People watching the Royal Wedding

United Kingdom

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

Schoolchildren in Liverpool have their Christmas party in an air raid shelter built into a railway arch

What was Christmas like in Britain during WW2?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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?

Still Life of Game Birds, oil on canvas. Birds such as goose, swan and peacock were often on the late medieval festive menu

The roasts of Christmas past: 5 festive dinners from British history. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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

British author Sathnam Sanghera

Sathnam SangheraBritain's Imperial Legacy: “It was painful to realise how my education had colonised me”. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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

A 14th-century illustration of a farmer leading a pack animal through the ice and snow

The surprisingly modern Middle Ages. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Shoppers in Liverpool during the 1960s

Q&AWhy is the shopping day after Thanksgiving called ‘Black Friday’?

Pragmatist or heartless? A portrait of the young Elizabeth Woodville (1437-1492). The Print Collector/Print Collector/Getty Images)

The power behind the throne: women in the Wars of the Roses. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Woman waving a union jack flag emblazoned with a swastika

In pictures: Interwar fascism. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A carving of the Viking gods Odin, Thor and Freyr with a sacrifice above them. It was found on the Swedish island of Gotland (Photo by: PHAS/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Gods, myths and rituals: what we know about Viking religious beliefs

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?

Viking sailors make the long voyage across the Atlantic between Europe and America, in order to bring back timber, circa 1350. The Vikings are thought to have discovered America in around 1000 AD, but never attempted full colonization of the new land, due to the hostile natives. Painting by NC Wyeth. (Image by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

"Vikings didn't wear horned helmets," plus 7 more Viking myths busted

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.

Black and white drawing showing King George V using a broom to sweep away several crowns adorned with the words 'Made in Germany'.

Fake history: 3 historical untruths that shaped the world

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.