Of all England’s royal dynasties, none inspires quite as much obsession as the Tudors. And really, how could they not? Their 118 year reign was a pressure cooker of ambition,
There’s a bit of a “choose your Tudor” tendency when it comes to Thomas Wolsey and Anne Boleyn. I must admit that I love the complicated creature that is Anne.
Of all the notorious schemes against Queen Elizabeth I, the Babington plot was the most outrageous. It was a 1586 conspiracy to assassinate Elizabeth I and put her Catholic cousin,
War, plague, scandal revolt: by necessity, John of Gaunt became a pillar of England’s royal government, and Shakespeare later immortalized him. John of Gaunt was one of the towering figures
The Norman Conquest was the first great turning point in English history. No other event can compare with it in importance. And yet, is that entirely true? Or is there
Alfred the Great didn’t conquer all of England. He wasn’t even technically king of England, only ruling over a small part of southern England in the 9th century. But when
What was the Anarchy that tore England apart in the 12th century? And who won that civil war? Empress Matilda had the bloodline, the claim, and her father’s backing. Stephen
Shakespeare and London are almost inseparable, even centuries after the playwright’s death. His influence still turns up all over the city, from South Bank to Shoreditch. For me, Shakespeare’s literary
There’s something irresistible about seeing where a great writer actually lived and worked. Suddenly, Dickens, Austen, Kafka, or Twain isn’t just a famous name on the spine of a book.
Thomas Cranmer was one of the most influential men you’ve probably never heard of. He helped Henry VIII break with Rome, created the framework for the Church of England, and