England

‘The Courtship of Anne Boleyn’ by Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze, c. 1846. Smithsonian American Art Museum. Public Domain.

Hunting the Falcon by John Guy and Julia Fox review

Hunting the Falcon: Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn and the Marriage That Shook Europe by John Guy and Julia Fox is a well-told account that shies away from debate.

Somer’s day: page from the Psalter of Henry VIII showing Henry with William Somer, by Jean Maillart (or Mallard), c.1540. Bridgeman Images.

Fool by Peter K. Andersson review

Fool: In Search of Henry VIII’s Closest Man by Peter K. Andersson is the first full length study of William Somer’s life and posthumous mythos.

Pointy end: duelling techniques used by Elizabethan theatrical luminaries like Gabriel Spencer and Ben Jonson, illustrated in Vincentio Saviolo, his Practise, 1595. The Granger Collection/Alamy Stock Photo.

Playwright Ben Jonson Duels to the Death

On 22 September 1598, Elizabethan actor Gabriel Spencer settled his creative differences with playwright Ben Jonson with a duel.

Angevin family tree showing Henry II and his children. From left: William, Henry, Richard, Matilda, Geoffrey, Eleanor, Joan and John. Niday Picture Library/Alamy Stock Photo.

How Henry II Survived the Great Rebellion

In 1173 the Angevin empire looked set to fall, facing rebellion on all sides. Against incredible odds Henry II won a decisive victory, silencing kings, lords – and his own children.

A self portrait of John Goffe Rand, inventor of the paint tube.

John Goffe Rand Invents Paint Tubes

On 11 September 1841, John Goffe Rand patented the ‘metal rolls for paint’, sparking a revolution in oil painting.

A letter used in the libel case against Annie Tugwell, 1909-13. MEPO 3/189, Criminal libel: "The Sutton Libel Case" (Mrs Annie Tugwell), 1909-1913.

The Case of the Poison Pen Letters

Anonymity can be a powerful shield. Tracing the culprit when it came to libellous letter-writing in the early 1900s was not straightforward

Interior view of the Victoria theatre, then known as the Coburg, c. 1819. Smithsonian Design Museum. Public Domain.

Jane Eyre Goes to the Theatre

When it arrived on the Victorian stage, Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre had a cast of new characters and a new social order.

George McMahon under arrest after pulling a loaded revolver on Edward VIII, Constitution Hill, London, 16 July 1936. John Frost Newspapers/Alamy Stock Photo

George McMahon: Fascist Assassin or British Spy?

Mystery surrounds George McMahon who, having tried to assassinate Edward VIII, outed himself as an agent of a ‘foreign power’. Does the discovery of new Italian documents solve the puzzle or obscure it further?

Marjorie Foster after becoming the first woman to win the King’s Prize for rifle shooting at Bisley, 20 July 1930. Associated Press/Alamy Stock Photo.

Shots Fired: Marjorie Foster and Women at War

After winning the biggest shooting prize in the Empire, Marjorie Foster joined the new pantheon of women making sporting headlines. On the eve of the Second World War, she had a new target in her sights: the War Office.