The East Anglian witch hunt under Matthew Hopkins, self-appointed Witchfinder General, has garnered a great deal of popular and historical interest over the years. An image has developed of a zealous, misogynistic young man serving crazed 'justice' against supposed witches, whipping up panic and turning neighbours against each other in...

This self-guided short course provides an introduction to European witchcraft history from the fifteenth century to the present. Using a range of primary sources, the course explores important themes and questions relating to witchcraft history, examining how witchcraft has been imagined and understood at different times and in different places, and why...

What was life really like for women in the medieval period? How did they think about sex, death and God? Could they live independent lives?  Few women had the luxury of writing down their thoughts and feelings during medieval times. But remarkably, there are at least four who did: Marie de France,...

As part of a project to identify and write biographies of all of the Jews of the medieval Lincoln Jewry, Natasha Jenman, Luka Liu, and Josh Outhwaite have been working on records of Jewish property ownership in the city across the thirteenth century. This allows them to identify those individuals who will be...

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...

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...

This is the story of the Venice Ghetto, the corner of the city where Jews were exiled; free to walk the streets by day, locked behind gates and walls at night. Yet, gates and walls notwithstanding, from its establishment in 1516 until the fall of Venice in 1798, the ghetto...

The Medlicott Medal is awarded annually for outstanding services and contributions to history. This year the Medal went to renowned historian and author Professor Diarmaid MacCulloch who is currently Professor of the Church at Oxford. His 2008 book History of Christianity: the first three thousand years is the leading authority on the history...

In modern times, occultists have spoken of a specifically western tradition of ceremonial magic, which has been continuously handed down through the millennia, in secret, from an original starting point in ancient Egypt. Although professional historians have become increasingly interested in the history of magic in general, there has not...

In this series of videos, produced by Royal Holloway, University of London, staff and students examine the origins, course and outcome of the Lincolnshire Rising and the Pilgrimage of Grace, the largest popular uprising in Tudor England. The playlist also includes a two-part case study looking at the fortunes of...

In this podcast written by Robert Parker, Professor Emeritus, University of Oxford, Professor Parker provides an introduction to Ancient Greek religion:  1. What do we mean by Greece?2. What is Greek Religion?3. Religion in society4.The experience of Greek religion See full set of podcasts and associated scheme of work for...

In this podcast Dr Janice Holmes of the Open University examines how the UK's relationship with religion has changed in the 20th Century and the significance of this change.

In this podcast Dr Janice Holmes of the Open University looks at the significance of the religious movements in the 19th century in producing social and political change in the UK.

In this podcast Professor Mark Humphries discusses the life and significance of Constantine the Great focusing on Constantine's role in the development of Christianity and the founding of Constantinople.

In this podcast Professor Mark Humphries looks at the life and significance of St Peter and his role in spreading Christianity into the Roman Empire.

In this podcast Professor Jonathan Riley-Smith gives an outline of events and causes of the First Crusade.

In this podcast Professor Beat Kumin of Warwick University gives you an overview of the impact of the Reformation, discusses the social and cultural implications of the Reformation, talks about some of the debates among historians about the reformation and looks at the impact the Reformation had on European foreign...

In this podcast Professor Jonathan Riley-Smith looks at the initial and long term effects of Crusades and examines how they have been treated by both western and eastern historians and thinkers over time.

In this podcast Professor Michael Braddick looks at the impact of the Civil War on relations between England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales.

In this podcast Professor Riley-Smith looks at the epic nature of the First Crusade and how the crusade proceeded across Europe and Asia Minor.