May 2021 issue of BBC History Magazine out now!

The Peasants’ Revolt

A new research project has revealed who the insurgents of 1381 really were

Prime ministers

Sir Anthony Seldon on how the office has changed over the past 300 years, in the face of rivalries, scandals and war

The greatest pretender

Nathen Amin explores the threats Henry VII faced from those who tried to capture his throne

Napoleon in objects

Emma Butcher and Nichole Cochrane examine 10 objects that show a different side of the French emperor

Festival of Britain 

Harriet Atkinson highlights the international roots of the postwar celebration of Britishness

John of Gaunt

Helen Carr charts his ardent obsession with seizing the throne of Castile

Slimming clubs

Katrina Moseley shines a light onto the social history of weight-loss groups