James Osborne

I’m James, a senior content producer at HistoryExtra. Working with leading historians, I research, write and edit features that answer the questions readers are genuinely curious about, and I’m always looking for engaging ways to help readers keep pace with the latest expert insights and discoveries from the history they’re interested in. As well as writing, I’m a host on the HistoryExtra podcast, where you’ll find me speaking with historians about some of my favourite historical topics; namely ancient history and the Viking Age! I also work behind the scenes on our videos, curate our medieval-focused newsletter for 15,000 subscribers, and write a monthly historical game review for our print magazine. I’m a qualified archaeologist with a BSc in Bioarchaeology from the University of York, specialising in archaeological science. I’ve worked in digital journalism for more than five years, covering culture and entertainment for a wide range of publications — and at one point I even ran my own website dedicated to prehistoric animals and extinction. Before joining HistoryExtra, I was a staff writer at Network N Media, reporting on film, TV and gaming, writing reviews and interviewing industry figures. As a freelance culture journalist, I’ve also contributed to outlets including Vulture, The AV Club, Radio Times, Digital Spy and GamesRadar.

A tank crossing trenches at the battle of Cabrai during the First World War.

First World War

The First World War’s deadliest battle was stalling, but everything changed when Little Willie arrived

This statue depicts Hatshepsut carved with the masculine features traditionally associated with Egyptian kingship. By adopting male dress and iconography, Hatshepsut reinforced her legitimacy as pharaoh.

Ancient Egypt

Long before Cleopatra, another female pharaoh redefined ancient Egyptian power

An illustration depicting the Mexican-American War.

Victorian

In 1848, the US ended a war with its neighbour and took its land. What happened next?

A composite image of an ancient Egyptian cat statue against a red hieroglyphic backdrop.

Ancient Egypt

Did the ancient Egyptians really love cats? The dark truth might break your heart

This 16th-century portrait of Lady Margaret Beaufort, found in St John’s College, Cambridge, depicts the formidable matriarch of the Tudor dynasty. Mother of Henry VII, Beaufort has sometimes been implicated in later rumours surrounding the fate of the Princes in the Tower — accusations modern historians largely dismiss.

Tudor

Was a ruthless Tudor matriarch behind the disappearance of the Princes in the Tower?

This 12th-century tapestry detail from Skog Church in Hälsingland, Sweden, depicts key figures from Norse mythology. Odin appears on the left, one-eyed and carrying an axe beside the sacred tree on which he sacrificed himself; Thor stands at the centre with his hammer, Mjölnir; and the fertility god Frey holds an ear of corn.

Viking

Thor was the Vikings’ “archetypal masculine god” – so why did he dress as a bride?

A detail from the Bayeux Tapestry showing a moment of violence between the Anglo-Saxons and Normans.

Medieval

After 1066, this medieval fine was imposed to deter anti-Norman violence

Membership

Inside the Viking battle of the genders. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Medieval illustration of warriors riding horses.

Medieval

Warhorses were one of the most deadly weapons on a medieval battlefield. But why didn’t they run away?

Marty Reisman and Timothee Chalamet as Marty Mauser in the 2025 film Marty Supreme.

20th Century

No, Marty Supreme isn’t a true story. But the history of the real Marty Reisman is just as exciting

A group of soldiers playing football during the First World War.

First World War

The First World War’s Christmas truce is a heartwarming story – but it never happened

A poster for The Sound of Music edited to include the real von Trapp family.

Second World War

Is The Sound of Music a true story? The astonishing real history of the von Trapp family’s escape from Nazism

Victorian

Meet the reluctant US president who accidentally changed American political norms forever

Roman

Did the ancient Romans wear underwear? The truth is surprisingly complicated

This portrait presents Saladin wearing an elaborate headdress, emphasising his status as a ruler of the medieval Islamic world.

Medieval

Meet the shadowy assassins who were seconds from taking out Saladin – and upending the Crusades

Painted in 1540 by Hans Holbein the Younger, this iconic portrait shows Henry VIII at the height of his power. The king’s imposing stance and lavish dress project authority and magnificence, reflecting a reign that transformed England’s religion, politics, and monarchy.

Tudor

Henry VIII wanted a giant Tudor tomb. So why didn’t he get it?

Emperor Moctezuma II, ruler of the Aztec Empire at the height of its power. His reign oversaw a flourishing capital at Tenochtitlan and an expansive tribute system, but it ended abruptly with the arrival of Spanish conquistadors in 1519.

Tudor

Did Aztec civilisation really ‘collapse’? The reality isn’t as simple as you might think

This Roman mosaic depicts Orestes and Iphigenia, with Iphigenia holding a small statue of Artemis — imagery drawn from Greek myth and popular across the Roman world. Mosaics like this often decorated the floors of bath complexes and latrines, where vibrant storytelling scenes enlivened communal spaces.

Roman

Ancient Roman culture would be baffling to modern eyes – and their toilet habits prove it

This 1835 painting by Daniel Maclise imagines the first meeting between Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. Their relationship would set in motion a political and religious upheaval — leading to England’s break with Rome and Anne’s eventual rise and tragic fall as queen.

Tudor

Want to live like a Tudor? Historian Ruth Goodman did, and here are five crucial lessons she learned

This 4th-century AD mosaic from Terranova near Tuscolo depicts gladiators locked in combat, capturing the drama and choreography of the arena in late Roman Italy. Even as public spectacles waned in some parts of the empire, scenes like this show how gladiatorial fighting remained a potent form of popular entertainment.

Roman

Female gladiators shocked the ancient Roman world — but not for the reason you think

This illustration shows the chief of the Taensa people receiving the French explorer René-Robert Cavelier de La Salle on 20 March 1682. Set in what is now Louisiana, the scene reflects the early encounters between Indigenous nations of the Lower Mississippi Valley and Europeans

Medieval

Step inside the lost Native American city that rivalled medieval London

A statue of an ancient Mesopotamian demon stands before a backdrop of cuneiform text, evoking the richly layered world of ancient Near Eastern religion.

General ancient history

Long before Dracula, an ancient Mesopotamian civilisation raised the world's oldest vampires

This late 15th-century illustration shows crusader forces besieging Damascus during the ill-fated Second Crusade in 1148. The armies of King Baldwin III of Jerusalem, Emperor Conrad III of Germany, and King Louis VII of France converge on the city, only for the campaign to collapse in defeat. Likely produced in Bruges for a chronicle of the Crusades, the image reflects how later medieval artists interpreted one of the crusading movement’s most damaging failures.

Medieval

Who won the crusades? The causes, death toll, and number of medieval holy wars explained

This William H. Mumler photograph shows a bearded man seated while a faint female “spirit” appears behind him. Mumler’s images — a blend of portraiture and supposed spirit photography — captivated Victorians eager for proof of the afterlife, even as critics accused him of trickery and photographic manipulation.

Victorian

Did he photograph the ghost of a president? Meet the scheming Victorian who exploited a grieving America

Membership

The REAL history behind Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit and more. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

This Roman mosaic depicts gladiators locked in combat. Created to celebrate the spectacle of the arena, it offers a glimpse into one of the most popular, and most brutal, entertainments of the Roman world.

Roman

Step inside the ancient Roman empire's gladiatorial arenas, and witness 24 hours of shocking violence

This 15th-century 'Zodiac Man' illustrates how each sign of the zodiac was thought to govern a different part of the human body. Such images helped shape early modern astrology, which blended medieval medical theory with renewed interest in celestial influence. Astrological medicine guided decisions from diagnosis to bloodletting, reflecting a world in which the heavens were seen as active forces in human health and destiny.

Stuart

How do you cope with living in a century of chaos? By learning how to predict the future

This 1865 image shows Giuseppe Garibaldi at Caprera, the veteran revolutionary whose campaigns made him a hero of the Italian unification movement. Celebrated across Europe, Garibaldi became the enduring symbol of Italy’s struggle for independence and national unity.

Victorian

History’s sexiest revolutionary? Meet the mesmerising general whose charms helped win a war

This late 16th-century portrait by John de Critz depicts Sir Francis Walsingham (c.1532–1590), Queen Elizabeth I’s spymaster. A shrewd diplomat and master of espionage, Walsingham built the intelligence network that helped safeguard the Tudor state from plots and foreign threats.

Elizabethan

Elizabeth I’s shadowy spy network was tasked with uncovering secret conspiracies. Here’s what it found

Winston Churchill wearing glasses and a bow tie, with his arms outstretched beside a microphone, in a black-and-white photograph set against a dark red background.

Second World War

It was Operation Unthinkable: Churchill’s “impossible” plan to start World War 3

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