History Extra

THIS ISSUE’S CONTRIBUTORS

Emily Brand “The scandals of the gossip-hungry Georgian

WELCOME

SEPTEMBER 2023

ANNIVERSARIES

HELEN CARR highlights events that took place in September in history

Is history under threat at the UK’s universities?

BEHIND THE NEWS

“Barbie has been both forward-thinking and a behind-the-times image of womanhood”

As the new Barbie film catapults the doll back into the cultural spotlight, ROBIN GERBER explores the toy’s origins – and the sometimes controversial ways in which it has depicted wider social values

HISTORY NEWS IN BRIEF

High-status prehistoric Iberian was a woman The remains

''In an inclusive public culture, Blake’s is a great, passionate human voice"

WILLIAM BLAKE AND GL ASTONBURY

''Britain’s first black editor achieved so much in such a short life"

KAVITA PURI explores lesser-known stories from our past

LETTERS

LETTER OF THE MONTH Female trailblazer Hatshepsut as

Q&A

A selection of historical conundrums answered by experts

BOOKS

ANCIENT CHINA “An invaluable book for anyone wishing

“We need to get rid of the idea that Britain was humanitarian in its imperialism. That needs to go”

CHARLOTTE LYDIA RILEY talks to Ellie Cawthorne about her book exploring the complex, and often troubled, relationship between the British empire and the ‘mother country’

France in the dock

RICHARD J EVANS applauds a vivid account of the final days of the collaborationist French Vichy regime, and of the trial of its leader, Marshal Philippe Pétain

Creative spirit

Elizabeth Fremantle discusses Disobedient, a novel reimagining of the life of renowned 17th ‐century Italian Baroque artist Artemisia Gentileschi

How bias begins

ALEXANDER WATSON commends a powerful examination of the portrayals of Roma people in Europe through the centuries

Narrative thread

CHRISTIENNA FRYAR is enthralled by the story of three enslaved women told by one simple artefact

THE CLASSIC BOOK

Nathen Amin on an influential study of the Tudor family from its early Welsh origins

Dead reckoning

JAMES LIN is impressed by a scholarly but readable look at what the tombs of ancient Chinese people reveal about past and contemporary beliefs and culture

Female fighters

Forgotten Warriors: A History of Women on the

Circular arguments

The Globe: How the Earth Became Round by

ENCOUNTERS DIARY

DIARY By Jonathan Wright, Paul Bloomfield and Samantha Nott

Rage against the machine

From setting fire to factories to issuing anonymous death threats, our podcast editor ELLIE CAWTHORNE delves into some of the extreme actions of the Luddites

Spires, bombers and imps

This East Midlands city has long boasted a beautiful cathedral and a commanding Norman castle, but the recently opened International Bomber Command Centre adds another impressive historic attraction for visitors. YORK MEMBERY takes a stroll about town

Istanbul in five places

This most historic of cities has had many names and lived many lives. BETTANY HUGHES picks five sites that highlight Istanbul’s rich and turbulent past

PRIZE CROSSWORD

GETTY IMAGES

Were Caesar’s last words “Et tu, Brute?”

Did Julius Caesar really utter the oft-quoted phrase

Your guide to the Maya

When was the start of the Maya civilisation?

On these days

Explore the key anniversaries, births and deaths from

Newsletters

GETTY IMAGES/ALAMY We’ve recently launched several themed newsletters

NEXT MONTH

October issue on sale 31 August 2023

Walter Tull

1888–1918

Scotland’s greatest victory

The image of plucky warriors sending a cocksure English army into flight has secured Bannockburn’s status in the annals of Scottish history. Helen Carr chronicles the 1314 clash that transformed the balance of power between two warring nations

Outrage!

8 scandals that shocked Georgian Britain

Did they really have to fight to the finish?

Fighting on in the First World War

NORTHERN POWERHOUSE

During its turbulent four-century history, the kingdom of Northumbria clashed with Pictish warriors, Welsh kings and Viking raiders. Fiona Edmonds tells the story of an ambitious realm that changed the face of early medieval Britain

TOKYO IN RUINS

In 1923, a violent earthquake razed Japan’s bustling imperial capital and killed more than 100,000 people. Christopher Harding explores the aftermath of the disaster – and its pivotal cultural and physical legacy

KEEP CALM AND IGNORE THE ARMADA

What did English merchants and mariners do when a Spanish invasion fleet menaced the south coast in 1588? As Robert Blackmore reveals, they boarded their ships and carried on trading

Lifeboats

RNLI.org/Hist

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PODCAST

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BBC HISTORY MAGAZINE

WOODLAND TRUST

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Glouceste Rhistory Festival

gloucesterhistoryfestival.co.uk

BBC music MAGAZINE

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PETER SOMMER

petersommer.com

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