May 2022

Expert history articles from the May 2022 issue of BBC History Magazine

Medieval

Q&AWhich king thought he was made of glass

The presenters of the recently launched BBC Radio 1 assemble for a group photo outside Broadcasting House, 1967. (Photo by Robert Stiggins/Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

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BBC at 100Sounds of the Sixties. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Ross Kemp and Jesse Owens

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My history heroRoss Kemp chooses Jesse Owens. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Victoria Drummond, Britain's first female marine engineer. Also seen is her ancestral home, Megginch Castle; a Second World War Allied convoy; Mount Etna, which she encountered on one voyage; and a Lloyd’s War Medal for Bravery at Sea, similar to the one that Drummond received in 1941

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Victoria Drummond: trailblazing ship's engineer and war hero. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A painting of Lisbon depicts conspicuous displays of Portuguese imperial wealth and power – including enslaved African people

Medieval

How slavery thrived in Renaissance Europe

Persian courtiers in the throne room at Persepolis, as depicted in a relief detail.

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Persepolis: the creation of the Persian empire’s foremost citadel. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A scene from a relief at Persepolis, ancient Persia’s magnificent ceremonial capital

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The Persians: empire of the greats. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Our collage shows three generations of the Dudley family

Tudor

The Dudley dynasty: the family behind the Tudors

Kris Manjapra Headshot

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Kris Manjapra“Black communities have had to pay for the failures of emancipation”. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Cockfighting pit with crown surrounding a fight

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Feather beds, cockfights and midnight flights to the moon: 5 fascinating chapters in avian history. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.