England

J. Hurstfield analyses social conditions in the Elizabethan age.

“Shakespeare, the only history of England I ever read,” the great Duke of Marlborough is said to have remarked; and Shakespeare’s enormous influence in shaping subsequent concepts of fifteenth-century England is nowhere better illustrated than in the case of the character of Richard III. 

Trade was the impetus for early contacts between Russia and England, though each country had its own view of how the relationship should function. Helen Szamuely examines the first two centuries of Russian embassies to London.

John Gillingham challenges an idea, recently presented in History Today, that the Anglo-Saxon King Egbert was responsible for the naming of England.

Derek Wilson looks at Henry Tudor’s long period of exile and asks what influence it had on his exercise of power following his seizure of the English throne in 1485.

Joan M. Fawcett utilises the household records for the Countess of Leicester, sister of Henry III, to retrace a crucial year for the de Montfort fortunes.

Garth Christian appraised the “ancient character” of Lewes, taking in its Puritanical influence, its legacy of ironworks and its architectural highlights.

S.M. Toyne draws upon Guy Fawkes’ background in an effort to better understand his single-minded motivation.

J.D. Hargreaves appraised Swindon, “a city very much itself”, with a view of its idiosyncrasies, architecture and people.

Far from enslaving Anglo-Saxons under the Norman yoke, the Conquest brought freedom to many, as Marc Morris explains.

George T. Beech investigates whether a King of Wessex adopted a new name for his country in 828, but failed to implement the change.

Philip Baker considers the lasting impact of the Levellers’ famous efforts to reform the English state in the aftermath of the Civil Wars by means of written agreements guaranteeing the sovereignty of the people.

The wedding of Elizabeth Stuart and Frederick V took place on February 14th 1613.