Historical people

Aelfwynn in season 5 of The Last Kingdom, holding the crown of Mercia that belonged to her mother

The real Aelfwynn of Mercia

A 16th-century portrait of Bess of Hardwick. Bess's talent, ambition and eye for a well-connected husband elevated her to dizzying levels of wealth and power in Tudor England. (Photo by Bridgeman Art Library)

Bess of Hardwick: schemer, social climber, scourge of Elizabeth I

A portrait of Flora MacDonald, who found fame as a Jacobite heroine sailing Bonnie Prince Charlie to safety

Who was Flora MacDonald?

Aethelflaed, Lady of the Mercians, illustrated sitting on a throne

Aethelflaed, Lady of the Mercians: the warrior queen who crushed the Vikings

A photograph of Al Capone, in a suit, looking into the camera

Your guide to the Prohibition-era gangster Al Capone

A portrait of Caroline of Ansbach

Caroline of Ansbach: why George II's remarkable queen was the first iron lady of British politics

Mrs Caroline Backhouse Astor

Mrs Astor and the Four Hundred

Portrait of Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany

Q&AWho was the Grand Old Duke of York?

Cillian Murphy as Tommy Shelby in season six of 'Peaky Blinders'

Peaky Blinders: The story so far, plus the real figures to expect in season 6

Children's author Beatrix Potter as a young woman, c1892

Why the real Beatrix Potter was more than her children’s tales. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A portrait of King Charles I

Jane Whorwood: the royalists' secret weapon. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Mexico’s ill-fated Austrian emperor. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A replica of St Edward’s Crown, used in the coronation of British rulers since 1661

General History

Who is Britain’s greatest monarch?

Portrait of Maria Sibylla Merian, by Jacob Marrel, 1679 (Photo by Fine Art Images/Heritage Images via Getty Images)

Maria Sibylla Merian: the artist who challenged the natural world. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Sweyn Forkbeard, king of Denmark and the first Viking king of England (Photo by Getty)

How Sweyn Forkbeard became the first Viking king of England. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Ras Prince Monolulu entertains the crowds at Aintree racecourse, 1931 (Photo by KEYSTONE-FRANCE/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)

Ras Prince Monolulu: the horse-race tipster who transformed himself into an Abyssinian prince. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Escaping slavery in the American South. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Simone Ashley as Kate Sharma in Bridgerton, next to a Regency portrait of Kitty Kirkpatrick.

Inspiring Bridgerton: the real South Asian women in Regency-era England

A portrait of Elizabeth Stuart, painted during the reign of Charles I

Elizabeth Stuart: the treasonous portrait that touted Charles I's sister for the throne. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton

Ernest Shackleton, the great Antarctic explorer of the Heroic Age

History's greatest mysteriesWhy did Mao’s chosen successor flee China?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Grigory Yefimovich Rasputin. (Getty Images)

First World War

Did a British agent murder Rasputin?

HistoryExtra Masterclass: Tudor Royal Women with Tracy Borman

Tudor Royal Women with Tracy BormanWomen at Court. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Josephine Baker lounges on a tiger skin around the time she starred in La Revue Nègre

Singer, siren, activist, spy: the incredible life of Josephine Baker. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A follower is reflected on a framed photograph of Bhimrao Ambedkar

Bhim Rao Ambedkar: India’s 'untouchable' hero. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

William Hogarth, seen in a self-portrait with his pug

William HogarthThe satirical artist inspired by the teachings of the Bible. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Pragmatist or heartless? A portrait of the young Elizabeth Woodville (1437-1492). The Print Collector/Print Collector/Getty Images)

The power behind the throne: women in the Wars of the Roses. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Depiction of a musician and dancing fool in Paris, 14th century

What was life like for a court jester?

Depiction of the battle of Stamford Bridge. Harald Hardrada, king of Norway, seen here wielding a battleaxe, was slain at the battle

Harald Hardrada: why there's more to the last great Viking than his death in 1066

Colourful illustration of 12 historical figures's heads (Winston Churchill, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Thomas Cromwell, Richard III, Elizabeth I, William Shakespeare, Anne Boleyn, William Marshal, Jane Austen, Hatshepsut, Gandhi and Catherine the Great) shown in a grid pattern.

Top historical figures: 100+ of the most famous people through history – in chronological order