Early comic panel illustration

England

The murder of Thomas Becket

Q&A: What happened to the assassins who killed Thomas Becket?

A portrait of George V's wife, Queen Mary, who was born Princess Mary of Teck.

Was Queen Mary, wife of George V, a kleptomaniac?

A portrait of prime minister Lord Frederick North. His government was the first to be brought down by a vote of no confidence, in 1782. (Photo by Culture Club/Getty Images)

Vote of no confidence: a brief history

A painting by Italian painter Defendente Ferrari (c1480-1540) showing a Saint performing a miracle.

Medieval saints and sinners: tales of saintly miracles in the Middle Ages

The cast of Downton Abbey in front of Highclere Castle

Downstairs in Downton: a guide to the life of an Edwardian servant

A student party, c1824: Oxford undergraduates drinking together. drinking escapade.

The Georgian guide to university life

Max Hastings by Fran Monks

Max Hastings on the Dambusters. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Highclere Castle

The secrets of Downton Abbey’s Highclere Castle

The historical differences between Scottish and English Law, and what it means for Brexit

A dinner scene from Downton Abbey, with large candlesticks on the table

Could you survive an Edwardian dinner party?

The daughter and great-niece of Henry VIII respectively, Elizabeth and Mary, Queen of Scots didn't feel strong family ties when it came to their relationship. (Photo by Getty Images)

Queens at war: Elizabeth I vs Mary, Queen of Scots

Henri III: Elizabeth I’s unlikely ally

ExploreA masterpiece of Gothic grandeur: the Church of St Mary, Warwick. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A 16th-century portrait of Mary, Queen of Scots. (Photo by The Print Collector/Print Collector/Getty Images)

Mary, Queen of Scots: the real history behind the film

Robin Hood statue outside Nottingham Castle (Photo by Getty)

The many faces of Robin Hood

An illustration showing interior of the House of Commons

9 things you didn’t know about the history of parliament

A real Peaky Blinder mug-shot

In pictures: what did the real Peaky Blinders look like?

Prince Charles, Lady Diana Spencer and Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace

The fall and rise of the Windsors

Portrait of Prince Albert

8 fascinating facts about Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert

The real Peaky Blinders. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The corner shop revolution. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

An 18th-century public execution and crowd

Q&AWhen did people stop attending public executions in Britain?

Statue of Lady Godiva

Q&ADid Lady Godiva ride naked in Coventry?

Peterloo: the English uprising

Peterloo Massacre, Manchester, England, 16 August 1819. (Photo by Ann Ronan Picture Library / Heritage Images)

Peterloo: the story of a massacre. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

William of Orange at the battle of the Boyne

Q&AWhen was England last successfully invaded by a foreign power?

A beach scene at an Easter Bank Holiday at Southend, c1927. In 1871, the Bank Holiday Act established the first paid days off for commonworkers in England, while some senior managers could be granted extra leave. (Photo by Topical Press Agency/Getty Images)

Q&AWhen were Brits first given leave from work to go on holiday?

In 1358, women finally gained full knightly acceptance in England when they began to be admitted to chivalric orders. (Photo by Eugene Antonov/iStock/Getty Images Plus)

Q&ACould a woman become a knight in medieval times?

Prisoner dilemmas. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

18 August 1819: British soldiers charging the crowd at St Peter's Fields, Manchester, during a meeting called in support of political reform. (Photo by Spencer Arnold Collection/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

A “more shocking” massacre? How we might have overestimated the Peterloo crowds