The History of England Magazine
Every month we present new feature articles relating to the history of this green and pleasant land. From ancient battlefields to famous people, hangings to national celebrations, we’ve got something to interest everyone.
You may also be interested in our History of Britain section covering the period from the Act of Union during Queen Anne‘s reign to the modern day.
Guy Fawkes
Remember, Remember the 5th of November… Bonfire Night. But why do the British celebrate with fireworks, bonfires – and set fire to ‘Guy’?
St Edmund, Original Patron Saint of England
It is commonly accepted that St George is the Patron Saint of England. But should we instead be raising the White Dragon flag of the Anglo-Saxon King St Edmund on November 20th?
King Stephen and The Anarchy
A grandson of William the Conqueror, Stephen took the throne on the death of King Henry I. However most of his reign was spent in a bitter civil war between him and his rival for the throne, Henry’s daughter Matilda,..
Eleanor of Castile
Eleanor of Castile was the wife of King Edward I of England. This medieval union was a very successful one, both politically and personally; indeed such was Edward’s grief on the death of his wife that he had the beautifully ornate stone ‘Eleanor Crosses’ erected in her memory…
King Edward V
Edward V was King of England for just two months. At only thirteen years of age, he met an untimely and tragic end at the Tower of London, imprisoned alongside his brother and later murdered in mysterious circumstances…
K for King in the Car Park – Henry I?
Incredibly, could there be another ‘King in a Car Park’? Philippa Langley, instrumental in the search and discovery of the remains of King Richard III under a Leicester car park, may be on the trail of another ‘king in a car park’, this time Henry I in Reading…
Thomas Boleyn
Thomas Boleyn, the father of Henry VIII’s second wife Queen Anne and grandfather to Queen Elizabeth I, has often been portrayed as a villainous figure…
King Henry I
Born around 1068, very little is known of Henry’s early life: the youngest son of William the Conqueror had never expected to become king…
Earl Godwin, The Lesser Known Kingmaker
The word Kingmaker often evokes the image of Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, who featured prominently in various plays for power during the Wars of the Roses. But, several hundred years before Warwick’s schemes, another man earned the title of Kingmaker: Godwin, Earl of Wessex…
The Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms of the Dark Ages
The six and a half centuries between the end of Roman rule around 410 and the Norman Conquest of 1066, represent the most important period in English history. For it was during these years that a new ‘English’ identity was born, with the country united under one king, sharing a common language and governed by the laws of the land…