BBC History Magazine aims to shed new light on the past to help you make more sense of the world today. Fascinating stories from contributors are the leading experts in their fields, so whether they're exploring Ancient Egypt, Tudor England or the Second World War, you'll be reading the latest, most thought-provoking historical research. BBC History Magazine brings history to life with informative, lively and entertaining features written by the world's leading historians and journalists and is a captivating read for anyone who's interested in the past.
WELCOME
THIS ISSUE’S CONTRIBUTORS
VOYAGE TO THE PAST • GO BACK IN TIME WITH PRINCESS CRUISES AND EXPERIENCE HISTORY WHERE IT HAPPENED
The Princess Difference • Princess Cruises is different from other cruise lines. Here’s how:
A charming discovery
A novel conversation • With Brexit dominating the conversation on social media, a debate among historians regarding medieval fiction was a pleasant diversion. ANNA WHITELOCK reveals more
Project to reveal revolt ‘from below’
A GOOD MONTH FOR...
A BAD MONTH FOR...
HISTORY IN THE NEWS • A selection of the stories hitting the history headlines
The cannabis conundrum • With a group of MPs predicting that cannabis will be legalised during the coming decade, VIRGINIA BERRIDGE traces the social forces and geopolitical rivalries that have shaped UK drugs policy over the past 150 years
“These coins hint at William the Conqueror’s rampaging offensive“
ANNIVERSARIES • DOMINIC SANDBROOK highlights events that took place in November in history
WHY WE SHOULD REMEMBER… • The first ever Armistice Day, when Britain counted the cost of war
“In Thailand, a white elephant is a symbol of majesty, not mockery”
LETTERS
BBC History Magazine
“The Conqueror massacred almost the whole population, from the very young to the old and grey” • William I’s Harrying of the North of England over the winter of 1069/70 resulted in perhaps 150,000 deaths, reducing many victims to eating cats, dogs and even one another. So should it, asks Marc Morris , be branded a genocide?
ESCAPE FROM EAST BERLIN • The building of the Berlin Wall in August 1961 triggered a rush of escape bids – none more ambitious than one masterminded by a student named Joachim Rudolph. Helena Merriman tells a story of flooded tunnels, Stasi spies and families reunited – filmed live for American TV
GREAT ESCAPES • Five other audacious bids to flee East Germany
BEOWULF • It’s the ultimate Anglo-Saxon epic: a mighty tale of war, vengeance and monster-battling which, a millennium later, inspired The Lord of the Rings. But how far is it rooted in history? Eleanor Parker answers key questions on
What’s your LEGACY? • Sharing the gift of history with a child can change their world, and you can change many worlds for the better by leaving Unicef a gift in your will
HELP CHILDREN EVERYWHERE
Putting the realm back together • Brexit may be exposing deep rifts in society but this isn’t the first time that the British Isles have been convulsed by rancour and discord. Kate Loveman describes Charles II’s attempts to reunite his divided kingdoms in the wake of the Civil Wars
TIMELINE From Civil War to the Restoration
BLOOD BROTHERS • The three siblings Edward IV, George, Duke of Clarence and the future Richard III were meant to be on the same side in the Wars of the Roses. Yet the relationship between these heavyweights of the House of York was defined by jealousy, backstabbing and murder. Thomas Penn describes the great family rivalry that dogged the English throne in the later 15th century
THE POWER TRIO • The three Yorkist brothers who dominated England
The Falklands feelgood...