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BBC History UK Magazine - January 2026

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In this issue

The Vikings’ most daring raid As they headed to the Mediterranean, Norse raiders employed their most brutal tactics, says Thomas Williams

Defying the Inquisition
Doña Gracia was a courageous leader of Europe’s Jewish diaspora in the 16th century. Andrée Aelion Brooks tells her remarkable story

How the SAS rose from the dead
Gavin Mortimer chronicles the demise and rebirth of the elite regiment in the wake of the Second World War

tour of Europe in 1066
Charles West looks beyond the battle of Hastings to explore the crises rocking the continent during a dramatic year

Medieval vampire slayers
Gruesome tales of walking corpses terrified medieval people. John Blair investigates the fear of the living dead

Latvian anarchists bring terror to the East End

The siege of Sidney Street grips London and draws in Winston Churchill

2 mins

Simon de Montfort convenes an extraordinary parliament

Commoners and nobles meet in Westminster

1 mins

Six scandals that rocked the royals

At a time when the royal family is under significant strain, historians shine a spotlight on some of the biggest crises to have enveloped the British monarchy over the past three centuries.

8 mins

Scholars have applied models used in genetic research to Homer's Iliad

PROUST’S FAMOUS NOVEL IS CALLED IN SEARCH of Lost Time, and isn’t that the key to why we love history? It’s the urge to recover the lost past. Can we get beyond the mysterious veil to real events and people? Can we even feel how they felt? And as historians, we always hope to find new sources and new ways of seeing.

3 mins

Underfloor heating signalled Roman ingenuity and luxury

The hypocaust - the Roman air-based heating system – was a status symbol as well as a show of engineering prowess

2 mins

Martin Luther condemned the German Peasants' War

With his ideas of equality, the radical theologian inspired ordinary people to rise up against rulers and clerics - then denounced them

2 mins

For Frederick Douglass, escape didn't bring freedom from fear

Having fled enslavement in the American South, the man who became an abolitionist figurehead continued to dread capture

2 mins

Vikings evolved very differently in eastern Europe and Iceland

Scandinavians exploring Baltic and Slavic regions developed a strategy and culture distinct from those who settled in the north Atlantic

3 mins

Every one of us has an archive of our life, which is part of a bigger history

HAVING SPENT SO MUCH TIME IN NEWSROOMS and edit suites making television and radio documentaries, I have come to archives late on in my life. These are the precious places that hold records, whether that's a digital file, an audio recording, or perhaps a paper diary, all of which can take you instantly back in time and place. I can lose myself for hours in some hypnotic trance as I stumble across a sentiment, a betrayal, a confession. All the while, I'm piecing together from these different voices a part of history. There are the official records and the private. And in both it can feel as if you are trespassing, as you turn a page that was perhaps once held by its author.

2 mins

Menace in the Mediterranean

Killing, burning, pillaging, enslaving. Even when heading to sunnier climes, Viking raiders deployed the same tactics that they had used along the shores of northern and western Europe

10+ mins

Doña Gracia A leader of Europe's Jewish diaspora

With the Inquisition active throughout much of Europe, the first half of the 16th century was a perilous time for Jewish people. ANDRÉE AELION BROOKS explores how the fabulously wealthy Doña Gracia worked tirelessly to protect her community

5 mins

Who is the most overrated person in history?

In the first of a new monthly series, we asked an expert team of historians to tackle one of the big questions about the past

9 mins

Guardians of heritage

The Islamic Civilization Center in Uzbekistan marks a proud new era of education and historical conservation for the country

3 mins

BACK FROM THE DEAD

Britain’s War Office thanked the SAS for its remarkable efforts in WW2 by abolishing it – yet soon realised the error of its ways. Gavin Mortimer tells the story of how the elite unit reinvented itself to confront the challenges of the postwar world

8 mins

CLONE WARS

Countries worldwide have established forces based on the British SAS template

1 mins

CONQUEST? WHAT CONQUEST?

1066 is synonymous with the battle of Hastings. Yet while Duke William was launching his conquest of England, the rest of Europe had its own crises to contend with. Charles West takes us on a tour of the continent during a dramatic year

10+ mins

Q&A - A selection of historical conundrums answered by experts

Were Roman gladiators vegetarian?

8 mins

Humble heroes

Statues celebrate monarchs, rulers and conquerors - but who remembers the brave folk who gave their lives to save others? Anna Maria Barry recounts stories of selfsacrificing but otherwise ordinary people from the 19th and 20th centuries who are commemorated in one London park.

9 mins

At the turn of the 12th century, two men from a Staffordshire village died suddenly.Their lifeless bodies were taken to the local graveyard and solemnly laid to rest...

...but a few days later, they were spotted walking around the village, with their coffins on their backs

8 mins

"Leaving Muslim contributions out of European history has allowed Islamophobic sentiment to flourish"

THARIK HUSSAIN speaks to Danny Bird about the long but often overlooked and distorted history of Muslims in Europe - and the enduring resistance to its reappraisal

9 mins

Independent empires

Viewing the British empire through an American lens provides an intriguing alternative perspective on the 'Land of the Free', says DAVID ARMITAGE

4 mins

Apart together

ALWYN TURNER is impressed by a comprehensive take on Britain's sometimes cordial but often troubled relationship with Europe

2 mins

Royal progress

Alice Loxton's new book begins with a compelling premise.

1 mins

Eastern premise

The success of any short history lies in the art of omission. When dealing with a country as historically rich and varied as Japan, the challenge lies in deciding what to summarise broadly, what to condense, and what to leave out. Achieving this balance requires both a sharp eye for the larger sweep of history and a keen ear for the telling detail. Christopher Harding possesses both, showing the breadth of knowledge to select wisely, and the sensitivity to deploy an evocative image or literary fragment to represent a widespread mood.

1 mins

Forged money

A holistic study of Britain's industrial growth, and rise to global dominance, is wide- ranging and welcome but leaves some questions unanswered

2 mins

Portrait of the artists

TRACY BORMAN is enraptured by a beautifully written and richly illustrated exploration of early modern English art

2 mins

Martha McGill on a pioneering study of folk beliefs in early modern England

I was recently chatting with a handful of early modernists about the history book we'd take to a desert island.

1 mins

7 UNMISSABLE TRIPS IN 2026

With new routes, big anniversaries and fresh ways of discovering familiar favourites, TOM HALL highlights historical destinations to explore this year

4 mins

SOPHIE SCHOLL

Novelist Simon Scarrow chooses

2 mins

Read all Stories from BBC History UK

BBC History UK Magazine Description:

Publisher: Immediate-Media

Category: Education

Language: English

Frequency: Monthly

BBC History Magazine is Britain’s bestselling history magazine devoted to history enthusiasts of all levels of knowledge and interest. Published 13 times a year, BBC History Magazine brings history to life with informative, lively and entertaining features written by the world’s leading historians and journalists. Whether it is the history of our politics and institutions, or the fascinating stories of our private lives through the ages, BBC History Magazine sheds new light on the past and helps make more sense of today’s world.Covering the latest new developments in history and archaeology from Britain and around the world, the latest, most thought provoking historical research and strong links with TV and radio programming maximizing use of BBC’s existing expertise in the genre.