Christmas 2018

Articles from the Christmas 2018 issue of BBC History Magazine

"With this ring..." A young couple say their vows in c1860, watched by bridesmaids and a clergyman – but much about Victorian weddings wasn't quite so familiar. (Photo by London Stereoscopic Company/Getty Images)

How to celebrate a Victorian wedding

How did Henry VIII and Elizabeth I celebrate Yuletide? (Illustration by Becca Thorne for BBC History Magazine)

Tales from a Tudor Christmas

A view from the Choir of Canterbury Cathedral looking towards Trinity Chapel, which was built in the 12th century to house the remains of Thomas Becket. (Photo by Alamy)

History explorer The wonder of medieval cathedrals

The coastal city of Port Antonio. (Image by Getty Images)

My favourite place: Jamaica

Politician and novelist Benjamin Disraeli was twice prime minister, and extended suffrage by introducing the 1867 Reform Act. (Photo by Jabez Hughes/Getty Images)

The Library My history hero: Jacob Rees-Mogg chooses Benjamin Disraeli

(Illustration by Eleanor Shakespeare for BBC History Magazine)

The Library Books of the year 2018

Lemuel F Abbott's famous 1797 portrait of Horatio Nelson. In 1805, the British naval hero promised to speak publicly against the abolition of slavery, but was denied the opportunity by his death at Trafalgar later that year. (Picture by Alamy)

The Library Lord Nelson and slavery: Nelson’s dark side

James I of Aragon, depicted in a 15th-century portrait. A king dubbed 'the Conqueror' invested enormous energy in projecting an image of power and authority. But behind the facade lay an insecure ruler who feared failure. (Photo by Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images)

The Library James I of Aragon: inside the mind of a medieval king

A Gallo-Roman image shows wine being transported. According to Barry Cunliffe, there was a long period when the Romans traded extensively with the Celts of Gaul, tribes with whom the Romans co-existed in relative peace. (Photo by BeBa/Iberfoto/Mary Evans)

The Celts: were they friends or foes of the Romans?

American Flying Fortress bombers and a Mustang fighter practise formation flying over England, training for rain that would help break Nazi resistance. (Photo by PhotoQuest/Getty Images)

Second World War

The Library The Allies’ big idea: the largest air battle of the Second World War

Illustration by Luke Waller for BBC History Magazine.

Æthelwold: Alfred the Great’s rebel nephew