Period

A black and white photograph of three men in military uniform. The man in the middle, is holding his arm out pointing to something in the distance and to his left, is a man using binoculars

The Stalingrad of Africa: the story of the battle for Tunis. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

This bust represents Hannibal, the famed general who led Carthaginian forces against Rome during the Second Punic War. As a descendant of Phoenician settlers, Hannibal embodied the military might and maritime legacy of Carthage.

General ancient history

The overshadowed ancient empire that rivalled Rome with maritime might and an iron fist

Queer life in Georgian Britain. 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.

This illustration depicts Viking ships arriving in Britain. Though produced centuries after the earliest raids, it reflects how the impact of Norse invasions remained vivid in medieval memory and manuscript culture.

Forget the longships: this is the overlooked story of how the Vikings dominated eastern Europe

Author/veterinarian Dr. James Alfred Wight (pen name James Herriot) holding up a black cat that he is examining at his veterinary surgery. (Photo by Ian Cook/Getty Images)

Who was the real James Herriot?The true story behind All Creatures Great and Small

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

This 16th-century portrait depicts Vlad III, known as Vlad the Impaler (1431–1476), a Wallachian prince infamous for his brutal rule and defence against the Ottoman Empire.

Vlad the Impaler was medieval Europe's bloodiest warlord, but is the scale of his murder just a myth?

The German Peasants' War: a summer of fire and blood

This 6th-century matrix from Torslunda, Sweden, was used to create helmet plaques depicting armed figures — likely berserkers — wearing horned helmets with bird motifs and animal masks. Such imagery evokes the warrior culture later embraced by Viking champions like Thorkell the Tall, a famed Jomsviking commander known for his fierce loyalty and shifting allegiances during the early 11th century.

Who was Thorkell the Tall? The pragmatic Viking warrior who fought for (and against) all sides

Art Deco: everything you wanted to know. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

On 27 January 1943, ARP wardens attend the funeral of victims killed in a daylight bombing raid — including several children and teachers. Such scenes were tragically common during the Second World War, as civilian areas remained vulnerable to Luftwaffe attacks despite improved air defences.

Second World War

Why were these British Second World War burials draped with Nazi flags?

America in Korea: a failed occupation?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The real Edward Guinness, Earl of Iveagh (right), played by Louis Partridge (left)

Who was the real Edward Guinness of House of Guinness?

Arthur Edward Guinness, 1st Baron Ardilaun, played by Anthony Boyle

Who was the real Arthur Guinness of House of Guinness, and what happened to him?

The characters of Ellen Cochrane (right) and her brother Patrick seem to take inspiration from some real figures within the Fenian cause (left shows an illustration of a Fenian demonstration in Hyde Park in the 1860s)

What was the Fenian Brotherhood? And was Ellen Cochrane real?

Anthony Boyle and Louis Partridge star as Arthur and Edward Guinness

Is House of Guinness a true story? Here’s the real history behind the Netflix drama

This 1896 portrait shows Andrew Carnegie, the Scottish-American steel magnate whose fortune helped build libraries, universities, and cultural institutions across the English-speaking world.

Skip the office and give your money away: a Victorian billionaire’s guide to financial triumph

The real Miss Moneypennys: the secret history of Britain's female spies. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

On 31 August 1939, children from Chelsea line up with their belongings, ready to be evacuated from London as war looms. Part of a nationwide effort to move civilians — especially children — to safety, the evacuation began just days before Britain entered the Second World War.

Second World War

The biggest misconceptions about WW2 evacuees? This historian has the answers

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

An illustration showing a king dressed in green and orange, sitting on a blue throne made out of books. He is reading from a long scroll

Love learning like Æthelstan. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Wages for housework: the daring 1970s campaign that challenged women's roles

Ancient Roman theatre: everything you wanted to know. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A painting depicting Rurik and his brothers arriving in Staraya Ladoga, a scene based on the legend of the Varangian invitation, in which Norse leaders were asked to bring order to the Slavic lands. Rurik’s arrival marked the legendary founding of the first ruling dynasty of Rus’, a key moment in the early history of Eastern Europe.

Why does Putin think Ukraine should be Russian? It’s all to do with the Vikings

Ask a WW1 expert! Don't miss our live Q&A with Alex Churchill. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Haiti's first and only king

An illustration of Matilda of Flanders, queen consort of William the Conqueror. As queen after the Norman Conquest, Matilda played a key political role.

The conqueror’s queen: meet the real Matilda of Flanders

LEFT TO RIGHT: US president William McKinley is shot in 1901; John F Kennedy in Dallas, moments before his murder in 1963; the aftermath of the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan in 1981.

"Violence and American politics have gone hand in hand right from the beginning": a history of political violence

A scene from the Bayeux Tapestry shows a group of men sitting at a high

Why you should avoid hair-pulling, and cannibalism, at royal banquets. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.