Historical people

A 16th-century portrait of Bess of Hardwick. Bess's talent, ambition and eye for a well-connected husband elevated her to dizzying levels of wealth and power in Tudor England. (Photo by Bridgeman Art Library)

Bess of Hardwick: schemer, social climber, scourge of Elizabeth I

A portrait of Flora MacDonald, who found fame as a Jacobite heroine sailing Bonnie Prince Charlie to safety

Who was Flora MacDonald?

Aethelflaed, Lady of the Mercians, illustrated sitting on a throne

Aethelflaed, Lady of the Mercians: the warrior queen who crushed the Vikings

A photograph of Al Capone, in a suit, looking into the camera

Your guide to the Prohibition-era gangster Al Capone

A portrait of Caroline of Ansbach

Caroline of Ansbach: why George II’s remarkable queen was the first iron lady of British politics

Mrs Caroline Backhouse Astor

Mrs Astor and the Four Hundred

Portrait of Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany

Q&A Who was the Grand Old Duke of York?

Cillian Murphy as Tommy Shelby in season six of 'Peaky Blinders'

Peaky Blinders: The story so far, plus the real figures to expect in season 6

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Children's author Beatrix Potter as a young woman, c1892

Why the real Beatrix Potter was more than her children’s tales . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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A portrait of King Charles I

Jane Whorwood: the royalists’ secret weapon . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Pod Edward Shawcross WL

Mexico’s ill-fated Austrian emperor . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A replica of St Edward’s Crown, used in the coronation of British rulers since 1661

General History

Who is Britain’s greatest monarch?

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Portrait of Maria Sibylla Merian, by Jacob Marrel, 1679 (Photo by Fine Art Images/Heritage Images via Getty Images)

Maria Sibylla Merian: the artist who challenged the natural world . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Sweyn Forkbeard, king of Denmark and the first Viking king of England (Photo by Getty)

How Sweyn Forkbeard became the first Viking king of England . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Ras Prince Monolulu entertains the crowds at Aintree racecourse, 1931 (Photo by KEYSTONE-FRANCE/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)

Ras Prince Monolulu: the horse-race tipster who transformed himself into an Abyssinian prince . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.