England

Our composite image shows Henry II framed by an Arabic arch. Henry claimed he

King Henry II: the Muslim monarch of medieval England?

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Illustration of Boudica, victorious over the Romans

What if… Boudica had defeated the Romans? . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Two scenes from the Chronique de St Denis, late 14th century. The left-hand scene depicts the marriage of Eleanor of Aquitaine and Louis VII of France in 1137. The scene on the right shows Louis departing by ship to go on the Second Crusade in 1147. (Photo by Ann Ronan Pictures/Print Collector/Getty Images)

Eleanor of Aquitaine: the medieval queen who took on Europe’s most powerful men

A portrait of the young Elizabeth I. (Photo by Art Collection 2/Alamy Stock Photo)

Elizabeth I’s personality: the unfathomable queen

The effects of the disease known as the Black Death

Black Death quarantine: how did we try to contain the most deadly disease in history?

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A visitor looks at the Bayeux tapestry in Bayeux, western France. (Photo by LOIC VENANCE/AFP via Getty Images)

The Normans: everything you wanted to know . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Illustration of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn on their wedding day

The royal weddings of Henry VIII: Alison Weir on what came before divorced, beheaded, died…

Henry VIII

Q&A What was the Sweating Sickness? And how did Henry VIII ‘self-isolate’?

Children play as air raid wardens during the Blitz in London

Q&A How did WW2 affect schools in London?

Henry V. (© Lebrecht Music and Arts Photo Library / Alamy)

10 things you (probably) didn’t know about Henry V and the battle of Agincourt

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Illustration of Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19). (Photo by Alamy)

Coronavirus: what might we learn from pandemics in the past? . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Illustration of Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19). (Photo by Alamy)

Coronavirus: a historical perspective . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

'The Poor Actress's Christmas Dinner', a painting by pre-Raphaelite artist Robert Braithwaite Martineau, says much about the way Victorians had begun to understand the problem of loneliness. (Photo by Bridgeman Art Library)

The invention of loneliness: why being ‘unhappy alone’ is a surprisingly modern idea

Elizabeth II and Prince Philip with their third son, Prince Edward, on the balcony at Buckingham Palace. (Photo by Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

A brief history of royal mothers and childbirth

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Stonemason Andrew Ziminski. (Photo by David Hampton)

Written in stone . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.