It is that time of year when we want to say a big thank-you to all our volunteers. Volunteers and volunteering are essential for making the HA work the way it does. From our governance to our output, we rely on the time, expertise and goodwill of individuals from across...

Professor Alexandra Walsham, President of the Historical Association (HA), said ‘I am delighted that King Charles III will succeed his late mother Queen Elizabeth II as our royal patron. This appointment could not be more fitting as the king himself studied history at university.’ The study of history – for...

Normandy originated from a grant of land to Rollo, a Viking leader, in the early tenth century. By the end of that century Normans were to be found in southern Italy, then in Britain and, at the end of the eleventh century, in the near East on the First Crusade....

Catherine Hall is Emerita Professor of Modern British Social and Cultural History at University College London. She has a long-established academic record in feminist history and empire and post-colonial history. She was a professor of history at UCL during a key development period and was the principal director of two key...

The Dudleys thrived at the court of Henry VII, but were sacrificed to the popularity of Henry VIII. Rising to prominence in the reign of Edward VI, the Dudleys lost it all by advancing Jane Grey to the throne over Mary I. That was until the reign of Elizabeth I,...

Teachers of History in Kent and Medway schools are invited to apply for the 2024-25 Ian Coulson Bursary for Local History/Archaeology in Schools. A grant of up to £1000 is available to help teachers develop new teaching resources for local history and/or archaeology in both primary and secondary schools. The...

Welcome to this packed spring edition of HA News. Take a look at the programme for our Annual Conference in May, including the first keynote by our new President Professor Alexandra Walsham and this year’s Dawson Lecture recipient Dr Penelope Harnett, who is featured in these pages. We are also pleased to announce that this year's Medlicott Medal will be awarded to the...

What can the early history of the English East India Company tell us about the foundations of the British Empire, and where does that history sit within current debates about Britain’s imperial legacy?In this session Mark Williams offers a timely insight into the history of one of the most significant building...

It is hard to underestimate the impact that the ancient Near East has had on the history of the world, and the lasting hold it has had on our imaginations. From the birth of the written word, the wheel and the first city-states to the pyramids and the pharaohs, we...

It’s the start of a new year – what can we expect? As we don’t have a crystal ball we can’t tell you what will happen, but as historians we can tell you about some of the things we will be remembering or marking over 2024. We think there will...

The British have always been a bit snarky about Napoleon – I guess that’s the way victors can play it. For the French, they often seem either to love or loathe him; the same it seems goes for many historians. What does seem to be clear from the recent discussions...

On 13 November 2023 some of the HA team were fortunate enough to be in a glorious room at Claridge’s in Mayfair, London to hear the announcement of the winner of the prestigious Wolfson History Prize. To a full room it was announced that the winner was independent historian Halik...

If my generation all remember where they were when the aeroplanes, hijacked by terrorists, flew into the Twin Towers on 11 September 2001, then my parents' generation all knew where they were when they heard about the assassination of US President John F. Kennedy. Before the conspiracy theorists and the...

The Kingdom of Poland started its existence in the medieval period as one of the most important countries of eastern Europe. Positioned on key trading routes, it became a powerful nation that had periods of remarkable stability, playing a major role in both the Renaissance and the Reformation. Despite this,...

Physical, mental and neurological disability and differences have existed for as long as people have roamed the earth, with different cultures, groups and communities responding differently to how to support those individuals. How disability has been recognised and treated is not something that has always been recorded over human history,...

Some things are important every year; others only seem to hit our radar when it’s a significant anniversary – think Bonfire Night versus The Battle of Waterloo. That is why we refresh and update our anniversaries calendar every year. For what is left of 2023 we have the 75th anniversary...

If you are over the age of fourteen you probably don’t get the excitement of Halloween. In fact, you might wonder generally what the fuss is about a Christian-Pagan entwined anniversary that leads to the excitement of children and their demands for sugar. However, as adults it is an opportunity...

Each year, the HA hosts and promotes Local History Month in May, which seems like a long way  off right now but we believe in planning ahead. We also believe that now is the time to celebrate some of the rich history and histories that are found in our local...

Welcome to this packed autumn edition of HA News, featuring a mixture of what we've been up to, what we're planning on doing and some history pieces just for you. Dr Gabrielle Storey explores the history and importance of medieval coronations, former HA President Dr Anne Curry writes about her experiences as an...

At the end of last month (August) it was the 60th anniversary of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr’s famous ‘I have a dream’ speech, made during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom held on 28 August 1963. The racism in the US at the time included segregation...