Historical people

Ragnar Lothbrok. (Illustration by Georgie Gozem for BBC History Magazine)

Ragnar Lothbrok: the legend of the immortal Viking and his sons

Einstein on the run

Einstein on the run: when the brilliant scientist fled to England

A portrait of Isabella I of Castile. (Photo by PHAS/UIG via Getty Images)

Isabella I of Castile: Europe’s greatest queen?

British writer Roald Dahl

Second World War

Roald Dahl 11 things you might not know about the children's author

Charles I's great weakness was that he made a strict distinction between his role as king, in which he could not compromise, and his personal role, which was entirely pleasant and courteous, says Sean Lang. (Photo by Imagno/Getty Images)

8 of the nicest kings in history

The murder of Thomas Becket

Q&A: What happened to the assassins who killed Thomas Becket?

Ramesses II holding prisoners

Was Ramesses II really that great?

A real Peaky Blinder mug-shot

In pictures: what did the real Peaky Blinders look like?

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Castaways: 5 remarkable shipwreck stories from history

Emperor Nero and the fire in Rome

Q&A Did Emperor Nero really play the fiddle while Rome burned?

A 16th-century map showing Magellan's ship

A voyage from hell: how Magellan’s circumnavigation of the world changed history

Ruth Ellis and her friend Desmond Cussen, who supplied the gun with which she shot David Blakely. (Photo by Trinity Mirror/Mirrorpix/Alamy Stock Photo)

Ruth Ellis and the hanging that rocked a nation

The nearly 2,000-mile First Transcontinental Railroad, seen shortly before completion in 1869. (Photo by Fotosearch/Getty Images)

How wild was the Wild West?

King Ludwig II of Bavaria. (Photo by Roger Viollet/Getty Images)

9 eccentric monarchs through history

Lucrezia Borgia with her father Pope Alexander VI

Lucrezia Borgia: is her bad reputation deserved?