All articles in History
10th November, 2017 in History, Society & Culture, True Crime
Chloroform: 170 years of controversy
Chloroform, discovered in 1831 by three independent researchers – an American, a German and a Frenchman – has had a multitude of roles. Initially viewed with suspicion, chloroform gained immense popularity after it was administered to Queen Victoria during childbirth. Used in the…
7th November, 2017 in History
How historically accurate is Outlander?
The popular TV show Outlander, now in its seventh season, is based on a series of historical novels written by Diana Gabaldon. In the series Claire Randall, a nurse from the Second Wold War, travels back in time to Scotland in 1743 just prior to the Jacobite risings. She mee…
7th November, 2017 in History, Society & Culture
How Russian was the revolution of 1917?
The Russian revolution of 1917, led by Stalin, Trotsky and Lenin to overthrow an ineffective Tsar Nicholas II and establish the fledgling Bolshevik Party, killed millions and changed the world forever. It was later described as ‘the will of the people’ – but how Russian was this…
6th November, 2017 in History, Society & Culture
Thomas Venner and the Fifth Monarchists
The Civil War threw up new men with values and ideas that separated them from their Tudor forebears: everything was to be questioned and everything debated. Thomas Venner was one such new man, born of the lower orders, bred in the fulcrum of the civil wars, reasonably educated, f…
31st October, 2017 in History, Society & Culture
A short history of witch fever
Medieval folk had long suspected that the Devil was carrying out his evil work on earth with the help of his minions. In 1484, Pope Innocent VIII declared this to be the truth in his Papal Bull, which had the result of creating witch-hunts across Europe which lasted for nearly tw…
24th October, 2017 in Biography & Memoir, History, Women in History
Tsar-crossed lovers? The truth about Nicholas II and ‘Matilda’
In 2017 controversy has erupted in Russia over a new film. Matilda, directed by Aleksei Uchitel, dealt with the love affair between the future Nicholas II, the last emperor of Russia, and the young Polish ballerina Mathilde Kschessinska (Matilda Kshesinskaya) of the Imperial Ball…
26th September, 2017 in History, Maritime
Queen Elizabeth I’s Sea Dogs
During the Elizabethan period the term ‘Sea Dogs’ was allotted to various buccaneers and adventurers enlisted by Queen Elizabeth I as privateers, or sea-raiders. Despite its shaky legal and moral foundation, the practice of privateering formed a key part of Elizabe…
20th September, 2017 in Biography & Memoir, History
What if the Princes in the Tower survived into Tudor England?
For many people, the story of the Princes in the Tower is a brief and tragic tale of murder and betrayal. The sons of King Edward IV are usually accepted as having been murdered in 1483 on the order of their uncle, Richard III. The Survival of the Princes in the Tower examines th…
18th September, 2017 in History, Women in History
Catherine of Aragon’s arrival in England
On 27 September 1501, fifteen-year-old Catherine of Aragon bid farewell to her beloved Spain and boarded a ship from Laredo bound for England and the beginning of a new life. After more than a decade of marriage negotiations, Catherine was to marry Arthur Tudor, Prince of Wales,…
8th September, 2017 in History, Society & Culture
Gibraltar: Conquered by no enemy
‘As safe as the Rock of Gibraltar’ is an expression understood in many areas of the world. Its meaning reflects both the appearance and the history of the Rock. In prehistoric times its caverns sheltered Neolithic men and women, just as its natural defences sheltered its people f…
6th September, 2017 in History, Society & Culture
A history of British pub names
Walk down any British high street and you are sure to see a pub. The local. Nearly every British city, town or village has one. You can also be sure that, no matter the age of the building, the name of the pub draws inspiration from history. There’s a unique heritage to…
5th September, 2017 in Biography & Memoir, History, Women in History
Catherine Parr: Henry VIII’s last love
Catherine, William and Anne Parr were born within a short four-year span, between the winters of 1511-12 and 1515-16. Close in age, they became emotionally close to each other as children, a bond no doubt strengthened by the early loss of their father. As adults, they continued t…