BBC History Magazine

BBC History Magazine aims to shed new light on the past to help you make more sense of the world today. Fascinating stories from contributors are the leading experts in their fields, so whether they're exploring Ancient Egypt, Tudor England or the Second World War, you'll be reading the latest, most thought-provoking historical research. BBC History Magazine brings history to life with informative, lively and entertaining features written by the world's leading historians and journalists and is a captivating read for anyone who's interested in the past.

WELCOME JULY 2023

THREE THINGS I’VE LEARNED THIS MONTH

THIS ISSUE’S CONTRIBUTORS

ANNIVERSARIES • HELEN CARR highlights events that took place in July in history

Are some LGBTQ histories being overlooked? • Exploring the lives of historical people with diverse sexualities and gender identities can be revealing – but also fraught with difficulties. MATT ELTON spoke to five historians, who cover a range of time periods, to discuss some of these issues

THE PANEL

“Putin’s misreading of history is a major contributing factor in how this war has progressed” • As the war in Ukraine continues to rage, with losses mounting ever higher on both sides, Matt Elton speaks to SERHII PLOKHY about his new book exploring the conflict’s historical origins and their consequences

HISTORY NEWS IN BRIEF

THE CROWNING OF CHARLES III

KAVITA PURI explores lesser-known stories from our past

LETTERS

BBC History Magazine

THE GREATEST PHARAOH? • Ramesses II was a genius in the art of self-promotion. Epic palaces, jaw-dropping temples and sycophantic scribes all projected his brilliance. But, asks Toby Wilkinson, do the achievements of Egypt’s ‘king of kings’ truly justify the hype?

WARRIORS, SHOWMEN AND TYRANTS • Five other pharaohs vying for the status of the ‘greatest’

INTERVIEW / SIMON SCHAMA • For centuries, scientists have striven to combat a whole host of infectious diseases. Yet, as Simon Schama explains in his new book, they have often met with considerable opposition

Q&A • A selection of historical conundrums answered by experts

DID YOU KNOW…?

The Tudor travel bug • The 16th century saw England truly waking up to the possibilities of global trade and exploration – and that had a huge impact on tastes and fashions back home. Lauren Working and Emily Stevenson introduce six artefacts that speak to the Tudor fascination with world travel

THE ORIGINAL ROGUE HEROES • It’s a story of extravagant lies, homemade bombs and adrenaline-pumped commandos. Joshua Levine charts the formative years of the SAS through the exploits of four extraordinary servicemen

The children’s war on slavery • They boycotted sugar, signed petitions and played abolitionist board games. Ryan Hanley and Kathryn Gleadle introduce the young people who took a stand against the slave trade in Georgian Britain

THE YOUNGEST FREEDOM FIGHTERS • How enslaved children fought back against their oppressors

The forgotten history of Windrush • The famous voyage of the Empire Windrush from Jamaica to Britain 75 years ago was the product of a tumultuous century in Britain’s relationship with the Caribbean. Christienna Fryar reveals how a region was transformed following emancipation

“Caroline was besotted with Byron. But, ungrateful love rat that he was, he set off chasing others” • LADY ANTONIA FRASER talks to Ellie Cawthorne about her biography of Caroline Lamb, the rule-breaking aristocrat whose affair with the great romantic poet scandalised Georgian society

Tale of the centuries • JOANN FLETCHER is engaged but occasionally frustrated by the third volume of a study of dynastic Egypt’s dramatic past

FURTHER READING • Joann...