After the fall of the Roman Empire, trade in Europe declined, roads fell into disrepair and commerce was centred on small towns and local markets; but by the 11th century new routes were opening up, Ironhand author Hilary Green tells Historia.
Matilda: The greatest king England never had
Catherine Hanley writes for Historia about Empress Matilda, the greatest king England never had.
A respectable trade in brutality
Laura Shepherd-Robinson tells Historia how a shameful period in Britain’s history spurred her to write Blood & Sugar.
Luck or lottery? Choosing your valentine in the 17th century
According to folklore, February is the time that birds begin to mate, and the first signs of Spring appear. As was normal in earlier periods, the arrival of Spring was expressed in terms of the feast-day of a saint; in this case, one of two early Roman martyrs, both named Valentinus, who died on 14 […]
An absence of presence: domestic records and The Familiars
Familiar things, like household accounts, can be the only traces that can lead us to the everyday lives of women in previous centuries. For author Stacey Halls, domestic records painted a detailed picture of 17th century life. In 1660, a pregnant woman named Alice Thornton had a dream in which the white sheet she slept […]
Killing a king: the execution of Charles I
This year sees the 370th anniversary of the execution of Charles I on 30 January, 1649, an event which was, by law, commemorated annually for almost 200 years. Charles’s biographer, Leanda de Lisle, writes about the day they killed a king. Charles I awoke before dawn in St James’s Palace on the day of his […]
Torn from home
2019 marks the 80th anniversary of the start of World War Two. The theme of this year’s Holocaust Memorial Day (held every year on 27 January) is ‘Torn from Home’. Jason Hewitt considers these two facts, and why we must not forget them, for Historia. Reflections on the holocaust seem particularly relevant in today’s troubled […]
Weaving a story: Spitalfields and silk
Sonia Velton talks about the pioneering woman whose designs inspired her recently-published novel set among the silk weavers of Spitalfields, Blackberry and Wild Rose.