Georgian

Napoleon watches on as the fighting at Waterloo unfolds in this 1843 painting

What if… Napoleon had won the Battle of Waterloo

An official of the British East India Company riding on an elephant with an escort of foot soldiers and mounted Indian retainers, India, end of 18th century (Photo by Getty Images)

Everything you ever wanted to know about the East India Company, but were afraid to ask

How did England react to the introduction of the Gregorian calendar in 1751? (Illustration for BBC History Magazine)

Q&A Did the introduction of the Gregorian calendar spark riots?

Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor playing Mark Antony and Cleopatra VII in the 1963 film, Cleopatra. (Photo by Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images)

7 of the most memorable couples in history

An East India Company official riding on an elephant

The East India Company: how a trading corporation became an imperial ruler

A late 18th-century painting of British and French sailors going head-to-head at war

The uncommon lives of common sailors

Mary Toft, perpetrator of the 1726 hoax – in which she appeared to give birth to rabbits

The woman who gave birth to rabbits? How Mary Toft’s hoax captured Georgian society

The future King George VI playing at the Wimbledon tennis championships, 1926

George VI: the everyman king

As seen in this early 19th-century depiction of an initiation, Masons have long used secrecy to

A history of Freemasonry: from Enlightenment ideals to satanic conspiracy stories

A meeting of early 19th century Freemasons in which the an apprentice or candidate is introduced to the lodge (Photo by Alamy)

The story of the Freemasons

The eyes of American actress Gene Tierney. (Photo via John Kobal Foundation/Getty Images)

The history of seduction

The Harris’s List of Covent Garden Ladies (Public Domain)

The real Harlots: Hallie Rubenhold on Covent Garden’s courtesans

A medieval king dining

Pig-chickens, beavers’ tails and turtle soup: 8 fascinating foods through history

Sunbathers on Blackpool beach in 1954. (Credit: John Chillingworth/Getty Images)

Caravans, spa towns and seaside resorts: a brief history of British holidays

Colour portrait of Jane Austen

A brief guide to Jane Austen, plus 8 things you (probably) didn’t know about her