England

Depiction of a musician and dancing fool in Paris, 14th century

What was life like for a court jester?

The Great Army attacks the East Anglian town of Thetford in this illuminated manuscript from 'The Life of Edmund'. Viking pikemen scale the ramparts on ladders

The secrets of the Viking Great Army

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A French manuscript from c1100 shows Viking warriors sailing to Brittany. The Viking Age touched all areas of life and can still be felt today

What if... The Vikings had never left their homelands? . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A sword/hammer type coin from the Danelaw

The Danelaw: is the ‘realm’ of the Vikings in Anglo-Saxon-era England a place or an idea?

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Pod Rob Gallagher WL

The man who made King Alfred great . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Progressive potter: Josiah Wedgwood (1730–95). As well as pioneering new types of pottery, he also imbued his work with political radicalism. (Photo by DeAgostini/Getty Images)

Josiah Wedgwood: the radical father of English pottery

Photograph of Mrs Beeton bracing herself against a chair while wearing a long, dark-coloured gown

The secret life of Mrs Beeton: 10 pieces of life advice from her famous Book of Household Management

Gaol fever illustration.

Q&A What is gaol fever and how was it caused and spread?

Illustration of Hereward the Wake, the rebel who rose against William the Conqueror

Hereward the Wake: the Anglo-Saxon rebel who became William the Conqueror’s nemesis

Charles and Diana on honeymoon in Balmoral

Diana: the rebel princess

AnneBoleyn-Diana

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

Guy Fawkes and the men behind the gunpowder plot. Guy Fawkes, best known of the conspirators, is third from the right. (Print Collector/Getty Images)

Why did the 1605 gunpowder plot fail? 9 big questions about the conspiracy to blow up parliament

Side-by-side portraits of Henry VIII's first two wives, Anne Boleyn and Catherine of Aragon.

Do we have to be ‘Team Catherine’ or ‘Team Anne’ when it comes to Henry VIII’s wives?

Alfred the Great (849–899). (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Who was King Alfred the Great?

Gulielma Lister became the world's leading expert on slime moulds (Illustration by Rachel Dickins)

Gulielma Lister: the female botanist who became the queen of slime moulds