Early comic panel illustration

England

Vintners in an ale house, 1642. From a broadsheet titled ‘Health to All’, artist unknown. (Photo by Historica Graphica Collection/Heritage Images/Getty Images)

Did Oliver Cromwell ban Christmas? The Puritan assault on Christmas during the 1640s and 1650s

St Columba. This Irish patron saint's influence on the Christian church was, and still is, felt much further afield

Medieval miracle worker: how St Columba transformed Christianity in Britain. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

HistoryExtra Masterclass: Tudor Royal Women with Tracy Borman

Tudor Royal Women with Tracy BormanThe Private Life of Elizabeth I. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

HistoryExtra Masterclass: Tudor Royal Women with Tracy Borman

Tudor Royal Women with Tracy BormanRivals to the Throne. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

HistoryExtra Masterclass: Tudor Royal Women with Tracy Borman

Tudor Royal Women with Tracy BormanWomen at Court. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

HistoryExtra Masterclass: Tudor Royal Women with Tracy Borman

Tudor Royal Women with Tracy BormanQueens Regnant. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Black and white image of island prison, taken from the sky

The battle of Alcatraz, 1946: the most violent escape attempt in the prison’s history

What happened to Britain’s lost Roman legion?

A 13th-century fresco showing Isabella of Angouleme, Eleanor of Aquitaine and two squires

Eleanor of Aquitaine: the worst royal mother-in-law?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

England’s last witches. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Hadrian’s Wall: everything you wanted to know. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Froissart illustration of Hugh Despenser the Younger's execution by being hanged, drawn and quartered. Despenser is on a ladder, as a man beside him disembowels him and tosses his entrails into a fire

‘Godly butchery’: the horrifying history of hanging, drawing and quartering

A woman slops here chamberpot from a window onto pedestrians in the street below in this woodcut

Were medieval cities really filthy?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The Normans had a profound influence on Britain – so why do we not speak French?

A woman on a bike cycles in front of a castle

General History

A real castle for Christmas: 5 places to explore and stay this festive season

How Shakespeare inspired terrorists. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Shakespeare's house in Stratford-Upon-Avon

Q&AWhy was Stratford-upon-Avon a hotbed of Confederate activity?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

William Hogarth, seen in a self-portrait with his pug

William HogarthThe satirical artist inspired by the teachings of the Bible. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Winston Churchill delivering his famous 'iron curtain' speech at Westminster College

Second World War

8 of Churchill’s greatest speeches

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

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?

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

Josiah Wedgwood: the radical father of English pottery. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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

Q&AWhat 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. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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