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

THREE THINGS I’VE LEARNED THIS MONTH

THIS ISSUE’S CONTRIBUTORS

THIS MONTH IN HISTORY • NEWS BEHIND THE NEWS COMMENT ANNIVERSARIES

Monumental debate • A proposal to create a new national monument honouring those who battled slavery unsurprisingly provoked some fiery Twitter exchanges. ANNA WHITELOCK reports on the wrangling

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

Why PMs get the push • Boris Johnson’s announcement that he is set to resign as prime minister threw the British government into turmoil in July – and saw him join a small group of PMs brought down by scandal. RICHARD TOYE explores what we can learn from the demise of previous premiers

MICHAEL WOOD ON… • THE CLIMATE CRISIS

ANNIVERSARIES • HELEN CARR highlights events that took place in September in history

WHY WE SHOULD REMEMBER… • Love Me Do, the first single recorded by the Beatles

A stellar career

LETTERS

BBC History Magazine

Henry V’s troubled legacy • Henry VI fell foul of the French, his soldiers, even his own advisors. Yet, writes Lauren JoHnson, his greatest enemy was the revered warrior-king who left him the throne 600 years ago

Stalingrad: the soldier’s story

TIMELINE • Stalingrad: seven months that turned the tide of the war

THE BATTLE OF STALINGRAD IN NUMBERS

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

Political drama • The 1956 Suez Crisis caused long-simmering tensions between the BBC and the government to boil over – and, as DAVID HENDY explores, marked the start of a shift in the relationship between politicians and the public

The executive who set the agenda for the BBC’s political programmes

The Popish Plot • Victor Stater tells the story of the Popish Plot, an elaborate fake news story that reshaped British politics – and sent dozens of innocent people to the gallows

Political heavyweights • THE TWO DOMINANT PARTIES BORN OUT OF THE POPISH PLOT

The enduring trauma of partition • In 1947, British India was split in two, sparking a wave of violence that defined the new nations for decades. On the 75th anniversary of partition, Kavita Puri looks at how subsequent generations in south Asia and the UK have come to terms with its legacy

Enter the dragon • It’s brought its own unique brand of magic to everything from Game of Thrones to Harry Potter. But how did the modern dragon come into being? Daniel Ogden traces the six stages of the creature’s evolution in the west – from ancient serpent to medieval fire breather

THE DIG THAT CHANGED (URBAN) HISTORY • Sixty years ago, one of Britain’s most important archaeology projects was launched in Hampshire. Michael Wood reviews the groundbreaking discoveries of the dig at Winchester, once the showpiece of Alfred the Great’s royal dynasty

“For too long medieval women have been written out of history. It’s high time we put them back in” • Janina Ramirez introduces three trailblazers whose stories show that Medieval women were far more than the wives, sisters and aunts of men

“Henrietta Maria has been looked at far too much through the male gaze – it’s time...