Education
BBC History Magazine
Under the shadow
DAVID LAVEN considers an important, but disappointing, new survey of Fascist Italy at war, from the invasion of Ethiopia to the alliance with Nazi Germany
2 min |
July 2020
BBC History Magazine
MY HISTORY HERO: Beatrice shilling 1909–90
Cathy Newman, journalist and broadcaster, chooses
2 min |
July 2020
BBC History Magazine
Garibaldi was feted by our Victorian ancestors in an unprecedented way
DAVID OLUSOGA explores lesser-known stories from our past
3 min |
July 2020
BBC History Magazine
Family fortunes
MARK CORNWALL recommends a masterful account of a dynasty that dominated Europe for more than four centuries and spread its influence across the globe
5 min |
July 2020
BBC History Magazine
THE FIGHT TO THE END... AND BEYOND
As Britons celebrated VE Day, German troops were engaged in pitiless clashes on the Dutch island of texel against rebel fighters-from Georgia, Eric Lee tells the story of the final battle of Europe's second World War
9 min |
June 2020
BBC History Magazine
The 14th Century… When Things Weren't What They Used To Be
Hannah Skoda explores how late medieval Europe saw an upsurge in misty-eyed yearning for the ‘good old days’
8 min |
Christmas 2016
BBC History Magazine
Politicians cherry pick from history, if they take much notice of it at all
Why do so many politicians write history books? Does a knowledge of the past help with the challenges of today? And should MPs pay more attention to history? Our reviews editor, Matt Elton, headed to Westminster to ask a panel of history-loving politicians.
9 min |
Christmas 2016
BBC History Magazine
A Surgeon With A Secret
As part of our occasional series profiling remarkable yet unheralded characters from history, introduces Dr James Barry, the medical pioneer and eminent surgeon to aristocracy, who was forced to conceal a fundamental fact – that ‘he’ was in fact a ‘she’.
5 min |
February 2017
BBC History Magazine
7 Ways To Say “I Love You”
In medieval Europe, young lovers used all manner of media to declare their passion for one another – from exquisite French songbooks to lowly pieces of cattle bone. With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, Kimberley-Joy Knight introduces seven tokens of love from the Middle Ages
5 min |
February 2017
BBC History Magazine
The Anglo - Saxons' Last Stand
The spirit of the Anglo-Saxons didn’t die at the battle of Hastings. William I faced years of resistance from a populace resentful of the Norman takeover. Marc Morris charts the defiant attempts to fight the conquerors
9 min |
January 2017
BBC History Magazine
How should history remember Fidel Castro?
To many, he was a heroic champion of the disenfranchised; to others, a cruel tyrant. Following Fidel Castro’s death in November, we asked five historians to offer their verdicts on the Cuban leader’s life and legacy
6 min |
January 2017
BBC History Magazine
Why Separatism Is Turning Up The Heat On European States
As the dust settles on Catalonia’s contested independence referendum, Dr Angel Smith offers a historical perspective on the region’s relationship with Madrid. Then Professor Martin Conway considers why Spain is far from the only European country to be convulsed by a separatist movement
4 min |
December 2017
BBC History Magazine
“Our View Of Imperialism Needs Constant Interrogation”
“Our View Of Imperialism Needs Constant Interrogation”
3 min |
December 2017
BBC History Magazine
Lettice Knollys Was A Favourite Of Elizabeth I… Then She Stole The Queen's Sweetheart
Nicola Tallis tells the story of a Tudor love triangle
8 min |
December 2017
BBC History Magazine
The Great American U-Turn
In November 1916, US president Woodrow Wilson won re-election on an isolationist ticket. But just a few months later, he was issuing an impassioned call to arms. On the centenary of its entry into the First World War, Adam IP Smith traces America’s journey from neutrality to committed combatant.
9 min |
April 2017
BBC History Magazine
Verona, Italy
For the latest in our historical holiday series, Paul explores the romance of Verona, a veritable Mecca for lovers across the world.
4 min |
April 2017
BBC History Magazine
Field Marshal Bill Slim - 1891-1970
Comedian, actor and television presenter Griff Rhys Jones chooses.
3 min |
January 2018
BBC History Magazine
Margaret Beaufort Mother of the Tudors
She was pregnant at 12, widowed by the Wars of the Roses and almost died at the hands of Richard III. But, writes Michael Jones, nothing could prevent the indomitable Margaret Beaufort from engineering the rise of her son, Henry VII, to the English throne
10+ min |
January 2017
BBC History Magazine
When Britons were slaves in Africa
Between the 16th and 18th centuries, pirates operating out of north Africa enslaved thousands of men, women and children from the British Isles. Adam Nichols describes the often faltering attempts to release the captives from a life of hard labour and torture
9 min |
January 2017
BBC History Magazine
Napoleon III Surrenders To The Prussians
The ailing French emperor suffers a humiliating defeat at the battle of Sedan.
1 min |
September 2017
BBC History Magazine
What Lies Beneath
NICK RENNISON enjoys a lurid tale of treasure hunting, murder and mayhem set in 19th-century England
1 min |
September 2017
BBC History Magazine
Not So Sweet Stuff
DAVID OLUSOGA admires a new work tracing the history of our damaging love affair with sugar
3 min |
September 2017
BBC History Magazine
Paupers' Brave New World
In the 1840s, the government began sparing Britain’s most deprived children the Dickensian hell of the workhouse and placing them in schools that promised good food, healthcare and an education. But did the reality live up to the ideal?
8 min |
March 2017
BBC History Magazine
Elizabethi's Irish Nemesis
Hiram Morgan tells the story of the Irish earl Hugh O’Neill, a brilliant warrior and slippery negotiator who ran rings around Elizabeth I’s greatest generals and almost ended English rule in Ireland
8 min |
March 2017
BBC History Magazine
Who blundered in The Valley of Death?
The Charge of the Light Brigade is one of the most notorious fiascos in British military history. But who should shoulder the blame for this suicidal assault on Russian guns? Saul David considers the evidence
10+ min |
Christmas 2016
BBC History Magazine
The Fight For Black America
Characterising Black Power as the civil rights movement’s ‘evil twin’ masks its considerable achievements over the past 50 years
9 min |
Christmas 2016
BBC History Magazine
Expertise Is Not Just A Man In A Suit Anymore
What is it like to be a female historian in the 21st century? Ellie cawthorne spoke to four leading academics about internet trolls, juggling work and family, and their plans to shake up the study of history.
8 min |
April 2017
BBC History Magazine
Are We Witnessing A ‘Post-Truth' Nadir In Media Influence?
The issue of ‘fake news’ has barely been out of the news in recent weeks. With this in mind, we asked two historians to offer their perspectives on the ‘post-truth’ era and explore the rocky relationship between politicians and the press
5 min |
March 2017
BBC History Magazine
New Zealand Makes Suffrage History
Twenty years of campaigning sees New Zealand women given the right to vote, to the dismay of many men
1 min |
September 2017
BBC History Magazine
The US Constitution Is Signed
Thirty-nine men put pen to paper in Philadelphia
1 min |