HistoryExtra
type: channel
link: https://www.historyextra.com
description: Home of Britain’s bestselling history magazine and award-winning podcast
date: 2026-04-30T14:40:39.000Z
update period: hourly
update frequency: 1
update base: 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00
items: The 'Nine Days Queen' is one of England's most controversial monarchs - here's why
items: Was Elizabeth II's reign a golden age?
items: A history of the world in 7 faces: from Tutankhamun to the Virgin Mary
items: Long to reign over us: how did Queen Elizabeth II survive seven decades of dizzying change?
items: How did the world change during Queen Elizabeth II's reign?
items: Elizabeth II: life of the week
items: 3 royal women who changed the world
items: Queen Victoria: a symbol of empire
items: Mary I: England’s most misunderstood queen?
items: Marie Antoinette: the French queen who became the target of a revolution

The 'Nine Days Queen' is one of England's most controversial monarchs - here's why
type: item
date: 2026-04-30T14:40:39.000Z
creator: Isabel King
subject: Period
subject: Tudor
subject: Discover / Apple News
description: Has history captured Lady Jane Grey’s story accurately? As her childhood home re-opens to the public, we investigate the misunderstood queen
encoded: In April 2026, Bradgate House – the childhood home of Lady Jane Grey – was reopened to the public after extensive conservation work, bringing with it a new wave of interest in the so-called ‘Nine Days Queen’. But what do we actually know about this enigmatic Tudor noble, who is often cast as a tragic victim? Who was Lady Jane Grey? In 1537, Jane was born into the noble Grey family. Her parents were the Duke of Suffolk, Henry Grey, and Lady Frances Brandon. As the great-granddaughter of Henry VII and great-niece of Henry VIII, Jane was orbiting the English throne from birth. However, as historian Nicola Tallis explains on an upcoming episode of the HistoryExtra podcast, “she wasn’t ever raised as an heir to the throne. She was just this great-niece of Henry VIII who had been living in the countryside." <img src="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/7/2026/04/dreamstimel173782772-53db152-e1777556403679.jpg" width="1498" height="1000" alt="A man dressed in ornate Tudor clothing stands against a dark backdrop, wearing a fur‑trimmed robe, a heavy gold chain set with jewels, and a black hat decorated with pearls and gold." title="A portrait of Henry VIII, modelled after Hans Holbein the Younger’s iconic depiction. Grey’s distant relation to the king meant she was never raised as an heir to the throne (Image by Dreamstime)" /> In 1553, that all changed. King Edward VI was in increasingly ill-health but, being the first English monarch raised as a Protestant, he was desperate for his Protestant legacy to live on. So, he issued his Devise for the Succession. This legislation barred both of Edward’s half-sisters, Mary and Elizabeth, from succeeding to the throne. Read more | Edward VI: why the forgotten Tudor king had the makings of a monster “[Edward] didn’t want his Catholic half-sister [Mary] to be given the opportunity to reverse all of his good work in the cause of religion”, explains Nicola. “However, Edward realised that he couldn’t exclude one half…

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Was Elizabeth II's reign a golden age?
type: item
date: 2026-04-29T10:11:27.000Z
creator: Danny Bird
subject: 20th Century
subject: 21st Century
subject: Membership
subject: Period
description: By the end of Elizabeth II's reign in 2022 – the longest in Britain’s history – the nation and its place in the world was markedly different. Sir David Cannadine guides Danny Bird through the contours of the Second Elizabethan Age.
encoded: When the late Queen acceded to the throne in 1952, Britain, though left bankrupt and reeling from the Second World War, was still a major global power. By the end of Elizabeth II's reign in 2022 – the longest in Britain’s history – the nation and its place in the world was markedly different. Sir David Cannadine guides Danny Bird through the contours of the Second Elizabethan Age – from 'de-Victorianisation' to deindustrialisation – and the ways in which the monarchy responded to such dizzying change.

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A history of the world in 7 faces: from Tutankhamun to the Virgin Mary
type: item
date: 2026-04-27T16:00:55.000Z
subject: General History
subject: Membership
subject: Period
subject: Burial
subject: Death
subject: Historical people
subject: Slavery
description: From a Stone Age Venus and an Egyptian death mask to an unflinchingly challenging 21st-century sculpture, Fay Bound-Alberti introduces seven depictions of the face that track humanity’s ever-evolving relationship with creativity, hierarchy and self-image
encoded: 1. The art of darkness This enigmatic head is a 25,000-year-old testament to the innate urge to capture the essence of a person in art In 1894, an archaeologist called Édouard Piette walked into a cave in the village of Brassempouy in south-west France and came face-to-face with humanity’s distant past. Lying in the darkness was a fragment of mammoth-ivory carved to depict a head. That head was tiny – so small that it could nestle in the palm of Piette’s hand – and yet it had survived for 25,000 years, carved by an artist deep in the Palaeolithic period. Piette couldn’t have been aware of it at the time, but he had just discovered one of the earliest known representations of a human face in art. That representation is both awe-inspiring – and deeply enigmatic. It would soon be known as ‘The Venus of Brassempouy’ – there were other Venuses in the same cave, with those rounded hips and breasts associated with fertility symbols – and yet we can’t even be sure if it depicts a woman. Despite these uncertainties, the fact that this rare and portable object exists at all tells us that it was important for the artist to capture something of the essence of a person – and with a level of detail that is unusual for a Venus figurine. That depth of detail is most evident in the intricate, chequerboard-patterned hair – possibly a wig or hood – from which the object derives its nickname, ‘La Dame à La Capuche’ (Lady with the Hood). The face, by comparison, is a blank canvas. It has a prominent forehead, nose and brow, but it lacks a mouth. Was this artistic decision influenced by convention? Religion? Personal style? Time? We do not know. What we do know is that the Venus of Brassempouy stands as a symbol of how representations of the face have evolved over 25,000 years. Today, we take it for granted that our face represents us – a phenomenon I have termed ‘facehood’. It is marked on our passports and unlocks our mobiles; it is captured in photographs countless times over our life…

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Long to reign over us: how did Queen Elizabeth II survive seven decades of dizzying change?
type: item
date: 2026-04-21T14:30:26.000Z
subject: 21st Century
subject: Membership
subject: Period
subject: British queens
subject: Historical events
subject: Royal children
subject: Royal weddings
subject: The British Empire
subject: The royal family
description: When Elizabeth II ascended the throne in 1952, she could barely have conceived the currents – imperial retreat, multiculturalism, de-industrialiation – that would transform the nation during her reign. On the centenary of the Queen’s birth, David Cannadine explores how she navigated seven decades of dizzying change
encoded: When I was born in September 1950, King George VI had just over a year to live. I have no memory of him or his reign, and my first royal recollection was of the coronation of the second Queen Elizabeth – or, more precisely, of images of her state coach and horses, which I cut out of a souvenir magazine. My parents did not own a television set, and did not know anyone who did, so it was only in 2012, the year of Elizabeth’s diamond jubilee, that I watched the remastered version of the original coronation broadcast from Westminster Abbey. Richard Dimbleby’s reverential commentary, suffused with ardour and optimism, did indeed belong to that earlier time. When the Queen celebrated her platinum jubilee in 2022, few people in the United Kingdom or the Commonwealth could remember when she had not been on the throne. Like Queen Victoria, Elizabeth II had become part of what Victoria’s biographer Lytton Strachey called the “indissoluble” scheme of things, which made it impossible for many people to imagine the world without her. Apart from just over a year at the beginning, and (thus far) four years at the end, my own life has coincided exactly with the 70 years of her reign. I was no part of her life, and never met her, but she was certainly a part of mine, as she was of millions of people in the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth and far beyond. Joining Shakespeare I never imagined it would one day fall to me to tell Queen Elizabeth’s life story, but in 2014 I was appointed editor of the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, and it seemed likely that the Queen would die on my watch. The convention established for the ODNB’s predecessor, the original Dictionary of National Biography, was that when the monarch died, the editor would contribute the entry on him or her, and it duly fell to me to write the life of Elizabeth II. I did so in two forms: as a short book of 50,000 words, published late in 2025 by Oxford University Press; and as her entry in the ODNB, available onl…

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How did the world change during Queen Elizabeth II's reign?
type: item
date: 2026-04-21T10:20:12.000Z
creator: Anna Whitelock
subject: 20th Century
subject: 21st Century
subject: Period
description: Throughout her reign, Queen Elizabeth II remained a constant presence in an era of vast social, technological and geopolitical transformation. Anna Whitelock charts an era in which Britain, but not its queen, changed beyond recognition
encoded: Never before has Britain changed so dramatically during the reign of one monarch. The second Elizabethan age was defined by unprecedented transformations in every facet of life, the effects of which rivalled those of the industrial revolution more than two centuries earlier. Queen Elizabeth II witnessed significant changes in society, technology, transport and geopolitics, which created what most people would recognise today as the modern British state. The very fact that the monarchy has survived and, indeed, thrived against this backdrop owes much to the late Queen and her constant, unchanging presence over 70 years. Before the Queen’s coronation on 2 June 1953, few people owned a television. The decision to broadcast the ceremony live prompted many to buy their first set, and well over 20 million people in the UK watched Queen Elizabeth II being crowned at Westminster Abbey in London. The BBC, then the only national broadcaster, transmitted on just one (black-and-white) television channel and three radio stations. It approached the coronation filming with reverence and deference. The director general’s views were clear: “There ought to be an absolutely rigid policy that so far as the BBC is concerned [the royal family] can be guaranteed complete privacy.” Royal Women with Kate Williams Join Professor Kate Williams for a six-part HistoryExtra series uncovering the little-known stories behind some of history’s most famous queens. From Cleopatra to Elizabeth II, we’ll explore how royal women navigated power, politics, and expectation and how their legacies were shaped long after their deaths. Watch now Over the following 69 years, the media changed beyond recognition. Countless terrestrial television channels are now available, plus many more via streaming subscriptions. At the same time, the media industry has become global, with rolling 24-hour news channels, newspapers viewed online, and social media posts visible almost anywhere on the globe. Much of this was ma…

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Elizabeth II: life of the week
type: item
date: 2026-04-21T09:52:33.000Z
creator: Charlotte Vosper
subject: 20th Century
subject: Membership
subject: Period
subject: Life of the week (podcast series)
description: Kate Williams looks back on Elizabeth II's personal and public life to reveal the woman behind the crown
encoded: This April marks the centenary of the birth of Elizabeth II. In this special episode of our Life of the Week series, historian Kate Williams guides Charlotte Vosper through the late Queen’s life, picking a key moment from each decade that illuminates the monarch's personality, public role, and private life. How did she feel when she unexpectedly became heir apparent to the throne? What did she really think about the media furore that surrounded her and her family? And how should we look back on her reign, almost four years on? Join Professor Kate Williams for a six-part HistoryExtra series uncovering the little-known stories behind some of history’s most famous queens.

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3 royal women who changed the world
type: item
date: 2026-04-21T07:06:09.000Z
creator: Professor Kate Williams
subject: General History
subject: Membership
subject: Period
subject: HistoryExtra Academy
description: How did three very different royal women set a new course for women in power? In the final episode of her HistoryExtra Academy series on royal women, Kate Williams shares the stories of Boudica of the Iceni, Queen Liliʻuokalani of Hawaii and Princess Grace of Monaco
encoded: In the final episode of her Academy series on royal women, Kate Williams explores the theme of woman ruling at the edge of collapse, and the moments in history where power was fragile, contested and often slipping away. This episode takes a closer look at Boudica, whose story is often told as one of fiery resistance – her tale, says Williams, serves as reminder that even defeated queens can reshape the future. You'll hear about Queen Lili'uokalani, both the first and last queen of Hawaii, whose power and legacy has endured even though her throne was taken. Finally, there's Grace Kelly, who represents a different kind of royal power – one shaped not by rebellion, but by a Hollywood image. View Green Video on the source website Discover all videos in this Academy series on royal women, and explore our previous series on royal residences Professor Kate Williams is a historian, presenter the author of several books including Regina: A New History of Women and Power (June 2026)

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Queen Victoria: a symbol of empire
type: item
date: 2026-04-21T07:05:29.000Z
creator: Professor Kate Williams
subject: Membership
subject: Period
subject: Victorian
subject: HistoryExtra Academy
description: Coming to the throne as a young and inexperienced royal, Queen Victoria faced a society that was both sceptical of women’s power and rigid in its expectations of gender roles. So how did she come to be a figurehead of imperial progress? In the fifth episode of this of her HistoryExtra Academy series, Professor Kate Williams explains more
encoded: Queen Victoria’s life spanned an era of extraordinary change. During a period of industrial growth, political reform and imperial expansion, she became a symbol of Britain’s 19th-century might. But at the time of her accession, she was an unlikely figurehead. In episode five of her HistoryExtra Academy series on royal women, Professor Kate Williams reveals a deeply personal figure whose relationships, grief and convictions shaped the monarchy in new ways. View Green Video on the source website Want more from Kate? Find more episodes of the academy series on royal women, and explore our previous series on royal residences Professor Kate Williams is a historian, presenter the author of several books including Regina :A New History of Women and Power (June 2026)

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Mary I: England’s most misunderstood queen?
type: item
date: 2026-04-21T07:04:38.000Z
creator: Professor Kate Williams
subject: Membership
subject: Period
subject: Tudor
subject: HistoryExtra Academy
description: In the fourth episode of her HistoryExtra Academy series on royal women, Kate Williams explores the life and reign of Mary I, England’s first crowned queen regnant, whose rule has long been overshadowed by her reputation for religious persecution
encoded: Born into the tumultuous politics of the Tudor court, Mary I saw her mother abandoned by King Henry VIII, her brother enact religious persecution with fresh zeal and, when she was crowned, faced the pressures of a divided nation. So does she deserve her reputation as ‘Bloody Mary’? Or has history judged her too harshly? In episode four of her HistoryExtra Academy series, Professor Kate Williams weighs up the actions of the woman crowned first queen regnant of England. View Green Video on the source website Enjoyed this episode? Find more in episode five of the academy series on royal women, and explore our previous series on royal residences Professor Kate Williams is a historian, presenter the author of several books including Regina :A New History of Women and Power (June 2026)

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Marie Antoinette: the French queen who became the target of a revolution
type: item
date: 2026-04-21T07:03:29.000Z
creator: Professor Kate Williams
subject: Georgian
subject: Membership
subject: Period
subject: HistoryExtra Academy
description: Few historical figures have been as vilified – or as misunderstood – as Marie Antoinette. In episode three of her HistoryExtra Academy series on royal women, historian Kate Williams explains how the cards were stacked against this young queen
encoded: From the glittering world of Versailles to the growing unrest of revolutionary France, Marie Antoinette’s life was shaped by politics, public perception and relentless scrutiny. In episode three of her HistoryExtra Academy series, Professor Kate Williams explores the life of young woman thrust into power, who had to navigate a hostile court and a changing world – all in the face of growing unrest. View Green Video on the source website Enjoyed this episode? Find more in episode four. Discover more episodes episodes of the academy series on royal women, and explore our previous series on royal residences Professor Kate Williams is a historian, presenter the author of several books including Regina :A New History of Women and Power (June 2026)

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