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Sex and love

A man helps his partner to dress by lacing her corset. (Photo by Frank Martin)
Georgian

Love in Georgian times

An Art Deco mechanical valentine (moving the cape causes the arms to move up and down) from the 1930s. (Photo by Alan Mays)
General Modern

In pictures: creepy historical Valentine’s Day cards

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Penrhyn Castle, Gwynedd, Wales. (Photo by Getty Images)
Medieval

5 British castles with romantic histories

A portrait of the English poet Geoffrey Chaucer (c1340-1400), who modern literary scholars credit for turning Valentine into the patron of love. Chaucer was a major influencer in his day – after him, everyone began calling their beloved “Valentine” and writing love poems on 14 February, says Lisa Bitel. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Roman

A brief history of Valentine’s Day – from the patron saint of epilepsy to Chaucer’s love tales

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General Modern

A brief history of Valentine’s Day cards

'The Young Victoria' follows the early relationship of Victoria and her beloved Prince Albert. The monarch was played by Emily Blunt in the 2009 film. (Images by Bettmann/Getty Images/Alamy)
Georgian

Leading ladies in love: 6 historical movies to watch this Valentine’s Day

A medieval couple being married by a clergyman. Central miniature, folio 102v. Book IV by Henricus von Assia (13th century). Chapter Archive of Tarazona, Spain. (Photo by PHAS/UIG via Getty Images)
Medieval

Love and marriage in medieval England

York Minster's south transept rose window features 16th-century Tudor Roses white on red (left) and Lancastrian Roses, red. The Tudor Rose became known as “the flower of England” and is today England's national flower. (Angelo Hornak/Alamy Stock Photo)
Ancient Egypt

A brief history of the English rose

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An illustration of motors and cycles in Kensington High Street, opposite Holland House, London, from the Illustrated London News, 1903. (Photo by The Print Collector/Print Collector/Getty Images)
General Modern

Lonely hearts and holiday flings: a brief history of dating

The former Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson, for whom Edward gave up the throne in 1936, sparking a crisis that rocked the British monarchy. The couple are pictured here in 1939. (Photo by Keystone-France\Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)
General Modern

The 7 most romantic moments in history

A 19th-century portrait of Queen Elizabeth I. (Photo by Print Collector/Getty Images)
Elizabethan

Elizabeth I’s love life: was she really a ‘Virgin Queen’?

"With this ring..." A young couple say their vows in c1860, watched by bridesmaids and a clergyman – but much about Victorian weddings wasn't quite so familiar. (Photo by London Stereoscopic Company/Getty Images)
Victorian

How to celebrate a Victorian wedding

A portrait of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert with five of their nine children, by Frederick Winterhalter. (Photo by © Historical Picture Archive/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)
Victorian

The Library Victoria and Albert: a marriage of misery?

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Olivia Colman as Queen Anne in the film The Favourite, directed by Yorgos Lanthimos. (Photo by Alamy)
Stuart

The true history of The Favourite