England

Statue of Lady Godiva

Q&A Did Lady Godiva ride naked in Coventry?

The Peterloo Massacre of 16 August 1819 was the bloodiest political event of the 19th century on English soil. Troops under the authority of the Lancashire and Cheshire magistrates attacked and dispersed a rally of some 50,000 reformers on St Peter’s Field, Manchester. (Photo by Rischgitz/Getty Images)

Peterloo: the English uprising

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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&A When 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&A When 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&A Could a woman become a knight in medieval times?

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Criminal register photographs at Wormwood Scrubs prison, around 1890. (Photo by SSPL/Getty Images)

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

19th-century mugshots

The real Peaky Blinders

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Aerial view of Dover Castle

Explore Explore Dover Castle: Britain’s first line of defence . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Cavalry charge into a crowd of protesters at St Peter's Field, Manchester, as depicted in an 1819 engraving. What followed was the worst violence ever to occur at a political meeting in Britain. (Picture by Alamy)

The Peterloo Massacre: what did it achieve? . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A portrait of Sir Walter Ralegh

Q&A Did Sir Walter Ralegh really lay down his cloak for Elizabeth I?

1935: Two men making a fireworks set piece with the slogan 'God Save The King' for despatch abroad, for the Silver Jubilee celebrations of King George V. (Photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images)

Q&A ‘God Save The Queen’: how old is the British national anthem?

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Winchester Cathedral

From King Alfred to Jane Austen: a historical tour of Winchester . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Prime ministers Robert Walpole and Boris Johnson

From Walpole to Boris: a brief history of Eton College and the 20 prime ministers it has produced