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.
The Saxon Shore Forts
Originally built to control shipping and trade, and later to protect Roman Britain from seaborne invasion by marauding Saxon raiders from across the North Sea, the so-called Saxon Shore Forts were constructed during the 3rd century AD. Take a flight with Historic UK and explore how one of these forts looks today…
King Eadwig
Eadwig succeeded his uncle King Eadred to the throne in 955 at the age of 15. Considered exceptionally handsome, Eadwig quickly gained a reputation for womanising… Upon noticing his absence, Dunstan went looking for the king only to find him in the company of a mother and daughter…
The Pilgrimage of Grace
You may not have heard of it, but The Pilgrimage of Grace was the single largest rebellion in Tudor history and took place in the North of England between October 1536 and January 1537. The common folk were demonstrating primarily against the dissolution of the monasteries and the Reformation, brought about because of King Henry VIII’s ‘great matter’ (his divorce from Catherine of Aragon) and the subsequent break with Rome…
King Aethelred The Unready
Known as the Un-raed, ‘redeless’ or ‘Unready’ (meaning ‘no counsel’, or that he was unwise), the reign of King Aethelred II was one of conflict with repeated Viking raids…
King Cnut The Great
During his reign as King of England, as well as Denmark and Norway, Cnut had succeeded in the mission which his father had endeavoured to achieve, to rule over a vast North Sea Empire, united by his governance. The fable about King Cnut trying to command the tide of the sea remains entrenched in English folklore today…
Pocahontas In England
Pocahontas was a Native American woman of the Powhatan people. Her connections with John Smith, the colony at Jamestown and John Rolfe are well known. What happened during her trip to England is less well known…
King Harold I – Harold Harefoot
The reign of King Harold I, otherwise known as Harold Harefoot in reference to his speed and agility in hunting, is often overshadowed by that of his famous father, Cnut…
Rise and Fall of Thomas Cranmer
On 21st March 1556, Thomas Cranmer was burnt at the stake for heresy. A Protestant martyr in the reign of Bloody Mary, Thomas Cranmer was the first Protestant Archbishop of Canterbury and played an important role in Henry VIII’s divorce from Catherine of Aragon…
Harthacnut
Harthacnut, sometimes known as Canute III, reigned for a short time over his inherited kingdoms both in Denmark and England. His death on 8th June 1042, from a suspected stroke brought on by copious amounts of drinking, brought an end to his miserable reign for the people of England…
St Augustine and the Arrival of Christianity in England
In 597, a monk from Rome was about to embark on a vitally important journey to England. Also known as the Gregorian Mission, Augustine with around forty other religious figures arrived on the shores of the Kent coast to convert King Ethelbert and his kingdom to Christianity. Such was his success that by the seventh century…