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A journey into the Elizabethan mind

THE ELIZABETHAN MIND A journey into the Elizabethan mind The Elizabethans were desperate to untangle the mystery of their “inward selves”. Helen Hackett reveals how they used ancient teachings, Christian doctrine and new scientific discoveries to make sense of the mind “For him that hath lost his mind,” the bestselling Tudor writer Thomas Moulton recommended […]

Cover story: The Black Death

COVER STORY / THE BLACK DEATH “When the Black Death arrived in Europe, it was like striking a match in tinder” The medievalist and historian of medicine Monica H Green tells Ellie Cawthorne how scientific advances have changed our thinking on what caused the Black Death – and why it was so devastating On the […]

Jubilee celebrations

JUBILEE CELEBRATIONS “No one ever has met with such an ovation” George III pardoned PoWs, Victoria dressed down, and George V brought London to a standstill. As Elizabeth II marks 70 years on the throne, Tracy Borman tells the story of three previous monarchs’ jubilee celebrations This year Elizabeth II marks her platinum jubilee – […]

BBC at 100: A cultural institution

BBC at 100 PART 6 A cultural institution Mixing music with drama and the ancient with the cutting-edge, the BBC’s Third Programme set out to scale the shining peaks of “high culture”. But, says David Hendy, its lofty aims alienated as much as they allured On the HistoryExtra podcast At 6pm on 29 September 1946, […]

Civil War sieges

CIVIL WAR SIEGES THE SIEGE When some 6,000 parliamentarians tried to prise a few hundred royalists out of Basing House in 1643, they began a brutal siege that would drag on for years – and see thousands slaughtered. Jessie Childs tells the story of a desperate struggle that became a defining episode of the Civil […]

Kavita Puri’s Hidden histories

HIDDEN HISTORIES Kavita Puri explores lesser-known stories from our past “The strike has links to a far longer story of female south Asian protest” It’s late on a Sunday evening in a street in west London, and the air is thick with the smell of freshly fried pakoras. Pammi Bains, who lives in one of […]

Anniversaries

ANNIVERSARIES Helen Carr highlights events that took place in June in history 29 JUNE 1613 The Globe theatre burns to the ground Cannon fire sparks a blaze during a Shakespeare play It’s fair to say that All Is True isn’t one of Shakespeare’s best-known plays – not least because it’s now more widely called Henry […]