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 MAY 2023

THIS ISSUE'S CONTRIBUTORS

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

"Many, if not most, Nazi analogies are historically inaccurate, to put it mildly" • In March, leading sports presenter Gary Lineker was suspended by the BBC for a tweet likening UK government rhetoric to that of 1930s Germany RICHARD J EVANS argues that such comparisons risk eroding the full horror of history and the experiences of those involved

HISTORY NEWS IN BRIEF

MICHAEL WOOD ON… • THE CORONATION OF CHARLES III

"Patriarchal systems have existed in Europe for thousands of years - but in other parts of the world they are very new" • How far back can we trace male dominance? And how did it arise in the first place? Historian JUNE PURVIS interviews writer and broadcaster ANGELA SAINI about her new book, The Patriarchs: How Men Came to Rule, which tackles these questions among others

HIDDEN HISTORIES • KAVITA PURI explores lesser-known stories from our past

LETTERS

BBC History Magazine

Masters of ceremonies • Henry III believed that spectacle elevated him into the sphere of the sacred. Elizabeth I used it to emphasise her Protestant credentials. And Queen Victoria turned it into a celebration of her imperial might. As King Charles III prepares for his coronation, ALICE HUNT reveals how generations of British monarchs have used pomp and pageantry to project power

Elizabeth II's love affair with the 17th century • Why, when planning her last great ceremony, did the Queen draw inspiration from the monarchy's darkest hour?

How to and how not stage a coronation • What separates a crowing success from a right royal fiasco? Drawing on a thousand years of Britain's coronations, Tracy Borman offers her dos and don'ts for pulling off the ceremony without a hitch

KALE IDOSCOPIC NATION • Amid the darkness of economic hardship and state-sponsored fear, East Germany could also be a society of opportunity and hope. Katja Hoyer profiles some of the people whose stories bring this full, complex picture to life

FROM DIVISION TO UNIFICATION • KEY MOMENTS IN THE LIFE OF A NATION

AN APPETITE FOR POWER • Wine, song and the finest food money could buy made medieval feasts a highlight of the courtly calendar. Yet more often than not, writes Charlotte Palmer, a thirst for influence and prestige lay behind the carousing

TUDOR LONDON: A GLOBAL CITY • During the 16th century, London opened its doors to a diverse cast of newcomers, from Moroccan ambassadors to Native American chiefs. Jerry Brotton reveals how foreign visitors shaped the Tudor capital

THE 16TH-CENTURY CITY THAT NEVER SLEPT • Five districts that offer a flavour of the vibrant, often dangerous, Tudor capital

SINISTER PLOTS. SHADOWY CABALS. TRAITORS AT THE HEART OF GOVERNMENT. • Why have conspiracy theories predicting military coups and puppetmaster financiers gripped the political imagination for more than a century? Phil Tinline investigates…

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

DID YOU KNOW…?

In 1658, a Norfolk gentleman named Ralph Suckey thought...