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.
Margaret Cheyney
Margaret Cheney, ‘a very fair creature and beautiful’, was burnt at the stake on 25th May 1537, on the orders of King Henry VIII…
Sir Christopher Wren
Sir Christopher Wren is perhaps most famous for the buildings he designed after the Great Fire of London, including the iconic St Paul’s Cathedral.
King Harold II (Godwinson)
1066: possibly the most famous date in British history. The Bayeux tapestry documents the heroic battle and death of King Harold II, the last Anglo-Saxon king of England…
James II: Camp on Hounslow Heath
When King James II came to the throne in 1685, he set about enlarging the army in case of civil unrest. Between 1686 and 1688 annual military manoeuvres and public exhibitions were held on Hounslow Heath…
Timeline of the Crusades
The Crusades were a series of eight military campaigns, organised by Christian kings and religious leaders, in order to retake Jerusalem and the Holy Land from Muslim control, and took place over almost 200 hundred years…
Battle of Brunanburh 937AD
When you think of pivotal battles that shaped the course of British history, what first comes to mind? The Battle of Hastings? The Battle of Bosworth Field? Waterloo? Curiously, it was The Battle of Brunanburh that defined the countries that we now know as England, Scotland and…
Saint Dunstan
St Dunstan was a tenth-century monk with a very eventful life, accused with witchcraft and most famously, allegedly confronting the devil himself…
The Background to the Crusades
In 1128, the French nobleman Hughes de Payens visited England with a mission; to gather men and funds for the Crusades…
Etheldreda – Anglo-Saxon Queen and Saint
In 2023 Ely Cathedral will be celebrating the 1,350th anniversary of the founding of the first religious foundation on the site, in 673, by the Saxon Queen and Saint Etheldreda. Her shrine at Ely was a popular pilgrimage site until the Reformation…
Katherine of Aragon: England’s First Feminist Queen?
Henry VIII’s first wife Katherine of Aragon is often portrayed as the dull, deeply religious wife compared to the ambitious, clever, forward-thinking seductress, Anne Boleyn. It is overlooked that Katherine was a life-long champion of education – specifically, women’s education…