February 2016

Articles from the February 2016 issue of BBC History Magazine

Portrait of Carlo Broschi (stage name Farinelli), the most famous opera singer of the 18th century. (Photo By DEA/A. DAGLI ORTI/De Agostini/Getty Images)

Castrated Georgian opera stars: the stars of the 18th century

A painting of Henry IV, housed in the National Portrait Gallery, London. English earls, Scottish kings, French dukes and a Welsh prince all tried to unseat Henry, yet this most resilient of medieval monarchs prevailed over them all. (Photo by Getty Images)

Henry IV: the usurper king

An aerial view of Tintagel Castle, Cornwall. (Photo by David Goddard/Getty Images)

Explore Tintagel Castle and the legend of King Arthur

Members of the Palmers Green and Winchmore Hill LNER (London and North Eastern Railway) LDV (Local Defence Volunteers) dressed in their civilian clothes march along a platform passing a steam locomotive on 1 July 1940 in London. (Photo by Harry Todd/Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Second World War

The Dad’s Army guide to defending Britain

A cartoon published by Benjamin Franklin c1770 urging the colonies to unite and resist British rule. (Photo by MPI/Getty Images)

Benjamin Franklin: from British patriot to American hero

French troops under shellfire during the battle of Verdun. (Photo by General Photographic Agency/Getty Images)

First World War

The Library Verdun - hell on Earth

A relief at the World Heritage site of Xanadu in Inner Mongolia, China. (Photo by Dreamstime)

My favourite place: Xanadu, China

President Ronald Reagan at Durenberger Republican convention rally, 1982. (Photo by Universal History Archive/Getty Images)

My history hero: Ronald Reagan (1911–2004)

An illustration of HMS Intrepid, under the command of Irish explorer Captain Francis Leopold McClintock, trapped in pack ice in Baffin Bay, c1853. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Opinion Why the British love a plucky loser

An illustration of Victoria Woodhull addressing a congressional committee on the benefits of women's suffrage, 1871. (Photo by Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty Images)

The Library The one-woman revolution

The Romanovs, 1913: Nicholas II with his wife and children. (Photo by Universal History Archive/Getty Images)

Books interview with Simon Sebag Montefiore: The Romanovs