Latest Posts

  • Mythical Creatures: A History of European Werewolves

    Werewolves are perhaps one of the most popular modern-day mythical creatures, alongside vampires, and many teen films and television shows now feature both creatures. I have already written a post about the historical origins of vampires, and what medieval people believed to be true about these monsters, so I thought it was time to look…

  • A Brief Moment of History: The Teleported Soldier?

    Some tales from history are intriguing to say the least, and though many are sceptical of stories of ghosts and aliens, a certain Mexican folk legend certainly raises questions. Today, we explore the story of a sixteenth-century soldier who supposedly teleported over 8,000 miles… According to legend, in late October 1593 a soldier (named in…

  • An Interview With: Sylvia Barbara Soberton, Historical Author

    We are excited to return to our interview series today as we speak to Sylvia Barbara Soberton. Sylvia is a writer and researcher specialising in the history of the Tudors. She debuted in 2015 with her bestselling book “The Forgotten Tudor Women: Mary Howard, Mary Shelton & Margaret Douglas”. Sylvia’s other best-sellers include “Golden Age…

  • A Brief History of Oktoberfest

    210 years ago on the 12th October 1810 the very first Oktoberfest was held. Known across the world today as a German beer-drinking holiday, many do not know how old the festival is. So where did it originate from? In 1810, Bavaria, within modern-day Germany, was ruled by Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria. Maximilian had…

  • Monthly Round-Up: History in the News, August 2020

    August has been another exciting month of archaeological and historical discoveries. From ancient stone age artwork, to historic graffiti, to a hoard of gold, and the impact of coronavirus, there has been plenty to talk about. Here is a pick of just eight pieces of news to have been announced last month. The grave of…

  • Historical Figures: Alice Chaucer, Lady of the Garter

    One of the most famous writers from the medieval period is Geoffrey Chaucer. He lived between the 1340s and 1400 and most famously wrote The Canterbury Tales. He was also the first writer to be buried in Poets’ Corner in Westminster Abbey. However, he had a granddaughter named Alice who was born a few years…

  • Ancient Wonders: The Colossus of Rhodes

    So far in the Ancient Wonders series we have looked at The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, The Colosseum, Stonehenge and the Great Wall of China. We now return to the original list of the Seven Wonders of the World, compiled in the 2nd century BC, by investigating the Colossus of Rhodes. The Colossus has captured…

  • Monthly Round-Up: History in the News, July 2020

    Although much of the world has been in lockdown for several months now, there have still been many exciting discoveries in the fields of history and archaeology that have been announced. Just this month new archaeological sites have been found and research has changed our knowledge of things we thought we previously knew. So here…

  • Legendary People: Pocahontas, The Real History

    In 1995 Disney released the film Pocahontas which earnt $346 million at the box office and received two Academy Awards, a Golden Globe and a Grammy. In the subsequent years, many began to learn that Pocahontas was based on a real person who was born 400 years before the film’s release – and that her…