During the twelfth and thirteenth centuries the crusaders constructed tens of castles across the Middle East, some merely small watchtowers, others massive strongholds or fortress cities - but why did the crusaders place so much importance on fortifications? Nicholas Morton explores the development of this remarkable phenomenon asking key questions such...

Book Now (Registration is via Cademy which opens in a new window. Please read the course terms and conditions before registering) What does the course cover? With the Bayeux Tapestry coming to the UK for the first time in 2026, and 2027 heralding the ‘Year of the Normans’, there will...

In the Year of Reading, we've selected a few reads linked to the month, alongside some seasonal suggestions – all drawn from the riches of our own archive. Goethe (1749–1832) 28 August is the anniversary of the birth of Goethe (1749–1832), the German polymath who is often considered the most...

The events that finally brought the Second World War to an end across the globe are not commemorated in quite the same way as the end of the war in Europe. This can be attributed in part to the way in which Japan was forced to surrender, but also to...

Summer holidays often tempt us to look further afield. Yet some of the most fascinating stories are hiding in plain sight: beneath our feet, behind garden walls, along harbour fronts and on windswept headlands. This year, why not slow down, look a little closer, and discover the history woven through...

Why did the the Maginot Line – that marvel of 1930s engineering with its miles of fortifications and bunkers to deter German invasion – fail so spectacularly in 1940? Its vast underground forts were designed to withstand artillery and chemical attack, yet France fell in just six weeks, leaving the Line as a symbol of...

Following a period of expanded sea exploration in the 15th century by European explorers the American continent started to be established as a trading opportunity but very quickly became something more permanent. Throughout the 16th and 17th centuries Western European Powers expanded their reach into the Americas, establishing colonies and...

July is South Asian Heritage Month, an ongoing opportunity for those with a Eurocentric perspective to expand their horizons. South Asia is a large area of the globe with many different histories, cultures, languages and food that have travelled and dispersed far beyond their original subcontinent. To celebrate that geographic and demographic reality...