Painting of Louis VIII and Blanche of Castille

Kings and queens

Ramesses I

TimelineThe age of the pharaohs

Tutankhamun’s golden funeral mask

Your guide to Tutankhamun, plus 8 fascinating facts

Harry Lloyd (Richard III) and Sally Hawkins (Philippa Langley) in The Lost King

The Lost KingThe difficult art of turning a true story into a movie

Robert Harris on the manhunt for Charles I’s killers.

Elisabeth von Wittelsbach, c1860, (left) and actor Devrim Lingnau as Elisabeth in Netflix drama The Empress.

Sisi: the tragic life of the lost and lonely Empress Elisabeth of Austria

The skeleton exhumed from beneath a Leicester car park in 2012. The remains contained features matching Tudor descriptions of Richard III, and injuries to the skull and body inflicted at the battle of Bosworth in 1485

Rediscovering Richard IIIThe story of how a lost king was found.

The Serpent Queen stars Samantha Morton as Catherine de' Medici

The Serpent QueenThe STARZ drama offers a caricature of the real Catherine de' Medici

(L to R) Elizabeth I, Charles II and Edward VII

How to be a successorDo’s and don’ts for heirs to the throne from history.

James VI of Scotland (later also James I of England and Ireland) and his young wife, Anna of Denmark

The honeymoon of James VI and Anna of Denmark.

Crowds line the streets to watch the funeral cortege of Queen Victoria in February 1901. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Tracy BormanA guide to royal funerals through history.

Royal funerals: everything you wanted to know.

Prince Charles in 1969

King Charles IIIThe life of the reigning king

Digital downloadThe Queen: A guide to her life and times from the makers of BBC History Magazine

Queen Victoria's son, King Edward VII, rides in Queen Victoria's funeral procession, February 1901. (Photo by Reinhold Thiele/Thiele/Getty Images)

Lessons from historyWhat happens when a monarch dies?.

Queen Elizabeth wearing a hat against a blue background

In picturesQueen Elizabeth II through the decades

Elizabeth II poses for a portrait in Buckingham Palace in December 1958

Queen Elizabeth II50+ facts about her life and reign

Ian Hislop and Alfred the Great

My history heroIan Hislop chooses Alfred the Great.

General History

Monarchy timelineFrom Hastings to the Windsors in 122 moments

Q&AWhich king thought he was made of glass

Sarah Smith and Eleanor of Aquitaine

My history heroSarah Smith chooses Eleanor of Aquitaine.

Episode 7The contested legacy of an icon.

A portrait of William IV

Your guide to William IV, the ‘sailor king’

Episode 6Secrets of the pharaoh's mummy.

Portraits of William III and Mary II, the only joint sovereigns in British history

Your guide to William and Mary, the only joint sovereigns in British history

Is Queen Henrietta Maria’s rotten reputation deserved?.

Historian Leanda de Lisle photographed at her home with her dog Millie

Leanda de Lisle“Henrietta Maria has been looked at far too much through the male gaze”.

Holbein's portrait of Edward VI

Edward VIWhy the forgotten Tudor king had the makings of a monster

Episode 5Treasures of the tomb.

Episode 4The mystery of Nefertiti.

A composite image of Elizabeth I, Mary I and Elizabeth of York

How Elizabeth of York paved the way for her granddaughters to rule