Crime and punishment

Dr Amanda McVitty explains what treason meant in the medieval era, and why its consequences were particularly brutal. (Image by Getty Images)

Why treason was so unforgivable in the Middle Ages

'Pirate queen' Grace O'Malley. (Illustration by Sue Gent for BBC History Revealed)

Grace O’Malley: the fearless pirate queen of Ireland

The assassination of Julius Caesar

What if… Julius Caesar had not been assassinated?

Picture depicting the Cato Street conspirators

To kill the cabinet: the Cato Street Conspiracy of 1820

Dr Jenna Dittmar, who has been studying medieval skeletons, reveals what her findings can tell us about injuries and violence in the era. (Image by Getty Images)

Fatal accidents and violent injuries in the Middle Ages

This image from the Nibelungenlied manuscript shows Pilgrim welcoming Kriemhild, a fictional character described as his neice in the text (Photo by Alamy)

The forged texts of the Middle Ages: why Europe’s holy men turned to counterfeiting

Peter Stothard reveals how Julius Caesar’s assassination triggered a brutal power struggle, one that would transform ancient Rome. (Image by Getty Images)

The hunt for Caesar’s killers

An illustration of the head of Louis XVI

The French Revolution through 7 severed heads

Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie in profile: facts about her life

Queen Victoria

The Victorians and the British Empire: a brief guide and timeline

What happened when Thomas Becket, was brutally murdered in his cathedral? (Image by Getty Images)

Thomas Becket: from murder to martyrdom

Workers repair Fleet sewer in 1854. London’s creaking sewer network sparked anxieties over what lay beneath the sprawling capital. (Photo by Guildhall Library & Art Gallery/Heritage Images/Getty Images)

Living in fear: the dangers of Victorian London

Charles Sobhraj (centre) pictured in 2011, while trying to sue the Nepalese government for unlawful imprisonment

The real history of The Serpent: the true story of Charles Sobhraj

Trevor Barnes details the 1960s operation to uncover the infamous Portland Spy Ring – one of the most dangerous KGB espionage networks ever to operate in the UK. (Image by Getty Images)

Hunting down the Portland Spy Ring

Georg Elser, a little-known carpenter-turned-assassin whose daring attempt to kill Hitler almost succeeded

Second World War

Georg Elser: the man who nearly assassinated Hitler