Family and parenting

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5 things you (probably) didn’t know about the Plantagenets

A 20th-century fresco 'Plucking the Red and White Roses in the Old Temple Gardens' by Henry Payne. It depicts a scene by Shakespeare, showing Edmund Beaufort, 2nd Duke of Somerset being challenged by Richard, 3rd Duke of York to choose between the white rose of York and the red rose of Lancaster. (Photo by Artefact / Alamy Stock Photo)

7 things you (probably) didn’t know about the houses of Lancaster and York

King James VI and I of Scotland and England

Your guide to King James VI and I, the first Stuart monarch of England

Apartheid road sign

Your guide to apartheid in South Africa

A red herring on a plate

Q&A Why do we say ‘red herring’?

A cartoon of Napoleon and King George III.

Q&A How tall was Napoleon Bonaparte?

Napoleon Bonaparte, published in London, 1909. (The Print Collector/Print Collector/Getty Images)

Napoleon Bonaparte: facts about his life, death and career

Members of the royal family: Prince Louis; Prince George; Prince William, Duke of Cambridge; Princess Charlotte; Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge; Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall; Prince Charles, Prince of Wales; Princess Anne, Princess Royal; and Queen Elizabeth II during the Queen's annual birthday parade on 8 June 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

Q&A How did the royals choose 'Windsor'?

A lithographic Victorian trade card promoting the Forepaugh circus' new white elephant, Buffalo, New York, circa 1880. (Photo by Transcendental Graphics/Getty Images)

Q&A Why do we say ‘white elephant’?

A portrait of William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare: a guide to the life of England’s greatest playwright

A 1782 cartoon by James Gillray that depicts Buller as ‘Judge Thumb’. (Photo by Library of Congress)

Q&A Why do we say ‘rule of thumb’?

The battle of Towton during the War of the Roses, 1461. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

The Wars of the Roses: the 15th-century clash of kings that heralded the dawn of the Tudor dynasty

No 10 Downing Street has been home to dozens of prime ministers (and numerous cats) since the iconic residence was first offered to Sir Robert Walpole

23 things you (probably) didn’t know about No 10 Downing Street, the official residence of Britain’s prime ministers

Battle of Culloden. (Photo by Ann Ronan Pictures/Print Collector/Getty Images)

Your guide to the battle of Culloden – plus 7 myths busted

Da Vinci's sketch 'The Vitruvian Man'. Da Vinci's talents ranged from anatomy to military engineering, and many of his innovations were not explored further for several centuries. (Photo by: Photo12/UIG via Getty Images)

Your guide to Leonardo da Vinci: his life, inventions and milestones in his career