The Boston Massacre by Paul Revere
A great deal of tension existed between the American colonies and the British government in the 1760s. In 1767 the Townshend Acts were passed by the British parliament in an attempt to enforce trade regulations and establish its right to tax the colonies.
The acts were unpopular with the colonists [...]
The Forth Rail Bridge, 1890
Before 1890 the only direct route between Queensferry and North Queensferry in the east of Scotland was the ferry across the Firth of Forth. The crossing was slow and often dangerous and the four ferries, Queen Margaret, Robert the Bruce, Mary Queen of Scots and Sir William Wallace, were sometimes [...]
Rhodesia
On 2 March 1970 Ian Smith, the Prime Minister of Rhodesia, announced the formation of the Republic of Rhodesia at a ceremony at Government House, Salisbury. With the signing of the proclamation, Smith dissolved Rhodesia’s parliament and brought into effect a new constitution.
Rhodesia, named after Cecil Rhodes, had been a British colony since the [...]
Labour Party Headquarters, Victoria Street, London
At the end of the 19th century left-wing political representation in the United Kingdom was spread across a large number of small organisations. The Independent Labour Party failed to make any headway in the 1895 general election despite fielding 28 candidates.
In order to have any influence over British politics [...]
Elizabeth I c1575
Henry VIII’s decision to break the Church of England away from Rome set in motion a series of events that were central to the political and religious life of the Tudor era and beyond. Today marks the 440th anniversary of one of those events, the excommunication of Henry’s daughter, Elizabeth I.
The religious [...]
The building used by the Cato Street Conspirators
At half past seven in the evening of 23 February 1820, a group of police officers stormed into a hayloft above a stable in Cato Street, London. Inside were a gang intent on assassinating members of the British cabinet who they believed were attending a dinner nearby. [...]
Edward the Confessor
Often in the study of history a reputation must be stripped away to reveal the real historical figure (or as much as the evidence allows). This applies to the story of Edward the Confessor more than most. Far from being the saintly old man seen in the Bayeux tapestry, Edward was a [...]
Cnut, King of England 1016-1035
The second part of my Kings and Queens of England series covers the years 1013 to 1042. This 29-year period saw six kings on the throne of England and a power struggle between the Saxons and Danes.
Part one ended in 1016 with the death of Æthelred II. In part two [...]
The murder of Edward the Martyr
One of the first difficulties encountered when attempting to chronicle any period of history is where to start. Some may start a history of the monarchs of England with Alfred the Great, who drove back the Danes and secured his kingdom of Wessex. Others may choose to begin in [...]
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