In this book, the author's researches into Arthur's battles point to fascinating new conclusions about his life: King Arthur's greatest battle, at Badon, was fought at Bristol, close to th
Cleopatra is one of the greatest romantic figures in history, the queen of Egypt whose beauty and allure is legendary. We think we know her story, but our image of her is largely gleaned from the film
The Historia Regum Britanniae, or History of the Kings of Britain, was written in around 1136 by Geoffrey of Monmouth and purports to tell the story of the kings of Britain from the settlement of the
What common theme can be found across 250 years of English history? What thread runs throughout the Plantagenet Royal House, including as it does the "cadet: Houses of Lancaster and York, to the
Many people know about Wessex, the "Last Kingdom" of the Anglo-Saxons in defense against the Northmen, But another kingdom, Mercia, once enjoyed supremacy over not just Wessex, but all the A
During the wars which followed in the wake of the French Revolution, France’s armies turned on Britain’s last ally in Italy, the kingdom of Naples. The French chased out King Ferdinand and
In 1998 a petition was presented to the then Home Secretary Jack Straw asking for the witches of Pendle, Lancashire (executed in 1612) to be pardoned. It was decided their convictions should stand! T
The tragic news of numerous ISIS-inspired massacres around the world, in conjunction with the recent failed political coup against Erdogan in Turkey, have raised the specter of an ideological struggle
Mary Tudor has always been known as Bloody Mary’, the name given to her by later Protestant chroniclers who vilified her for attempting to re-impose Roman Catholicism in England. Although
Home-grown terrorists equipped by a foreign power are not a new phenomenon. During the Second World War, Hitler’s Germany made sustained efforts to inflict a terror campaign on the streets of Br
The Viking Conquest of England in 1016 – a far tougher and brutal campaign than the Norman Conquest exactly half a century later – saw two great warriors, the Danish prince Cnut and his equally ruthle
Focusing on the late 19th and early 20th century obsession with woman as femme fatale, this book looks at beliefs about women’s bodies and sexuality. Dancer Maud Allan came to embody the im
At a time of emerging women leaders, the life of Elizabeth Milbanke, Viscountess Melbourne, the shrewdest political hostess of the Georgian period, is particularly intriguing. It was Byron who called
Stonehenge presents us with one of the greatest archaeological mysteries from pre-history. With each new breakthrough in field research and technological innovation, the full scale and significance of
When Mary Stuart was forced off the Scottish throne she fled to England, a move that made her cousin Queen Elizabeth very uneasy. Ardent Catholics plotted to depose Elizabeth and put Mary Stuart on th
This fascinating compendium is comprised of three parts. "Words and Their Meanings that Time Forgot" will delight anyone who is interested in the evolution, humor and eccentricity of the Eng
Joan of Arc’s life and death mark a turning point in the destiny both of France and England and the history of their monarchies. It is a great shame,’ wrote Étienne Pasquier in
Focusing on key events and episodes, this book shows the ties of blood and commerce that have bound the different lands that lie today in Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Western R
Chaloner achieved much during his short life. After university he served in the household of Thomas Cromwell, and later he was entrusted with increasingly delicate missions in France, Scotland, Flande
The Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1953-58, organized by Sir Vivian Fuchs and Sir Edmund Hillary, was one of the most successful exploits ever undertaken in Antarctica, but it has been largely forgotte
Politically active gays, Jewish academics, French celebrities, uneasy alliances of feminists and conservatives, politicians hungry for power—and the only thing they have in common is a belief Is
This is the story of a man who went from Yorkshire mill worker to Monte Carlo millionaire. Joseph Hobson Jagger was not a gentleman or an aristocrat; he was a working class Victorian man who entered t
Anne Boleyn, the femme fatale whose unconventional beauty inspired poets, and so entranced Henry VIII with her wit, allure and style that he was prepared to set aside his wife of over 20 years and ris
Mary Tudor’s childhood was overshadowed by the men in her life: her father, Henry VII, and her brothers Arthur, heir to the Tudor throne, and Henry VIII. These men and the beliefs held about wom
At the very beginning of the Second World War Germany invaded and occupied Belgium. Yet less than a year later some of Belgium's citizens volunteered to join the Waffen-SS and go and fight on the newl
