England

A.L. Lloyd pays an historical visit to the capital of north-eastern England.

Celebration of Christmas was curtailed by England’s Puritan republic but the methods and results varied considerably.

Eric Linklater finds that among medieval champions of Scottish independence was an ancestor of Elizabeth II, the heroic Robert the Bruce.

Charles Dimont traces the origin and history of ‘God Save the King’ (or ‘God Save the Queen’), the British national anthem.

C.R. Boxer profiles the naval adventures of the Netherlands' Tromp family - a thorn in the side of mid-17th century English maritime activity.

W. H. Chaloner considers how the Lombes “penetrated the secrets” of the closely guarded silk-throwing machines of Piedmont, and successfully introduced them into England

In an age of opportunity, G.E. Fussell describes how the Elizabethan farmer lived under pioneer conditions.

Arthur Bryant relates how Becket’s death, at the hands of Henry II's servants, made this once worldly prelate a popular religious hero.

In the twelfth-century conflict between Church and State, Henry II found his most determined opponent in his formerly devoted servant, Thomas Becket, as Arthur Bryant continues his Story of England series.

A leading actor in the civil war, Clarendon in his History offered an interpretation of the causes of the conflict which has been much debated by later historians, as Christopher Hill discusses here.