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Thomas Cromwell, a prominent figure in the upcoming BBC dramatisation of 'Wolf Hall' and 'Bring Up The Bodies'. (Photo by Universal History Archive/Getty Images)

The Cromwell enigma: Hilary Mantel and Diarmaid MacCulloch on Wolf Hall’s complex hero

View of a sham fight on the Serpentine, Hyde Park, London, 1814

The year when fear of Napoleon stalked the land

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Top 10 history quizzes of 2014

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Christmas dinner, 1917 (© imageBROKER / Alamy)

Wartime Christmas: 5 First World War recipes . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Victorian Christmas: 3 recipes to try at home . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Sexy shoes: 5 things our footwear has said about us through history

Portrait of Mary I of England, from the collection of the Museo del Prado, Madrid. (Photo by Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images)

Mary I: a highly impressive queen cut off in her prime

Cover of the Voyages Extraordinaires series by the French science fiction writer Jules Verne.

The phantom menace: 10 milestones in science fiction

The Duke of Wellington and the Earl of Winchilsea in a duel at Battersea Fields. (Culture Club/Getty Images)

Pistols at dawn: duelling in the Victorian age

A portrait of King Edward VI of England

Who was the real Edward VI?

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Winged warriors: pigeons in the First World War

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TV & radio: what to tune in to next week (12–18 December)

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A reconstructed round house at Flag Fen, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire. (Alamy)

History Explorer: Life in the Bronze Age . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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In pictures: the history of Marvel comic books

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Sam’s historical recipe corner: Wassail punch . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.