April 2013 cover

April 2013

Articles from the April 2013 issue of BBC History Magazine

A portrait of Anne Boleyn

Tudor

Why did Henry VIII send Anne Boleyn to the block?

When were punctuation marks first used? Illustration by Glen McBeth for BBC History Magazine.

General History

Q&AWhen were punctuation marks first used?

The Spanish Armada: Tudor spin portrayed the events of August 1588 as a glorious English victory but, argues Robert Hutchinson, bad weather and bad tactics had more to do with the Spanish fleet's failure than Elizabethan derring-do. (Ann Ronan Pictures/Print Collector/Getty Images)

Membership

The Spanish Armada: England's lucky escape. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

British soldiers in Normandy. Though Goodwood cost the British some 200 tanks, infantry losses were relatively light, says Mark Urban. (Capt. E G Malindine/IWM via Getty Images)

Membership

Operation Goodwood: one of the biggest British disasters of the Second World War?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A Pompeian fresco from the first century showing a woman tuning a musical instrument. Excavations at the partially buried Roman city reveal that women played a prominent role in the home, and that they took personal grooming very seriously indeed. (Photo by: Werner Forman/UIG via Getty Images)

Membership

At home with the Romans. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Early medieval

Q&A: Did King John ever display goodness?

Membership

How the Tudors invented breakfast. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

When completed in the early 12th century, Durham Cathedral was "absolutely up-to-the-minute in its design and near-perfect in its execution," says Marc Morris. (Jim Gibson via Getty Images)

Membership

Where history happened: Norman churches. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Membership

History on trial. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The Battle on the Ice, fought between the men of Novgorod and the Teutonic Knights, was a landmark in European history, says Dominic Sandbrook. (Alamy)

Membership

A big day in history: Nevsky's Russians crush the Teutonic Knights. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Membership

Ye olde travel guide: Rio de Janeiro 1820. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Membership

Q&A: Were the martial songs in Nazi newsreels typical of the period?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.