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Georgian

By the time George II came to the throne in 1727, Britain was a nation addicted to gaming. A Georgian gaming table is shown in this sketch by Thomas Rowlandson. (Photo by Culture Club/Getty Images)

“A nation addicted to gaming”: the Georgians’ crackdown on addictive betting

As many as 15 people may have been killed, and a further 500 badly injured, during the 1819 riot in Manchester that came to be known as the 'Peterloo' Massacre. (Rischgitz/Getty Images)

16 August 1819: Militia massacres protesters at ‘Peterloo’

A New York opium den. Although US legislators cracked down on opiates in the early 20th century, organised crime networks continued to fuel the illegal trade in narcotics. (Photo by Getty Images)

Books interview with Lucy Inglis: “Opium has held mankind’s hand since the beginning”

Ross Poldark in London in the BBC's drama. The capital city was described in contemporary magazines and newspapers as the "vortex of dissipation", says Hannah Greig. (Image Credit: BBC/Mammoth Screen/Robert Viglasky)

From politics to pleasure gardens: the real history behind Poldark's 18th-century London

Brass band playing during Mardi Gras in Mew Orleans

ExploreNew Orleans, United States: Louisiana's 'big easy'

A woodcut print depicting the stocks, a form of Elizabethan punishment. Dated 16th century. (Photo by: Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty Images)

"Damn your blood": Swearing in early modern English

King William II is often overshadowed by his Norman father, William the Conqueror. (Photo by Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images)

7 forgotten monarchs

The American War of Independence: Three Films

Britain’s Catholic emancipation

Winston Graham’s central relationship – between the gentlemanly Ross Poldark and Demelza Carne, an illiterate young kitchen maid – is highly unusual. But was there a real ‘Ross and Demelza’ in history? (Photo by Mammoth Screen/BBC)

Poldark series 3 recap – what happened and what is the real history behind the hit TV series?

London traffic. (Photo by Popper Ltd./ullstein bild via Getty Images)

The history of Britain’s roads

The remarkable history of the Netherlands

A bite-sized history of teeth

A portrait of actress Nell Gwynn, longtime mistress to King Charles II.

From Nell to Meghan: 10 romances between actors and royals

A Georgian painting depicting children leaving for school

The Georgian guide to perfect parenting

Where history happened: Georgian fossil hunting

The failings of the French Revolution

Q&AWas Captain Bligh hated by the crew of the Bounty?

Napoleon Bonaparte of France. (Hulton Fine Art Collection via Getty Images)

Bad manners and a game of thrones: inside the court of Napoleon Bonaparte

Shackles that were used to tether slaves, on display at the International Slavery Museum. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

History explorer: the British slave trade

An engraving from Ulrich Molitor’s ‘On witches and female soothsayers’, depicting witches bringing down the rain. Germany, 15th century. (Photo by DeAgostini/Getty Images)

A spell-binding history of witches

Prince Ernest Augustus, the Duke of Cumberland and fifth son of King George III

The Duke of Cumberland and his valet: a bloody tale of attempted murder

ExploreSt Petersburg, Russia: the Venice of the north

Chatsworth House

History explorer: Politics and power in Georgian Britain

Fiona Sampson"Mary never shook off the consequences of eloping with Shelley"

History heroJeremy Corbyn chooses Mary Wollstonecraft (1759–97)

The Royal Opera House. (Getty Images)

History Explorer: Opera in Britain

The White House, Washington, D.C. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

QuizHow much do you know about US presidents?

Horatio Nelson (1758-1805), 1797. Artist: Abbott, Lemuel Francis (1760-1802)

My history hero: Horatio Nelson (1758–1805)

Winston Graham's Poldark novels remind us of aspects of the past that might otherwise remain in the shadows, says Hannah Greig. (Image credit: Mammoth screen/BBC)

The real history behind 'Poldark' series three: episode nine