Medieval sambocade

WELCOME

JANUARY 2025

THREE THINGS I’VE LEARNED THIS MONTH

1. Global wealth gap In Kavita Puri’s Hidden

THIS ISSUE’S CONTRIBUTORS

Lucy Worsley “Why did Guy Fawkes and the

ANNIVERSARIES

DANNY BIRD highlights events that took place in January in history

What inspires our love of history?

What events or youthful experiences nurture an enduring fascination for centuries gone? A diverse panel of historians reveal the pivotal moments that sparked their lifelong passion for the past

MICHAEL WOOD ON…

REDISCOVERING THE ANCIENT HERITAGE OF MESOPOTAMIA

HIDDEN HISTORIES

KAVITA PURI on the cultural achievements of the Mughal empire

LETTERS

Churchill with his wife Clementine and General Bruce

Q&A

A selection of historical conundrums answered by experts

BOOKS

ESPIONAGE “This narrative is one of adventure and

“The battle created reverberations that lasted for generations”

MATTHEW GABRIELE and DAVID M PERRY talk to David Musgrove about the ninth-century civil war among Charlemagne’s grandsons that reshaped Europe

Unravelling the enigma

STUARTS

ON THE PODCAST

Buckingham’s world

Greek drama

ANCIENT EGYPT

Hidden figures

An eloquent exploration of the work of female British intelligence agents impresses KATE VIGURS

THE CLASSIC BOOK

Charlotte Lydia Riley on a powerful family story exploring social politics

A modern icon

POLITICAL

Against the odds

DIARY By Jonathan Wright and Danny Bird

EXHIBITIONS

I See His Blood Upon the Rose

Up for the fight

Jack O’Connell returns as Paddy Mayne in the

Christmas in Poplar

Sister Monica Joan gets in the Christmas spirit

Folk hero

Claes Bang (right) plays a marksman confronted with

Cold case investigator

Lucy Worsley is back to challenge what we

RADIO HIGHLIGHTS

Testament of youth

THIS MONTH’S TOP PODCAST PICKS

Listen ad-free at historyextra.com/podcast or with ads

Shipwrecks on Scilly

Beneath the clear waters of the Isles of Scilly lurk treacherous rocks on which more than 1,000 ships have foundered. CLARE HARGREAVES discovers their stories

PRIZE CROSSWORD

Book worth £20 for 4 winners The

NEXT MONTH

Evacuation nation Dan Todman tells the stories of

MY HISTORY HERO

1917–96

Land of make believe?

Marco Polo’s adventures in Asia earned him everlasting fame. But are his accounts of his travels essentially works of fiction? Peter Jackson asks if we can trust this medieval travel-writing superstar

Have we finally unmasked the killer of the princes in the Tower?

NEW EVIDENCE

WHO WAS THE GREATEST US PRESIDENT?

With Donald Trump set to be inaugurated as the 47th president, we asked seven historians to nominate their choice for the most accomplished American leader

How to build a radical

The experiences that shaped Guy Fawkes and his gunpowder plot co-conspirators into violent extremists seem all too familiar today. Lucy Worsley tells a story of religious clashes, state-sanctioned torture and comrades-in-arms willing to die for the cause

A HILL TO DIE ON

In early 1944, the Allied advance in Italy was brought to a halt at a rocky outcrop called Monte Cassino. And at the heart of the bloodbath that followed, writes James Holland, was flawed leadership

The Elusive Pimpernel

Some suffragettes marched with banners, or printed and distributed propaganda pamphlets. Others took more direct action. DIANE ATKINSON tells the story of one activist who employed arson to spark awareness of the burning issue of women’s suffrage

Was there a best time to be alive?

It’s human nature to look at the past through rose-tinted glasses. But can any age truly be considered golden?

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HISTORYEXTRA

historyextra.com/tudor-england-series

PETER SOMMER

petersommer.com

SLOVENIA

www.slovenia.info