WELCOME
Christmas 2021
Life in the Middle Ages revolved around the Church, with its many feast days and rituals shaping the calendar. e parish church was at the heart of the community, a place of worship and social activity, while soaring cathedrals, holy shrines and religious houses formed a backdrop to daily life. In this month’s Essential Guide, aided by expert Professor Nicholas Orme, we explore the vast reach of the medieval Church in England – from a ‘how to’ guide for pilgrims on the road, to the religious ceremonies that marked important moments in an individual’s life.
Elsewhere, we take a look at the remarkable story of Ewan Forbes, the transgender man whose fight for his family’s baronetcy in the 1960s would have a profound impact on transgender rights for decades to come.
Also in this issue, we launch our new art history series, which investigates the secrets hidden within the brushstrokes of some of the world’s most famous paintings. We begin with Jan van Eyck’s 15th-century masterpiece The Arnolfini Portrait.
Plus, 80 years after the devastating Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, we examine what really happened on that fateful day, and discover how Britain might have looked had Edward VIII not abdicated in 1936. We’ve also announced the 10 winners of our recent children’s history competition, view the successful entries here.
Happy Christmas!
Charlotte Hodgman, Editor
This month’s big numbers
30
The amount of fabric, in inches, that Louis Réard used to make his daring 1946 invention: the bikini
8
The number of religious services that a medieval Benedictine monk would attend each day
17
The number of submarines that the Soviet Union ‘paid’ to soft drinks giant Pepsi in the 1980s
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