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.
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…
Eadric The Wild
Whilst many will have heard of Hereward the Wake, the less well-known Eadric the Wild also waged war against the Norman invasion of Britain. Like Hereward, he also left history and entered legend…
Evil May Day 1517
The violence of the Evil May Day Riot of 1517 is a notable flashpoint in a wider story of the fragile social condition where frivolity had turned to anger and celebration to anarchy. This May Day was a day that would be embedded in historical memory and…
