Education
BBC History Magazine
Looting history
DAVID OLUSOGA praises a stark exploration of the bloodsoaked British raid that plundered the treasures of Benin
3 min |
January 2022
BBC History Magazine
A KING OF FIRE AND LIGHT
French ruler Louis IX was a Catholic hero and a vicious anti-Semite, a patron of exquisite art and a fervent burner of books. Matthew Gabriele and David M Perry consider the tangled legacy of a man who embodies both the horrors and beauty of medieval Europe
10+ min |
January 2022
BBC History Magazine
The worlds first superhero
When Alexander the Great died at the age of 32, his transformation into multicultural icon was only just beginning. Edmund Richardson chronicles the Macedonian king’s remarkable afterlife as the original global A-lister
10 min |
December 2021
BBC History Magazine
America's Fall Guy
King George III has long been cast as the crazed despot who squandered America. Yet, argues Andrew Roberts, this grim characterisation is the result not of hard facts but a historical stitch-up
10+ min |
November 2021
BBC History Magazine
Windows Onto History
From the glittering stained glass in medieval cathedrals to modernist high-rises, windows have illuminated our buildings for centuries. But, argues Rachel Hurdley, the presenter of a new BBC Radio 4 documentary on the history of windows, they can also shed light on the past
8 min |
November 2021
BBC History Magazine
Instability Is A Problem That Has Recurred Throughout The History Of Afghanistan
In August, Taliban forces regained control of Afghanistan as US forces withdrew after two decades in the country. How can history help make sense of this seismic moment? We asked a panel of experts INTERVIEW BY MATT ELTON
10+ min |
December 2021
BBC History Magazine
MEDIEVAL DUELS
In 1386, two Frenchmen fought a duel in a field outside Paris, each seeking to bury his blade in the other's body. One combatant had been accused of raping the other's wife, a charge he denied vehemently. After an initial verdict of innocence was returned, the accuser demanded a trial by combat. The judgment was now God's alone... ...who would be chosen to die?
9 min |
November 2021
BBC History Magazine
ROYAL The duke of duplicity
SARAH GRISTWOOD on a new profile of Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson that casts them in a distinctly unflattering light
2 min |
November 2021
BBC History Magazine
FIVE BIG QUESTIONS ABOUT...Going to church in the Middle Ages
From social interaction to confessing your sins, Nicholas Orme reveals why the church HistoryExtra played such a central role in medieval life PODCAST INTERVIEW BY DAVID MUSGROVE
5 min |
November 2021
BBC History Magazine
Dark forces
MARION GIBSON praises a retelling of a 17th-century witchcraft trial that never loses sight of the women at its heart, nor the social and economic factors that contributed to their plight
4 min |
November 2021
BBC History Magazine
The (Surprisingly) Modern Middle Ages
From devastating climate change to deadly pandemics, the challenges that kept our medieval ancestors awake at night weren’t so different from those preoccupying us today, says Dan Jones
10+ min |
October 2021
BBC History Magazine
The Kings And Queens Of Hearts
Sarah Gristwood reveals how the Tudor monarchs exploited the medieval obsession with courtly love – a romantic creed inspired by the idea of valiant knights risking their lives to woo fair ladies – to further their own agendas
10 min |
October 2021
BBC History Magazine
The end of empires
RICHARD J EVANS lauds an innovative work that re-examines the Second World War in the context of global imperial ambitions
5 min |
October 2021
BBC History Magazine
Let's cherish this shining light of the great Bronze Age civilisations
THE TAMILS’ GLITTERING CULTURAL UNIVERSE
3 min |
October 2021
BBC History Magazine
War between friends
CORMAC O GRADA commends an ambitious attempt to objectively examine the conflict that pitted Irish people against each other in the wake of the bloody War of Independence
6 min |
October 2021
BBC History Magazine
Prejudice on the pitch
The racist abuse experienced by some of England’s black footballers after the team’s defeat in the Euro 2020 championship final in July thrust the issue of racism in the sport back into the spotlight. MATTHEW TAYLOR charts the causes and consequences of more than a century of discrimination
6 min |
October 2021
BBC History Magazine
HIDDEN HISTORIES
EMMA DABIRI explores lesser-known stories from our past
3 min |
October 2021
BBC History Magazine
INTERVIEW: HELEN CARR & SUZANNAH LIPSCOMB
A new book edited by Helen Carr and Suzannah Lipscomb marks the 60th anniversary of EH Carr's What Is History? by asking that question a new for the 21st century
10 min |
October 2021
BBC History Magazine
How George V won the war
The First World War ushered many European monarchies to extinction. But not in Britain. Heather Jones reveals how – through canny PR and genuine compassion for the troops – the royal family emerged from the conflict stronger than ever.
9 min |
October 2021
BBC History Magazine
Golden girls
SIAN EVANS recommends an entertaining introduction to the adventures of independently wealthy women in Britain over the past four centuries
3 min |
October 2021
BBC History Magazine
Marriage of misery
FERN RIDDELL recommends a vivid biography of a women’s rights campaigner who shook off the shackles of married life
2 min |
July 2021
BBC History Magazine
Redrawing the battleground
MICHAEL WOOD gives his verdict on an ambitious book that attempts to finally provide a definitive location for one of the most famous battles in Anglo-Saxon history
3 min |
July 2021
BBC History Magazine
Class dismissed
News that some UK universities are to cut their history degrees in favour of more “vocational” courses sparked a strong online reaction. ANNA WHITELOCK charted Twitter’s response
2 min |
July 2021
BBC History Magazine
Mary Wortley Montagu The scourge of smallpox
That humanity won its battle with smallpox is in no small part down to the resilience of a woman who pioneered inoculation in 18th-century Britain, in the teeth of tremendous resistance. JO WILLETT reveals how Mary Wortley Montagu changed the course of medical history
6 min |
July 2021
BBC History Magazine
Best and brightest?
PETER MANDLER considers a sweeping analysis of meritocracy’s role in shaping the western world and debates the effectiveness of attempts to usher in equality
5 min |
July 2021
BBC History Magazine
Scheming and slaughter
NIGEL JONES appraises an extensive survey of assassinations throughout history, from the blood-soaked stabbings of ancient Rome to the drone strikes of modern warfare
2 min |
July 2021
BBC History Magazine
Traditions constitute the invisible, under-the-surface flow of history
LIVING HISTORY IN THE AMERICAS
3 min |
July 2021
BBC History Magazine
ROME GLORIED IN CLEOPATRA'S TALE OF DECADENCE, LUST AND DEATH
Joyce Tyldesley on an Egyptian queen’s ill-fated entanglements with three Roman generals
10 min |
April 2021
BBC History Magazine
Flying the royal nest
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s departure from the royal family is the latest in a string of shock exits from the monarchy dating back centuries. TRACY BORMAN looks to the past to consider how one can leave “the Firm” successfully – and the difficulties of life as a royal exile
6 min |
May 2021
BBC History Magazine
Rome's Reluctant Killer
Marcus Aurelius may not have sought war, but when it came he was more than ready. Shushma Malik reveals how a man of peace became one of Rome’s greatest warrior-emperors
10+ min |