General Early Modern

Nick Hayes discusses the contested history of land ownership in England, from William the Conqueror to the Kinder trespass. (Image from Getty Images)

A hard-fought history of trespass

Fern Riddell

Contraception, consent & erotic connection: sex through history

A portrait of Russian empress Catherine the Great

Hypocrite, reactionary, usurper, sex maniac: is Catherine the Great’s reputation justified?

Buckland Abbey, Devon, UK. (Image by Alamy)

The colonial secrets of Britain’s stately homes

The leader of the Luddites, 1812. Found in the collection of British Museum. Anonymous artist. (Photo by Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images)

5 of the worst years in British history

A painting of 1616 depicts the Moriscos boarding ships to sail from the port of Valencia

The 17th-century expulsion of the Moriscos from Spain: what happened?

Painting of Masons building a pillar in a church

General Early Modern

Your guide to... the Freemasons

Aztec double headed serpent carved in wood and decorated in turquoise mosaic pieces (Universal History Archive / Getty Images)

The real Aztecs: brutal, bloodthirsty… and caring?

Olaudah Equiano (Photo by Getty)

General Early Modern

Who was Olaudah Equiano – and why was his story of slavery so important?

History Traveller final 1024x768

General Early Modern

History Traveller, part 2: St Basil’s Cathedral, Moscow

Frances Griffiths poses with the fairies

Fairies, rabbit births and an ‘ancient’ tiara: what are the greatest historical hoaxes?

A copper engraving of Margaret Pole's execution

General Early Modern

Are these the worst botched executions in history?

Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector

General Early Modern

Royalists, beards and cowardice: are these the strangest taxes in history?

Pope John XVII

Q&A: Has there ever been a married Pope?

Midwives and babies in the sun

General Early Modern

Midwifery and childbirth: a historical A–Z guide