Period

Cat JarmanHistory of the Vikings from Scandinavia to the Silk Road. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Britain’s nuclear past: the fallout from the High Explosive Research programme

A portrait of William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare: a guide to the life of England's greatest playwright

Why are we fascinated by ‘evil women’?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

French cuirassiers charging a British infantry square at the battle of Waterloo, 1815 (1906). From Cassell's 'Illustrated History of England, Vol. V' (Cassell and Company Limited, London, Paris, New York, Melbourne). Artist P Jazet. (Photo by The Print Collector/Getty Images)

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

The battle of Waterloo: 10 key questions answered

Bloodied feet, outrageous breasts and the sinister power of a hair cut: a history of the body

Who was Britain’s Greatest Prime Minister? Episode 1: Robert Walpole. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Muslim-Crusader interactions: a clash of civilisations?

Peter O’Toole (top) plays Henry II alongside Richard Burton

"Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest?" The truth behind Henry II's notorious lament

Four knights hack Thomas Becket to death

Europe's greatest martyr: how Thomas Becket rose from the dead

Two garden gnomes on grass

A brief history of garden gnomes

Barbarossa: Hitler’s greatest gamble. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

5 facts about the history of football

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

What are the challenges of telling LGBTQ history?

Babies from a nursery are walked in a pram, c1953

A nation in numbers: 100 years of British life in 7 statistics

Roland Philipps tells the story of Mathilde Carré

Traitor or triple agent? The WW2 spy Mathilde Carré. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

17th century engraving showing the execution by hanging of four witches. (Photo by Fototeca Gilardi/Getty Images)

QuizWould you have been accused of witchcraft?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Leonardo da Vinci’s private life. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Leonardo: bringing Da Vinci to the screen. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, back to back

‘Two steps behind’: male royal consorts through history

Aidan Turner as Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo: the real history behind the new Renaissance drama

A broker looks at his screens at Frankfurt's stock exchange on 15 September 2008. (Photo by Thomas Lohnes/AFP/Getty Images)

The 2008 financial crisis explained

A 1782 cartoon by James Gillray that depicts Buller as ‘Judge Thumb’. (Photo by Library of Congress)

Q&AWhy do we say ‘rule of thumb’?

Drawing of an old and young man, possibly Salai, by Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo da Vinci’s private relationships: what's known?

The bigamy trial that scandalised Georgian England. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Young woman gets hair cut in to a bob

A brief history of changing hairstyles

Entrance to Doo Cave, one of the caves in the Wemyss Caves system. Wemyss Caves are home to the largest collection of Pictish-inscribed symbols in one place. (Photo by Getty Images)

General ancient history

Discover Fife: 6 fascinating historical places to explore

In partnership with Welcome to Fife

The battle of Towton during the War of the Roses, 1461. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

The Wars of the Roses: the 15th-century clash of kings that heralded the dawn of the Tudor dynasty