Period

A man in a grey T shirt and blue jeans sits with his arms crossed, facing the camera. He has dark curly hair and wears glasses

Jonathan Healey: “A connection was made between the rarefied world of the royal court and the politics of the street”. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Britain and the Caribbean: from slavery to Black Lives Matter. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A woman in a grey cloak holds a swaddled infant to her shoulder

Edith the Fair: the life of Harold Godwinson’s first wife

Luther Ford as Tostig Godwinson in BBC drama King and Conqueror

How Tostig Godwinson’s brotherly betrayal hastened the fall of the Anglo-Saxons

Juliet Stevenson as Emma of Normandy in BBC drama King and Conqueror (Photo via BBC)

Emma of Normandy: not just a two-time queen consort of England

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as William the Conqueror in BBC Norman Conquest drama King and Conqueror

How historically accurate is King and Conqueror? Here’s the real history that should have happened

This posthumous portrait of William I, known as the Conqueror, was painted c.1590–1610 and is held by the National Portrait Gallery, London. Though created centuries after his death, it reflects early modern interest in the legacy of England’s first Norman monarch. (Photo by Getty Images)

Meet the real William the Conqueror, the Duke of Normandy who reshaped England

Illustrations of Harold Godwinson and William the Conqueror

How well did Harold Godwinson and William the Conqueror know each other prior to the battle of Hastings?

A collage of four images, depicting four different kings against a blue background

1066: who was the rightful king?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Shakespeare didn't do the Norman Conquest, but the Bayeux Tapestry did, so where does that leave the BBC's King and Conqueror?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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

From dodos to 'lost' tribes: a history of extinction. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Dame Stephanie Shirley and Tommy Flowers

My history heroDame Stephanie Shirley chooses Tommy Flowers

On 10 March 1945, Tokyo residents who lost their homes in the devastating US air raid gather amid the ruins. Known as Operation Meetinghouse, the raid was the most destructive bombing in history, part of a wider firebombing campaign during the Pacific War. (Photo by Getty Images)

Second World War

Before the atomic bombs, the USA hit Japan with one of the most overlooked (but deadly) campaigns in WW2

An illustration of a woman in a gold and red dress walking on a tightrope while balancing a pair of scales on her head. The scales hold an angel on one side and a devil on the other. Behind her on the tightrope, there is a cat. Below her, there is a town and a factory, with some houses submerged in water

Michael Wood on lessons on good government from medieval Siena. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

In Conversation at Kew Gardens giveaway Terms & Conditions

A close up image of the eye of a black horse

Medieval warhorses: 5 moments horsepower changed the course of history. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Europe's last pagans. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

This stone relief from the palace of Ashurbanipal at Nineveh (668–627 BC) shows the Assyrian king leading a lion hunt — a dramatic display of dominance that reinforced royal authority in the Late Assyrian Empire.

General ancient history

Would you kidnap a god? This ancient Mesopotamian empire did – and for a genius reason

VJ Day and the story of women's football: history behind the headlines. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Ilustration of a pair of hands holding a book called 'Summer Reading 2025'. There is a bookshelf in the background

General History

28 of the best history summer reads for 2025

On a green background, there is a sketch of a human pyramid of people in togas, all balancing fruit on their heads, arms and feet

Be neighbourly like a Pompeian. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A sketch shows two topless men wearing pale shorts fighting each other in a boxing ring

From a lion-taming lightweight to the Muscular Maids: 5 Victorian boxing sensations you need to know about. 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 Paris Commune: everything you wanted to know. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A woman stands next to a plough, with a house in the distance behind her. A man is standing next to the house

“The motors of the wagon train”: meet the forgotten women who upended gender norms to win the Wild West

VJ Day: why don't we talk about WW2 in Asia?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Statue of Mesopotamian king Ashurbanipal

General ancient history

He tried to conquer knowledge itself – instead this ancient Mesopotamian king resorted to rule with terror

Many brightly coloured teacups with triangular handles sit on top of a white table. To the left, one of them is being picked up. The person is wearing a green bracelet on the arm they are using to hold the cup

Designs for life: the lasting impact of Art Deco. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Zoot suits, mashers & New Romantics: the evolution of the dandy. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.