The History of England Magazine
Every month we present new feature articles relating to the history of this green and pleasant land. From ancient battlefields to famous people, hangings to national celebrations, we’ve got something to interest everyone.
You may also be interested in our History of Britain section covering the period from the Act of Union during Queen Anne‘s reign to the modern day.
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Sir Walter Raleigh
One of Britain’s most famous explorers, Sir Walter Raleigh was also a poet, scholar and courtier, a favourite of Queen Elizabeth I. He is however usually remembered for introducing tobacco and the potato to Britain, and for failing to find the legendary El Dorado.
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Lettice Knollys
Widowed three times, romantic rival of Queen Elizabeth I and one of the most notorious women in Tudor England, Lettice Knollys led a tumultuous life…
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Kitty Fisher and Joshua Reynolds
The Courtesan & The Painter: Kitty Fisher and Joshua Reynolds. An unusual bond developed between Kitty, a famous 18th century courtesan and Sir Joshua Reynolds, celebrated painter, a bond that embodied the complexities of Georgian power, sexuality and artistic inspiration.
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Aura Soltana: First Recorded Muslim Woman in Tudor England?
Following her excommunication by the Pope in 1570, Queen Elizabeth I, and therefore England, was no longer bound by papal edicts forbidding trade with the Muslim world. This opened up huge opportunities for new lucrative trading relationships with the East: the first Elizabethan Brexit if you like! One of the pioneering merchant explorers, whilst travelling through modern day Uzbekistan, bought a Muslim slave girl and returned with her to the English court…
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The Escapades of Sir Edward Michelborne
This was the Age of Exploration and MP, explorer and adventurer Sir Edward Michelborne was keen to play his part. Turned down by the East India Company, Michelborne was granted a licence by KIng James I to trade in competition to the EIC in the Far East. However trading turned to pillaging and plundering – until they came across a group of Japanese pirates…
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The Tobermory Galleon
Take one Spanish princess, a handsome local chieftain, and a jealous wife; add a heap of alluring Spanish gold, some supernatural cats and malevolent witches; season with an English spy or two, and stir into an explosive mix…
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Mary Tudor, Princess of England and Queen of France
Mary Tudor, favourite sister of King Henry VIII, was feted around Europe for her pale skin and good looks. Henry arranged for Mary’s marriage to the aging and gouty King Louis XII as part of a peace treaty with France, however he died suddenly; Mary was Queen of France for just 82 days. Unafraid to challenge Henry, she then persuaded the king that her next marriage should be for love…
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London Stone: the ‘Heart of London’
“So long as the stone of Brutus is safe, so long shall London flourish”. This is just one of the legends associated with London Stone, a dull lump of rock now displayed in Cannon Street in the City of London. The history of this unprepossessing stone is intertwined with the history and legends of London itself…