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Film: A short history of Islamic thought
Article
In his book of the same name, A short history of Islamic thought, Dr Fitzroy Morrissey provides a concise introduction to the origins and sources of Islamic thought, from its beginnings in the 7th century to the current moment.
In this talk he explores the major ideas and introduces the...
Film: A short history of Islamic thought
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Recorded Webinar: Writing historical fiction - Writing and revision
Article
In this second webinar in our series on writing historical fiction, author Tony Bradman talks about the actual process of writing the story, with examples. The difficulty of the first page - how to start your story with impact and make sure the reader is gripped from the first line....
Recorded Webinar: Writing historical fiction - Writing and revision
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Film: Ravenna: Capital of Empire, Crucible of Europe
Virtual Branch Lecture Recording
Ravenna was the capital of the Western Roman Empire from 402 CE until 751 CE, then later, the capital of the immense kingdom of Theoderic the Goth and finally the centre of Byzantine power in Italy. In this talk Professor Judith Herrin explores the history of the city, its peoples...
Film: Ravenna: Capital of Empire, Crucible of Europe
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Virtual Branch Recording: Writing Black histories, telling Black stories
Article
In February 2021 we were delighted to continue the HA Virtual Branch with Stephen Bourne, author of a number of books including Black Poppies: Britain’s Black Community and the Great War and Black in the British Frame: The Black Experience in British Film and Television. In 2017 South Bank University awarded Stephen an Honorary Fellowship for...
Virtual Branch Recording: Writing Black histories, telling Black stories
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Papal Election and Murder
Historian article
Before the smoke clears: The longest papal election in history was marred by a brutal murder
Papal elections never used to be so short or easy. In 1268 Pope Clement IV died and the cardinals, divided between French and Italian factions, would be deadlocked for the next three years over...
Papal Election and Murder
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Out and About in Derry/Londonderry
Historian feature
Jenni Hyde was out and about in Derry in 2016 and describes how the sights of the city tell the story of a history which is so much more than just the legacy of the Troubles.
Out and About in Derry/Londonderry
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Bayeux
Historian article
Bayeux, 23 kilometres west of Caen, was the first French town to be liberated in 1944 - on 7 June in fact, the day after the landings. Yet its origins go much further back than that: its first bishop was consecrated in the fourth century. It became part of Normandy...
Bayeux
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Lucy Worsley: How to build an Anniversary
Annual Conference Film
Do you sometimes heave a cynical sigh when you hear that it's 175 years since the invention of, say, the paperclip, and that a wealth of exhibitions, books and TV programmes are planned to celebrate the fact?
Well, anniversaries can be a powerful hook to get people interested in the...
Lucy Worsley: How to build an Anniversary
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War, Society and the State in Early Modern Europe
Podcast
Lecture from the 2012 HA Annual Conference
Frank Tallett: Fellow in History at the University of Reading and former Head of its School of Humanities
Until recently, military history has largely been concerned with ‘badges and buttons', an approach that stressed tactics, strategy and weapons. The so-called New Military History has sought...
War, Society and the State in Early Modern Europe
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Film: A conversation on Goethe with A.N. Wilson
Article
In Goethe: His Faustian life, award-winning biographer, critic and writer A. N. Wilson tells the spellbinding story of the life of Goethe. From his youth as a wild literary prodigy, to his later years as Germany’s most heroic intellectual figure, Wilson hones in on Goethe’s undying obsession with the work he would spend his...
Film: A conversation on Goethe with A.N. Wilson
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Travel
Historian article
Perhaps I should start by saying what impels me to visit remote places, and that means saying what I'm not. I'm not an anthropologist: I have attempted to read anthropological texts, and confess to finding them amazingly dull when compared with what they're attempting to describe. There are exceptions: Piers...
Travel
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Diagrams in History
Historian article
One of the gifts of the social sciences to history is the use of expository diagrams; but attention is rarely given to the history of diagrams. Maps - schematized representations of locations in spatial relation to one another - can be dated back to Babylonia in the late third millennium...
Diagrams in History
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Medical aspects of the battle of Waterloo
Historian article
Michael Crumplin explores the medical facilities of the British Army and asks how likely soldiers wounded at Waterloo were to survive.
The road to Waterloo
One of the very few benefits of conflict is the advancement of medical practice. The recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistanhave been dealing with relatively...
Medical aspects of the battle of Waterloo
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West Somerset Mineral Railway
Visit
The West Somerset Mineral Railway Project is run by a consortium of local and national partners under the leadership of the Exmoor National Park Authority. It received a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund in December 2007 for a programme scheduled for completion at the end of 2009. The project set...
West Somerset Mineral Railway
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From our branches: Were we quite mad? Establishing the East Sussex Branch
Historian feature
John Oliphant gives us the lowdown on the Historical Association’s new East Sussex Branch, describing the tribulations faced by its committee before a lecture on Oliver Cromwell in September 2024 marked a successful start to the new academic year...
From our branches: Were we quite mad? Establishing the East Sussex Branch
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Update: Space, place and social constructs: the Spatial Turn in history
Historian feature
Ryan Hampton explains how ‘things’ and people combine to make space an important consideration in human history. Focusing on the German Peasants’ War of 1524-26, he examines how advances in our understanding of space might affect our knowledge of this important conflict...
Update: Space, place and social constructs: the Spatial Turn in history
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Recorded webinar: Prosthetics and assistive technology in ancient Greece and Rome
Article
In this webinar, Jane Draycott shares her research on prostheses and assistive technology in ancient Greece, Rome and the neighbouring civilisations. She outlines the findings from her 2023 book on this subject, which arose from a grant to visit museums around the UK to access surviving ancient prostheses and modern...
Recorded webinar: Prosthetics and assistive technology in ancient Greece and Rome
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Doing history for climate action
Historian article
Incidents of flooding across the UK are increasing, threatening homes and livelihoods. In this article, Hannah Worthen and Briony McDonagh explain how they are using historic records of floods and flood management to engage communities in Hull in new conversations and to prompt vital action. Their project, Risky Cities, was...
Doing history for climate action
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The Importance of Truth, Quality and Objectivity in the BBC German Service from 1938 to 1945
Historian article
Throughout the Second World War the BBC produced and transmitted regular broadcasts in German to Germany and other European countries occupied by the Germans. In this article Hattie Simpson evaluates the style and success of the BBC German Service. The article is based on her winning entry in the senior...
The Importance of Truth, Quality and Objectivity in the BBC German Service from 1938 to 1945
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Recorded webinar: Using 'One Day' to explore the actions that helped to lead to the Holocaust and actions of genocide
HA Webinar
This year's Holocaust Memorial Day the theme is 'One Day'. In this webinar with historian Paula Kitching, we will use the one day Wannsee Conference of January 1942 to help explore the actions of the perpetrators, the Holocaust victims and how decision making by people can lead to genocide.
This...
Recorded webinar: Using 'One Day' to explore the actions that helped to lead to the Holocaust and actions of genocide
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Real Lives: Henry Allingham and the First World War
Historian feature
Our series ‘Real Lives’ seeks to put the story of the ordinary person into our great historical narrative. We are all part of the rich fabric of the communities in which we live and we are affected to greater and lesser degrees by the big events that happen on a daily...
Real Lives: Henry Allingham and the First World War
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Magna Carta and the Origins of Parliament
Historian article
In February this year the four surviving originals of Magna Carta were briefly brought together in the Houses of Parliament. John Maddicott, examining the Charter's role in the early development of Parliament, shows that the setting was well chosen.
What did Magna Carta contribute to the origins of parliament? If...
Magna Carta and the Origins of Parliament
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A precious jewel: English Calais, 1347–1558
Historian article
For 200 years the English Crown held the town and fortress of Calais, thereby providing a gateway into France for English exports and influence.
The conquest of Calais
On 26 August 1346 an English army led in person by King Edward III was confronted by a French army commanded by...
A precious jewel: English Calais, 1347–1558
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Real Lives: Flora Sandes
Historian feature
Our series ‘Real Lives’ seeks to put the story of the ordinary person into our great historical narrative. We are all part of the rich fabric of the communities in which we live and we are affected to greater and lesser degrees by the big events that happen on a daily...
Real Lives: Flora Sandes
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Real Lives: The Reverend John Chilembwe
Historian feature
Our series ‘Real Lives’ seeks to put the story of the ordinary person into our great historical narrative. We are all part of the rich fabric of the communities in which we live and we are affected to greater and lesser degrees by the big events that happen on a daily...
Real Lives: The Reverend John Chilembwe
