Painting of Louis VIII and Blanche of Castille

Kings and queens

King Edward II

In profile: King Edward II

King John hunting on horseback

Was King John really that bad? Yes!

Illustration of King John ripping up Magna Carta

What if...Magna Carta hadn’t been written?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Photo of Queen Elizabeth II and members of the Privy Council

Your guide to...the Privy Council

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

Henry III during the Second Barons' War

Simon de Montfort and the barons’ crusade: why rebel lords waged holy war against Henry III

Engraving of the death of Cleopatra

When and how did Queen Cleopatra die and who killed her?

Painting of Alfred the Great

Alfred the Great and Edington: how the King of Wessex became great

Members of the royal family: Prince Louis; Prince George; Prince William, Duke of Cambridge; Princess Charlotte; Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge; Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall; Prince Charles, Prince of Wales; Princess Anne, Princess Royal; and Queen Elizabeth II during the Queen's annual birthday parade on 8 June 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

From The Crown to Queen Elizabeth’s corgis: 24 history questions about the royal family for your home pub quiz

Linda Porter

Linda Porter“You’ve got to be impressed by how these women played the system”. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Queen Victoria on an ivory throne

Top 11 monarchs in British history

The opening of the Great Exhibition by Queen Victoria on 1 May 1851. (The Print Collector/Getty Images)

"A wonder of the world": Queen Victoria opens the Great Exhibition at the famous Crystal Palace

Sunset at the Chephren Pyramid, Giza, Egypt

Searching for the pharaohs: where are the tombs of Ancient Egypt's missing kings and queens?

An early 14th-century portrait of 10th-century leader Edward the Elder

Who was Edward the Elder? A brief guide to the Anglo-Saxon king

A portrait of Isabella of Castile

Isabella of Castile: a brief guide to the medieval queen

Stained glass image of King Cnut

Your guide to King Cnut: the fierce Danish warrior who ruled England

Princess Elizabeth 1939

The young Elizabeth II: life before she was Queen

Cousins at war: King Stephen is shown holding a falcon in a miniature from 1253. His battle with his cousin Matilda for the English crown plunged the realm into a long civil war. (Photo by Alamy)

The Anarchy: how bloody was Stephen and Matilda’s medieval battle for the English crown?

The mistresses of Charles II. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

c1895: Queen Victoria with her family. Standing left to right: Princess Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein; Prince Henry of Battenberg; Count Arthur Mensdorff-Pouilly; Beatrice, Princess Henry of Battenberg; George, Duke of York. Seated left to right: Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg; Queen Victoria; Victoria Mary, Duchess of York holding Prince Edward of York; Prince Arthur of Connaught; and Prince Alexander of Battenberg. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Who were Queen Victoria's children? Everything you need to know about her sons and daughters

A depiction of the Norman army, from the Bayeux Tapestry

Everything you wanted to know about the 1066 Norman invasion and the battle of Hastings – but were afraid to ask

Engraving of emperor Commodus's death

Cheese, angry gods and shoddy surgeons: the unlikely deaths of Roman emperors

King Richard I, aka Richard the Lionheart. (Photo by Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images)

Richard the Lionheart may not have spoken English – plus 7 more surprising facts

Why were the Tudors called the Tudors? The answer lies with Catherine of Valois (pictured), widow of Henry V. (Photo by Print Collector/Print Collector/Getty)

Q&AWhy were they called the Tudors?

Illustration of Elizabeth I in a cage

What if...The Spanish Armada had landed?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Our composite image shows Henry II framed by an Arabic arch. Henry claimed he "would sooner accept the errors of Nur-al-Din" than suffer Thomas Becket remaining as archbishop. (Image by Bridgeman/Getty Images)

King Henry II: the Muslim monarch of medieval England?

Tomb of Richard the Lionheart

Q&AHow did Richard the Lionheart die? And where is he buried?

Britons watch Queen Elizabeth II’s Christmas message in 1958. (© Topfoto)

A brief history of the Christmas Speech

The Tudors, everything you wanted to know. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Illustration of Boudica, victorious over the Romans

What if…Boudica had defeated the Romans?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.