Historical people

An image of Aethelstan

Æthelstan and the foundation of England: your guide to the ‘first king of the English’

Frida Gustavsson as Freydís Eiríksdóttir in season 3 of Vikings: Valhalla

Was Freydís Eiríksdóttir a hero or a deranged murderess?

Laura Berlin as Emma of Normandy in season 3 of Vikings: Valhalla

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

Portrait of Catherine de Medici, also known as the Serpent Queen

Catherine de Medici The life, death and legacy of the 'Serpent Queen'

Suffragettes armed with materials to chain themselves to railings

Suffragettes history facts: 10 things you might not know about the Votes for Women campaigners

Suffragette Annie Kenney

8 famous suffragettes and votes for women campaigners

Emily Davison, photographed a few days before she was fatally injured after stepping in front of the king's horse during the Derby

Emily Davison: the suffragette who stepped in front of the king’s horse

An African samurai: the tall, strong African man who acquired the name Yasuke in Japan was at first an object of curiosity but soon became a prized samurai warrior serving a powerful warlord in the violent intrigues that wracked the country during that volatile era. ((Illustration by Lynn Hatzius for BBC World Histories)

Who is Yasuke? The true story of the African who became Japan’s first black samurai

Oleg Gordievsky

Oleg Gordievsky: the double agent who changed the course of the Cold War

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Vod Life - Lord Byron WL

Video podcast Lord Byron: life of the week . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Painting of Lord Byron and his Muse

“Mad, bad and dangerous to know”: the scandalous life of Lord Byron

The outlaw Johannes Bückler, also known as Schinderhannes

Q&A Who was Schinderhannes and why is he known as the ‘German Robin Hood’?

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English poet, one of the leading figures of the Romantic movement, Byron is regarded as one of the greatest English poets.

Lord Byron: 9 objects that defined the infamous poet’s life and story . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Vod Life - Mary Wollstonecraft WL

Video podcast Mary Wollstonecraft: life of the week . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

British prime minister Harold Wilson, March 1967. (Photo by Michael Stroud/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Harold Wilson: 5 facts about the Labour Party prime minister