British History

An estimated 750 million people worldwide tuned in to the July 1981 ceremony.

14 Fun Facts About Princess Diana's Wedding

The royal nuptials—and the couple's tumultuous relationship—feature heavily in season four of Netflix's "The Crown"

An aerial view of the Mount Pleasant henge, as seen during excavations in the early 1970s

Evidence of Neolithic Construction Boom Found at British 'Mega-Henge'

New research suggests ancient humans built the Mount Pleasant henge in as little as 35 to 125 years

A 2016 study suggested that Henry sustained a traumatic brain injury that affected his temperament following the 1536 accident, but other experts attribute the shift in mood to an ulcerated leg, diabetes or hypothyroidism.

Researchers Find Remnants of Jousting Field Where Henry VIII Almost Died

In January 1536, the Tudor king fell from his horse and sustained significant injuries that troubled him for the rest of his life

The Book of Lismore consists of 198 large vellum folios.

Medieval Manuscript Returns to Ireland After Hundreds of Years in British Hands

The 15th-century Book of Lismore features the only surviving Irish translation of Marco Polo's travels, among other historical texts

Anne Boleyn was the only Tudor figure beheaded with a sword instead of an ax.

Why Henry VIII Orchestrated Every Detail of Anne Boleyn's Execution

The Tudor king had his disgraced queen killed by beheading rather than burning

A probable witches' mark found at the site of the abandoned St. Mary's church in Buckinghamshire, England

Eerie Witches' Marks Found Among Ruins of Medieval English Church

Archaeologists in Stoke Mandeville found carvings probably designed to ward off evil spirits

17-year-old Reece Pickering found one of just three surviving silver pennies dated to Harold II's reign.

Two British Teens Using Metal Detectors Discovered 1,000-Year-Old Coins

One of the coins is a silver penny dated to Harold II's brief reign in 1066. The other dates to the time of Henry I

Archaeologists unearthed the friary's ruins beneath the site of a demolished parking garage.

Long-Lost Medieval Monastery Discovered Beneath Parking Garage in England

Carmelite friars established Whitefriars in 1270, but the religious site was destroyed during the Protestant Reformation

A rare edition of Shakespeare's First Folio sold at auction for $10 million.

Shakespeare's First Folio Is the Most Expensive Work of Literature Ever Auctioned

A rare edition of the 1623 volume of plays sold at Christie's for nearly $10 million

The second season of "The Spanish Princess" presents a highly dramatized version of the Battle of Flodden. In actuality, the queen (seen here in a c. 1520 portrait) never rode directly into battle.

When Catherine of Aragon Led England's Armies to Victory Over Scotland

In 1513, Henry VIII's first queen—acting as regent in her husband's absence—secured a major triumph at the Battle of Flodden

This month's picks include Mantel Pieces, The Dead Are Arising and A Series of Fortunate Events.

How the Alphabet Got Its Order, Malcolm X and Other New Books to Read

These five October releases may have been lost in the news cycle

Sarah Forbes Bonetta, as seen in 1856 (left) and 1862 (right). Hannah Uzor's new portrait is based on the 1862 photograph.

The Little-Known Story of Queen Victoria's Black Goddaughter

A newly commissioned portrait of Sarah Forbes Bonetta is now on view at the monarch's seaside house, Osbourne

This circular witches' mark was thought to ward off evil.

Virtually Explore a Forest Filled With Witches' Marks and Other Tree Etchings

A publicly sourced portal spotlights centuries of graffiti left in England's New Forest

Archaeologists inspect the Anglo-Saxon warlord's grave.

Newly Unearthed Warrior's Grave Poised to Redraw Map of Anglo-Saxon England

Nicknamed the "Marlow Warlord," the six-foot-tall man was buried on a hill overlooking the Thames sometime in the sixth century A.D.

Parliament's halls are lined with art.

How the U.K. Parliament's Art Collection Is Linked to Slavery

An initial review identified 189 works depicting individuals associated with the slave trade

A newly discovered Anglo-Saxon cemetery in Oulton, England, includes more than 200 graves.

This Anglo-Saxon Cemetery Is Filled With Corpses' Ghostly Silhouettes

All that remains of several individuals buried in a 1,400-year-old graveyard are shadowy traces of their skeletons

The Mayflower Autonomous Ship's debut in Plymouth, England, is one of many events marking the 400th anniversary of the original Mayflower's 1620 journey.

An A.I.-Driven 'Mayflower' Will Cross the Atlantic Next Year

The autonomous vessel's launch, originally scheduled to mark the 400th anniversary of the Pilgrims' landing at Plymouth, was delayed by the pandemic

Curators removed the tsantsa, or shrunken heads, from display in July.

Oxford Museum Permanently Removes Controversial Display of Shrunken Heads

Citing the exhibit's reinforcement of "racist and stereotypical thinking," the Pitt Rivers Museum moved a total of 120 human remains into storage

Storm Francis uncovered more petrified tree stumps in Wales' Cardigan Bay, 15 miles south of the sunken forest in Borth.

New Section of Petrified Forest Uncovered on Wales Beach After Storm

The petrified forest in Borth appears in a myth written in the oldest surviving Welsh manuscript

A one-inch-long gaming piece found at the site of a former Roman fort in Chester, England

Roman Gaming Piece Crafted Out of Bone Found in England

Ancient soldiers may have used the oblong token to play "Ludus Latrunculorum," or the "Game of Mercenaries"

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