Drawing of Christopher Columbus

General Early Modern

Portrait of Juana Ines de le Cruz in a banner for the 'life of the week' HistoryExtra podcast series.

Juana Inés de la Cruz: life of the week. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Pocahontas: life of the week. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

What your hands say about you – according to history. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A group of bearded men in early 17th-century attire stand closely together in conversation, wearing tall hats and richly textured garments.

The Gunpowder Plot

A composite image of Maria Modena and a baby.

Over 70 observers watched this Stuart queen give birth. Why did they still doubt the baby was real?

A composite image of post-medieval women being persecuted.

In post-medieval Scotland, two specific crimes reveal the challenges faced by ordinary women

When was the best time in English history to be alive?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A painting of two men, dressed in colourful robes, hug each other. One man is standing on top of a lamb, the other on a lion

Michael Wood on the rise and fall of Asian empires. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

This 15th-century 'Zodiac Man' illustrates how each sign of the zodiac was thought to govern a different part of the human body. Such images helped shape early modern astrology, which blended medieval medical theory with renewed interest in celestial influence. Astrological medicine guided decisions from diagnosis to bloodletting, reflecting a world in which the heavens were seen as active forces in human health and destiny.

How do you cope with living in a century of chaos? By learning how to predict the future

Crystal balls & contacting angels: predicting the future in early modern England. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

This woodcut from 1521 depicts Martin Luther on his way to Worms, laying down his sword and opening the Bible in prayer as Christ descends to comfort him. The scene reflects Protestant legend surrounding Luther’s defiance before the Diet of Worms, where he refused to renounce his writings.

Why did Martin Luther condemn the “hordes of peasants” fighting the war he helped inspire?

The dark side of Samuel Pepys. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Breaking news! How stories spread in early modern Europe. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The Mughal empire: everything you wanted to know. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The tangled legacies of two Americas. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The 300-year battle over free speech. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

King vs parliament: the moment that sparked civil war. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

An eye looking through a dark keyhole.

Are your neighbours spying on you? In the 17th century they had the power to destroy your life

Taking sides: how the Civil War turned friends into enemies. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A Japanese painting on silk, in a traditional Japanese style, of a Samurai warrior riding a horse.

General Early Modern

The 47 Rōnin: the true story behind the famous Japanese tale of revenge

Women killers of the early modern era. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Women's hidden role in religious reformation. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Cheese-rolling, horse skulls & morris dancers: Britain's strange folk customs. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

An illustration of the future King Edward VI of England with his whipping boy (Photo by Chronicle/Alamy Stock Photo)

“Literally whipped”: the boys who took the beatings meant for royal bottoms

Maria Theresa

General Early Modern

The incredible Habsburg empress you’ve never heard of: who was Maria Theresa?

Satan & the sabbath: witchhunting in the Basque Country. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A vessel at sea comes across the mythical ghost ship The Flying Dutchman

General History

Seven of history's most disturbing ghost ship stories that will haunt your dreams

HistoryExtra AcademyWitchcraft, with Marion Gibson. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Week four – Witches in popular culture. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Week threeWitch trials. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.