his own instincts”

Winner takes all: A painting shows the French ship 'Redoutable' clashing with the British 'Temeraire'. "Regardless of the victory off Cape Trafalgar, it was another decade before Britain and her allies defeated Napoleon. (Photo by DeAgostini/Getty Images)

Trafalgar, a futile victory? Why Nelson’s triumph didn’t turn the tide on Napoleon

Beloved son: Henry Fitzroy shown in a c1534 miniature. Henry VIII called his illegitimate son his "worldly jewel" and showered him with titles, much to Catherine of Aragon's displeasure. (Photo by Alamy)

5 ways in which Henry VIII’s “bastard son” rocked the Tudor court

High heaven: Lindisfarne Castle rises above the beach. It's a steep climb to the castle entrance. (Photo by Alamy)

History Explorer The Holy Island of Lindisfarne

Drawing depicting crew of German traders at work aboard a Hanseatic League, aka German Hanse, aka Hansa 16th-century cargo vessel. (Photo by Mansell/Mansell/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images/Getty Images)

A medieval European union: why the Hanseatic League still matters

Striking machinists at Dagenham's Ford plant. (Photo by Getty Images)

Back on Planet Earth: what world did Neil Armstrong leave behind in 1969?

Heart of the city: The sun shines on the lawns of the Plaza de Mayo, located in the historic centre of Buenos Aires. (Photo by Alamy)

Travel Explore Buenos Aires, Argentina: infused with Latin beauty

Diminutive circus performer George Sherwood Stratton, better known as General Tom Thumb poses in Highland dress for the appreciation of two young ladies. (Photo by London Stereoscopic Company/Getty Images)

Victorian freak shows