
Should we stop talking about the crusades?
When you think about 'the crusades', you probably think of a series of military campaigns in the Holy Land, representing a great battle between the forces of Islam and Christianity. But is this actual...
20 Nov 202443min

Æthelred the Unready: life of the week
King Æthelred II ruled England from 978 to 1016 – with a little gap in 1014. Known to history as 'the Unready', he faced many challenges in his reign, not least the attentions of several Viking invasi...
19 Nov 202444min

The golden age of the country house
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Britain’s country houses enjoyed something of a renaissance. No longer were stately homes only seen as the preserve of stuffy landed gentry. Instead, the ari...
18 Nov 202437min

Victorian schools: everything you wanted to know
The 19th century witnessed a revolution in Britain's schools, as compulsory mass education was rolled out, and thousands more children learnt how to read and write. But what was it like to study in a ...
17 Nov 202452min

Gladiators: everything you wanted to know
Who became a gladiator? Were they really the superstars of their day? And was giving a thumbs down for a death sentence a real thing? As Gladiator II hits cinemas, Emily Briffett speaks with historian...
16 Nov 202455min

Nelson: a life of heroism and scandal
Nelson is one of the most well-known historical figures from British history. His leadership of the British fleet to victory at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, and his death in the same battle, rende...
15 Nov 202441min

Medieval make do and mend
The medieval approach to sustainability was entirely different to ours today. In a world where the modern definition of 'waste' didn't even exist, the repair market boomed and building materials were ...
14 Nov 202426min

Thomas Cromwell: the triumph and tragedy of Henry VIII's right-hand man
In the spring of 1540 Thomas Cromwell was at the height of his power, but just a few months later he found himself at the scaffold on Tower Hill preparing to be executed for treason and heresy. What h...
13 Nov 202437min




















