HistoryExtra
type: channel
link: https://www.historyextra.com
description: The official website for BBC History Magazine
date: 2025-11-21T11:58:57.000Z
update period: hourly
update frequency: 1
update base: 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00
items: Not 1066 again! Should we ditch our obsession with dates?
items: 7 things you (probably) didn’t know about the Napoleonic Wars
items: How the French won the battle of Waterloo (or think they did)
items: Napoleon Bonaparte: facts about his life, death and career
items: Battle of Waterloo quiz: how much do you know?
items: The battle of Waterloo: 10 key questions answered
items: Alternate history: what if... Napoleon had won the Battle of Waterloo?
items: Before Waterloo: what happened at the Duchess of Richmond's ball?
items: Behind the scenes on Belgravia
items: The battle of Trafalgar

Not 1066 again! Should we ditch our obsession with dates?
type: item
date: 2025-11-19T13:00:01.000Z
creator: Dr Rob Blackmore
subject: General History
subject: Magazine
subject: Membership
subject: Period
subject: Historical events
description: From 1066 to 1918, our obsession with battles, elections and even voyages of discovery risks distorting a true understanding of the past
encoded: In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue. That, at least, is what the famous rhyme tells us. Memorising such dates is a common experience of being taught history – a cliché superbly lampooned by the witty 1930 book 1066 and All That. “History is not what you thought,” its preface suggested. “It is what you can remember.” Accordingly, as per its subtitle, it offered a “Memorable History of England, Comprising All the Parts You Can Remember, Including 103 Good Things, 5 Bad Kings and 2 Genuine Dates.” Conspicuously, though, “two out of the four dates originally included were eliminated at the last moment” because “they are not memorable.” Though evidently both humorists, the book’s authors – Punch writers WC Sellar and RJ Yeatman – were making a serious point. History has long been thought to be concerned with preserving the past. The 12th-century historian and Byzantine princess Anna Komnene observed how “time in its irresistible and ceaseless flow carries along on its flood all created things and drowns them in the depths of obscurity”. Her solution was the study of history, which “forms a very strong bulwark against the stream of time”. This is a powerful idea – one that perhaps moved King Charles I, moments before his execution in January 1649, to utter a last single word to William Juxon, the former bishop of London, instructing him: “Remember.” <img src="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/7/2025/11/1066-and-all-that-later-edition-CMYKWeb-Ready-dfb5326.jpg" width="2295" height="1530" alt="The cover of a book, with the title 1066 And All That across the top, and two men standing side by side in green and pink clothing" title="The 1930 book 1066 and All That wittily parodied the conventional approach to teaching history in schools at that time (Image by Amazon)" /> But do our efforts to remember really require us to do something so trivial as memorising dates? More radically, do the historical events these dates mark even matter? The Oxford Eng…

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7 things you (probably) didn’t know about the Napoleonic Wars
type: item
date: 2023-10-16T09:50:13.000Z
subject: Georgian
subject: Period
subject: Evergreen
subject: Family and parenting
description: Jem Duducu, author of The Napoleonic Wars in 100 Facts, reveals seven things you might not have known about the 25 years (or so) of conflict...
encoded: What were the Napoleonic Wars? The Napoleonic Wars were a series of conflicts that occurred from 1803 to 1815, fought between France under Napoleon and a series of coalitions of European powers. Though the Napoleonic Wars are often seen as a clash of European powers fighting for dominance over the European continent, in many ways they were also an example of a global conflict before the outbreak of the First World War in 1914. The Napoleonic Wars are usually numbered by the coalitions that were raised against Napoleonic France between 1803 and 1815: The War of the Third Coalition, 1805–06 The War of the Fourth Coalition, 1806–07 The War of the Fifth Coalition, 1809 The War of the Sixth Coalition, 1813–14 The War of the Seventh Coalition, also known as the Hundred Days, 1815 What of the wars of the first and second coalitions? These precede the Napoleonic Wars, both being part of the French Revolutionary Wars of the 1790s. Read more | Napoleonic Wars timeline: the key dates you need to know Why did the Napoleonic Wars happen? There are many explanations, but you could consider the Napoleonic Wars to be a consequence of the French Revolutionary Wars, which concluded with the 1802 Peace of Amiens. These wars had left France in a commanding strategic position in Western Europe, “something that no other European power could tolerate, because it appeared to threaten their own strategic security”, says Michael Rapport, reader in modern European history at the University of Glasgow, who spoke to us about the Napoleonic Wars on the HistoryExtra podcast. “Any peace – which occurred in 1802 through the Treaty of Amiens – was going to be really a truce.” That peace broke down in 1803. “The Peace of Amiens wasn't really honoured by either side,” he says. Neither side really trusted each other.” Who was Napoleon? The Napoleonic Wars are named after a single man – Napoleon Bonaparte. How did a young, inexperienced artillery officer from Corsica rise to such a position of military …

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How the French won the battle of Waterloo (or think they did)
type: item
date: 2021-06-18T06:05:00.000Z
subject: Georgian
subject: Period
description: Two centuries after the battle of Waterloo, the French are still in denial, says writer Stephen Clarke. As soon as the cannons stopped firing in June 1815, French historians began rewriting history, diminishing the Anglo-Prussian victory and naming Napoleon the moral victor…
encoded: It can come as something of a shock to read Napoleon Bonaparte’s official account of Waterloo, written on 20 June 1815, two days after the battle. A key phrase reads: “After eight hours of firing and infantry and cavalry charges, the whole [French] army was able to look with satisfaction upon a battle won and the battlefield in our possession.” Given that the first cannon shots were fired at about 11am, this would mean that as night fell, Napoleon was victorious. And yet almost every historian since 1815 has stated unequivocally that the battle was won by the armies of the Duke of Wellington and his Prussian ally General Gebhard Blücher, and that France’s defeat at Waterloo effectively put an end to Napoleon’s reign as emperor. So how could he possibly “look with satisfaction upon a battle won”? 10 moments that decided the Waterloo campaign To find the answer, it is necessary to read a little further into the report, where Napoleon concedes that “at about 8:30pm” some French troops mistakenly thought that his invincible Old Guard were fleeing the battlefield, and panicked. He explains that “the confusion of the night made it impossible to rally the troops and show them that they were mistaken”. It sounds here less like a lost battle than an abandoned football match. And it wasn’t only the soon-to-be-deposed emperor of France who rewrote accepted historical fact about Waterloo. A French veteran of the battle, Captain Marie Jean Baptise Lemonnier-Delafosse, claimed in his memoirs: “It wasn’t Wellington who won; his defence was stubborn and admirably energetic, but he was pushed back and beaten.” Crucially, though, Captain Lemonnier-Delafosse goes on to add that Waterloo was an “extraordinary battle, the only one in which there were two losers: first the English, then the French”. So he admits defeat, albeit in a confusing way. What Lemonnier-Delafosse means is that Napoleon beat Wellington, and then lost to Blücher when the Prussians arrived on the battlefield after d…

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Napoleon Bonaparte: facts about his life, death and career
type: item
date: 2021-05-03T17:13:36.000Z
subject: Georgian
subject: Period
subject: Family and parenting
description: Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) is considered to be one of history's greatest military leaders. He rose to prominence during the French Revolution (1787–99) and served as emperor of France from 1804 to 1814, and again in 1815. Napoleon is remembered today for his role in the Napoleonic Wars (1803–15), and his defeat at the battle of Waterloo on 18 June 1815. But how much do you know about him?
encoded: When was Napoleon born? 15 August 1769, in Corsica. When did Napoleon die? 5 May 1821, on the Atlantic island of St Helena | Read more about what killed Napoleon What is Napoleon remembered for? Many things, but in particular his roles, which included Emperor of the French, during the Napoleonic Wars (1803–15), and his defeat at the battle of Waterloo on 18 June 1815. Who were his family? Napoleon was the second of eight surviving children born to Carlo Maria Buonaparte (1746–85), a lawyer, and Letizia Ramolino Buonaparte (1750–1836). The Buonapartes were minor Corsican nobility. Napoleon was twice married: to Joséphine de Beauharnais, from 1796–1810, and Marie Louise, [later known as Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma], from 1810–1821. His second wife bore him a son, Napoleon II. Napoleon acknowledged one illegitimate son, Charles Léon (b 1806), but may have had further unacknowledged illegitimate offspring. Napoleon's height: how tall was the French emperor? If there's one thing Napoleon Bonaparte is known for, it's that he was short – and very unhappy about it. But how tall was he really? What was Napoleon's childhood like? Although Napoleon’s parents were members of minor Corsican nobility, the family was not affluent. Educated at French military academies, which he attended on scholarships, Napoleon was poor compared to his classmates, who came from wealthy, well-connected families. Having grown up in Corsica, Napoleon’s first language was Italian, not French, and he was teased for allegedly sounding like a peasant. <img src="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/7/2015/06/Blurry-872a682.jpg" width="620" height="413" alt="General Bonaparte at Arcole, 17 November 1796', (c1797). From the Musee National, Chateau de Versailles. (Photo by Ann Ronan Pictures/Print Collector/Getty Images)" title="General Bonaparte at Arcole, 17 November 1796', (c1797). From the Musee National, Chateau de Versailles. (Photo by Ann Ronan Pictures/Print Collector/Getty Im…

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Battle of Waterloo quiz: how much do you know?
type: item
date: 2021-04-21T10:25:34.000Z
subject: Georgian
subject: Membership
subject: Period
subject: Quiz
description: Test your knowledge about the 1815 Napoleonic battle…
encoded: It was the battle that brought to an end the Napoleonic Wars, and one of history’s most dramatic military encounters. Test your knowledge below View Riddle on the source website How did you do? Share your result on social media to see how your knowledge compares with other HistoryExtra readers! Want to improve your knowledge? Read more about the battle of Waterloo and the Napoleonic Wars, including: How the French won the battle of Waterloo (or think they did) What is the significance of Waterloo? 10 moments that decided the Waterloo campaign Questions written by Mark Simner, author of An Illustrated Introduction To The Battle Of Waterloo (Amberley Publishing, 2015)

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The battle of Waterloo: 10 key questions answered
type: item
date: 2021-04-21T09:11:26.000Z
subject: Georgian
subject: Period
description: It was one of the world's most famous and important battles, bringing to an end the Napoleonic Wars and leading to Napoleon Bonaparte's final abdication and decades of international peace in Europe. Historians and journalists Peter and Dan Snow tell the story of the battle of Waterloo – one of history’s most dramatic military encounters…
encoded: The battle of Waterloo is one of history’s most dramatic military encounters. Here, the authors answer 10 key questions about the clash that brought an end to the Napoleonic Wars… Why does Waterloo matter? A: Waterloo was the battle that finally and decisively ended the ambition of the French Emperor Napoleon to dominate Europe and shaped the continent during a hundred years of relative peace until 1914. It brought to an end a terrible war that had raged on and off for more than 20 years. France had decisively lost the struggle for global mastery, and a victorious Britain went on to build the largest empire the world has ever seen. 7 things you (probably) didn’t know about the Napoleonic Wars What caused the battle? A: In early 1815 Britain and her allies – Austria, Prussia and Russia – thought Napoleon was finished: he had been defeated and forced to abdicate a year earlier. But he bounced back from exile in February 1815 and astonished the allies by advancing fast toward Brussels, in Belgium. Who were the protagonists on either side? A: The overall commanders at Waterloo were two of the greatest generals of all time. Britain’s Duke of Wellington had never lost a battle in 12 years of war. Napoleon Bonaparte had in his time crushed every army in Europe except Britain’s. Was the duke’s army all British? A: Only a third of Wellington’s army was British. Most were from the German states with some units from the Netherlands. Who were the men and how were they treated? A: British soldiers got paid about £20 a year but only saw about half that. They were fed a pound of beef a day, and a pound-and-a-half of bread. They got a daily ration of a pint of wine or a third of a pint of gin or rum. The average age that we can calculate was around 27 – the youngest soldiers were 17; the oldest were 44. What sort of battle was it? A: The battle was one of the last great contests fought at close quarters. The main weapon in both armies was still the musket. It had an effective range…

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Alternate history: what if... Napoleon had won the Battle of Waterloo?
type: item
date: 2020-09-22T09:30:33.000Z
creator: Jonny Wilkes
subject: Georgian
subject: Membership
subject: Period
description: Napoleon Bonaparte's final bid for power came to end with defeat at Waterloo in Belgium on 18 June 1815 at the hands of the Seventh Coalition – but what if he had won? Jonny Wilkes talks to Professor Alan Forrest about whether Napoleon's victory at Waterloo would have been enough to secure a remarkable return to power – or if it would only have delayed the inevitable
encoded: Each month BBC History Revealed asks a historical expert for their take on what might have happened if a key moment in the past had turned out differently. This time, Jonny Wilkes talks to Professor Alan Forrest about what might had happened had Napoleon Bonaparte emerged triumphant at the Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was over. A bloody battle. A dirty battle. A shifting battle, where both sides gained and lost momentum and the result could have gone either way. By the end of the day on 18 June 1815, thousands of men lay dead, and when the smoke cleared, it was Napoleon Bonaparte looking out across the battlefield as victor. His army had defeated the Duke of Wellington’s British-led forces on one side and Field Marshal von Blücher’s Prussians on the other, dealing the allies of the Seventh Coalition a severe blow... From his abdication and exile a year earlier, Napoleon’s return to power in France had a winning start. Yet the war was far from over and he would have to decide where to head next. “If Napoleon had got rid of the British and Prussian armies at Waterloo, he might have marched on to Brussels,” says Professor Alan Forrest, historian of revolutionary and Napoleonic France. “That was where the road was most obviously leading.” Had he returned to France to secure his domestic position and take a more defensive approach, Napoleon may have delayed the next battle. Decades of revolution, the Terror, and the rise and fall of his empire had left the country bitterly divided, though, and he could not rely on the citizenry for support, many of whom remained loyal to the republic or the monarchy. “In order to be a leader at all, Napoleon had to be a war leader.” says Forrest. “He was dependent on the army.” More alternate history What if... Alexander the Great hadn't died so young? What if... Boudica had defeated the Romans? What if... the Spanish Armada had landed in England? That left Napoleon with major shortcomings both before and after Waterloo. As …

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Before Waterloo: what happened at the Duchess of Richmond's ball?
type: item
date: 2020-03-16T06:05:00.000Z
creator: Felicity Day
subject: Georgian
subject: Membership
subject: Period
description: The Duchess of Richmond's soirée on 15 June 1815 might have been lost to time – had it not fallen just days before the climactic battle of Waterloo. Felicity Day explores that fateful night – featured in Julian Fellowes's drama Belgravia…
encoded: If it wasn’t for the chaos caused by an uninvited and most unwelcome guest, the Duchess of Richmond’s ball on 15 June 1815 would have been just another high society party in history. But since it was held in Brussels on the very day that Napoleon’s troops stormed into what is present-day Belgium, it became the stuff of legend, forever remembered as the glamorous prologue to the horrors of the battlefield at Waterloo. There’s no doubt that the highly romanticised fictional accounts of writers like Lord Byron and William Thackeray played their part in that. But just how much did they embellish the events of that fateful evening? Well for a start, the duchess – Charlotte Lennox – never intended her ball as a farewell for departing soldiers; it was just one of many parties and picnics entertaining genteel British expatriates and army officers alike that summer. Lady Conyngham had held a similar gathering the previous evening, and the Duke of Wellington had one planned for the 21st. It was by accident rather than design that the duchess’s party found its way into the history books. The story really begins more than a year earlier in March 1814, when Napoleon’s troops in Paris surrendered to Britain’s allies. The self-proclaimed emperor was forced to abdicate, and was swiftly exiled to Elba. With that, more than 20 years of recurrent war in Europe were over, and the long-awaited peace brought swathes of the British fashionable elite to the continent. Brussels was a particular tourist hotspot. It was partly because British regiments remained in the city. Families and friends of army officers came over to join them, jumping at the chance to holiday abroad again. But Brussels also owed its popularity to affordability. It was the perfect retreat for aristocrats feeling the pinch – not too far from home, cheaper than war-weary Britain and, being a garrison town, it had a lively social scene, with its own pleasure park, horse-racing, hunting and cricket. Like many of their frie…

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Behind the scenes on Belgravia
type: item
date: 2020-03-12T15:17:22.000Z
subject: Georgian
subject: Industrial revolution
subject: Membership
subject: Period
subject: Victorian
description: How do big period dramas go about transporting audiences into a convincing historical world? Ahead of compelling new drama Belgravia, created by Downton Abbey writer Julian Fellowes and set in the 19th century, we sat down with executive producer Gareth Neame to find out how his team recreated the past…
encoded: It’s one of the most keenly anticipated new television dramas of the year. Based on Julian Fellowes’s own 2016 novel, Belgravia, named for the well-to-do area of London where so much of its action is set, tells a 19th-century story of class, money, aspiration and the invention of afternoon tea – and of how family secrets can surface long after those involved tried to bury the truth. Before Waterloo: what happened at the real Duchess of Richmond’s ball? Gareth Neame, managing director of production company Carnival Films, tells us how his team went about recreating the past, in part a case of getting telling details right in order to build trust with viewers, and why he so often looks for historical subjects as the basis for TV series… Jonathan Wright: How did the show initially come about? Gareth Neame: It was a very different approach to Downton Abbey where I had gone to Julian Fellowes and commissioned him, said, “This is the idea of the show and will you devise a group of characters?” Belgravia was very different because I was reacting to a completed novel. I knew he was writing it, but I waited until it was published and then I read the whole thing and said, “Yes, we should do this”. It’s not going to become a Downton with multiple seasons and lots of storylines. What it does have in common with Downton is that extraordinary social observation, the comedy of manners, that Fellowes writes – hierarchies, people’s views of themselves and of others, and where they sit in society, and people who are ambitious or want to fall in love or make something of their lives. It has all of those themes, but it doesn’t have that soapy, multiple-character, separate-storyline thing that Downton has. It works more in the style of a Victorian novel. JW: The story has a time-shift element, bringing to life two quite distinct periods, the Regency era and the early Victorian era of the 1840s. The 19th century covers a vast swathe of social development and changes. GN: Yes, it’s two ve…

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The battle of Trafalgar
type: item
date: 2019-07-11T15:20:42.000Z
subject: Georgian
subject: Membership
subject: Period
subject: Naval battles
description: Sam Willis describes the 1805 British naval victory and challenges misconceptions about the importance of the battle in the war against Napoleon
encoded: Historian Sam Willis describes the dramatic 1805 British victory against French and Spanish fleets, while challenging misconceptions about the role of Nelson and the importance of the battle in the war against Napoleon.

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