Oliver Cromwell’s death in 1658 sparked a period of unrivalled turmoil and confusion in English history. In less than two years, there were close to ten changes of government; rival armies of Englishmen faced each other across the Scottish border; and the Long Parliament was finally dissolved after two decades.  Why...

It is an ever-changing world and while some are celebrating the rainbow of LGBTQ+ others are simultaneously trying to wash it away. Here at the HA we are happy to be a champion of LGBTQ+ history. We are committed to a broad and inclusive understanding of history and are pleased...

The religious wars of the Crusades are renowned for their military engagements. But the period was witness to brutality beyond the battlefield. More so than any other medieval war zone, the Holy Land was rife with unprecedented levels of criminality and violence. In the first history of its kind, Steve Tibble explores...

It’s a new year and there’s lots to look forward to – new hopes and fortunes! Of course, we also like to look back (history being our business) and so we’re excited to see that 2025 is another year packed full of anniversaries. We will be commemorating several of these...

January 2025 is the 760-year anniversary of Simon de Montfort calling the first parliament in 1265. Simon de Montfort can be a divisive figure, both disliked and admired in equal measure for different aspects of his recorded character and his actions. Undoubtedly a violent man, he was also responsible for...

Each year on 27 January the UK observes Holocaust Memorial Day. Every year since its introduction communities, individuals, organisations and institutions have been encouraged to mark the day and remember it. The history of what is remembered is straightforward: on 27 January 1945 the Soviet Army entered into a Nazi...

In this Virtual Branch talk Professor Emma Smith provides a preview of her current research, which explores the lives and cultural undercurrents of Elizabethan England. What was influencing their cultural tastes and how much of it was new, or had it all been seen before? Emma Smith is Professor of Shakespeare Studies...