Painting of Louis VIII and Blanche of Castille

Kings and queens

Mordred duels King Arthur with swords as they stand over the bodies of fallen men

Who killed King Arthur?

The head and upper body of a monumental statue of Egyptian pharaoh Ramesses II, which has been exhibited at the British Museum, London, since the 19th century (Photo by World History Archive/Alamy Stock Photo)

Was Ramesses II the greatest pharaoh of ancient Egypt?

A 1930s depiction of a Norman hunt. The invasion of William the Conqueror in 1066 marked the beginning of England’s Royal Forest (Photo by Print Collector/Getty Images)

The Charter of the Forest: your guide to the 13th-century law

5 things you should know about Æthelflæd, Lady of the Mercians

An illustration of James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth, fleeing from battle after attempting to unseat his Catholic uncle, King James II and VII, from the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland (Photo by De Luan/Alamy Stock Photo)

The Monmouth Rebellion of 1685: your guide to the a duke's failed bid to overthrow his uncle, James II and VI

Henry III of England.

David Carpenter on Henry III“He was not a great king but he was respected as a most Christian one”

The fall and rise of Henry III

Elizabeth is borne from Westminster Abbey in a gold coach first used for the state opening of parliament by George III in 1762. (Getty Images)

Becoming Queen: Elizabeth II’s coronation

Composite image of depictions of Queen Cleopatra

The face of Cleopatra: what did she look like, and was she really so beautiful?

Prince Charles, aged 4, driving a toy car in the grounds of Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland

King Charles IIIA life in pictures

Download your Kings and Queens of Britain poster

General History

Download your free Kings and Queen of Britain poster

Michael Wood on the coronation of Charles III"The symbolism of the royal promise still means something today"

What makes a good coronation? Tracy Borman answers

General History

What makes a good coronation?

Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

The real story of Bridgerton’s Queen Charlotte: from glittering courts to tragic decline

A view of Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation ceremony from the rafters of Westminster Abbey, 2 June 1953 (Photo by Central Press/Getty Images)

Staging a coronation: 5 dos (and 5 don'ts) for crowning a new monarch

Low angle view of the Westminster Abbey

Why are British monarchs traditionally crowned in Westminster Abbey?

Charles III, whose coronation on 6 May “will be significant for the kind of king that emerges”, says Alice Hunt (Photo by Hannah McKay / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

CoronationsThe soft power of royal pomp and pageantry

Queen Victoria receives the sacrament as part of her five-hour coronation service, in a 19th-century painting by Charles Robert Leslie (Photo by The History Collection / Alamy Stock Photo)

Extravagance, crowds and blunders: the coronation of Queen Victoria

Queen Elizabeth II processes down the nave of Westminster Abbey during her coronation on 2 June 1953 (Photo by Chronicle / Alamy Stock Photo)

CoronationA-Z of royal coronations in Britain

Peterborough Cathedral

Peterborough Cathedral: Catherine of Aragon’s final resting place

Snape Castle

Snape Castle: Katherine Parr’s prison

Pontefract Castle

Pontefract Castle: the beginning of Catherine Howard’s downfall

Deal Castle: Anne of Cleves’ first taste of England

Hampton Court Palace

Hampton Court Palace: Jane Seymour’s final home

The Tower of London

The Tower of London: Anne Boleyn’s place of triumph and terror

Coronation portrait of Charles II after his crowning at Westminster Abbey on 23 April 1661 (Image by Pictorial Press Ltd / Alamy Stock Photo)

Your ultimate guide to the Restoration period

An illustration of Charles II entering London on 29 May 1660 after the restoration of the monarchy (Photo by Ann Ronan Pictures/Print Collector/Getty Images)

The Restoration periodA timeline of key moments

Stained glass in Exeter Cathedral depicting King Æthelstan. (Dreamstime)

The astonishing Æthelstan

A memorial tomb to King Æthelstan, in Malmesbury Abbey, Wiltshire. (Photo by Geography Photos/UIG via Getty Images)

If King Alfred was great, was Æthelstan even greater?

A copy of the Declaration of Arbroath is held by the National Records of Scotland in Edinburgh – the actual letter sent to Pope John XXII is lost (Photo by M.Brodie / Alamy Stock Photo)

The Declaration of Arbroath: your guide to Scotland's historic document