BBC History Magazine

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

Precious metals

Reasons to be cheerful? • The publication of a new economic study claiming that the Victorian era was the “happiest” in history left many feeling baffled. ANNA WHITELOCK assesses the reaction on Twitter

Women writers were overlooked

A GOOD MONTH FOR...

A BAD MONTH FOR...

HISTORY IN THE NEWS • A selection of the stories hitting the history headlines

A new political climate? • Received political wisdom says it may be unwise to go to the country in the shortest and coldest days of the year, as prime minister Boris Johnson has decided to do. Nevertheless, as RICHARD TOYE outlines, the United Kingdom has a long tradition of winter elections

MICHAEL WOOD ON… • THE SLAVE TRADE

ANNIVERSARIES • DOMINIC SANDBROOK highlights events that took place at Christmas in history

HIDDEN HISTORIES • DAVID OLUSOGA explores lesser-known stories from our past

LETTERS

BBC History Magazine

AFTER THE EMPIRE • The end of Roman Britain in AD 409 is one of the landmark moments in British history. But for those who lived in the province, did it spell a mere bump in the road – or a disastrous descent into chaos? Will Bowden investigates

Life after Rome • How things changed with the end of Roman rule

How Britain saved Einstein • Exiled, homeless and on the run from Nazi assassins, 1933 was a grim year for Albert Einstein. Yet not all was lost, writes Andrew Robinson , as the famous physicist discovered during his visits to Britain

ADULTERER TERRIBLE MOTHER DETERMINED REBEL MEDIEVAL SUPERWOMAN ENEMY OF THE CHURCH • Sara Cockerill explodes five of the myths that have grown up around one of medieval Europe’s most remarkable women

The Anglo-Saxons’ eastern odyssey • As unlikely scenarios go, the one that saw a band of English exiles fleeing William the Conqueror and setting up a colony on the shore of the Black Sea takes some beating. Caitlin Green tells the story of a remarkable medieval adventure

Q&A • A selection of historical conundrums answered by experts

DID YOU KNOW…?

KING OF THE WORLD • Using a combination of warfare, trade and diplomacy, Louis XIV – the Sun King – sought to expand both his own power and French influence in the wider world. He was, argues Philip Mansel, a truly global monarch with global ambitions

From musketeers to Macron: 10 remarkable facts about the Sun King

An unexpected history of Christmas • The season of peace and goodwill? Not quite. Historically, Christmas has actually been a time of evil spirits, subversive snowmen and killer frogs. James Daybell and Sam Willis shine a different light on the festive period

SENDING HISTORY INTO BATTLE • War leaders have always tried to learn the lessons of the past. But deploying history in conflict is a path strewn with pitfalls as well as opportunities, argues Andrew Roberts

BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2019 • From medieval princesses and nomadic warriors to Hungarian football and the Falklands War, this year’s best history books have tackled a mind-boggling array of topics and timeframes. Over the following pages, we’ve asked a panel of historians (who’ve written a book...