Women's history

Chaucer reading his work to the court of Richard II

Katherine Swynford: the scandalous duchess and ancestress of royal dynasties

A portrait of Russian empress Catherine the Great

Hypocrite, reactionary, usurper, sex maniac: is Catherine the Great’s reputation justified?

From the courtesans of Edo Japan to the mollyhouses of Regency London, Kate Lister discusses the long and varied history of sex work. (Image by Getty Images)

Sex work: a brief history

Pragmatist or heartless? A portrait of the young Elizabeth Woodville (1437-1492). The Print Collector/Print Collector/Getty Images)

The power behind the throne: women in the Wars of the Roses

Engraved portrait of Mary, Queen of Scots. (Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images).

A brief guide to Mary, Queen of Scots

Colourful illustration of 12 historical figures's heads (Winston Churchill, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Thomas Cromwell, Richard III, Elizabeth I, William Shakespeare, Anne Boleyn, William Marshal, Jane Austen, Hatshepsut, Gandhi and Catherine the Great) shown in a grid pattern.

Historical figures: 100+ of the most famous people through history – in chronological order

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Salem witch trials Episode 9: conclusion

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Salem witch trials Episode 8: Willful, weak-minded women?

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Salem witch trials Episode 7: Quarrelsome neighbours & family tensions

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Salem witch trials Episode 6: Chaos in the courtroom

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Salem witch trials Episode 5: Satanic sabbaths and supernatural sins

A mother receives her newborn baby in a c1490 text written for Henry VII. Childbirth in the Middle Ages exposed both mother and child to great peril but, writes Elma Brenner, midwives had the expertise to intervene when complications arose. (Photo by Bridgeman)

The medieval childbirth guide: 6 tips for pregnant mothers in the Middle Ages

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8 historical reasons behind Anne Boleyn’s appearance in Princess Diana film Spencer

Dr Sara Read explores women’s experience of pregnancy and childbirth in early modern England. (Image by Getty Images)

Giving birth in the 17th century

A scene from the Salem witch trials, depicted in a 19th-century lithograph

When the devil stalked Salem: the story of the Salem witch trials