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Film: The ladies-in-waiting who served the six wives of Henry VIII
Virtual Branch
Every queen had ladies-in-waiting. Her confidantes and chaperones, they are the forgotten agents of the Tudor court. Experts at survival, negotiating the competing demands of their families and their queen, the ladies-in-waiting of Henry VIII’s wives were far more than decorative ‘extras’: they were serious political players who changed the...
Film: The ladies-in-waiting who served the six wives of Henry VIII
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A trail of garnet and gold: Sri Lanka to Anglo-Saxon England
Primary History Article
Sri Lankan garnet in Anglo-Saxon graves?
In 2009 news broke of a fabulous hoard of gold and garnet military ornaments unearthed in a Staffordshire field. TV reports mentioned the garnet might have come from Sri Lanka or India, but how could it have got here? I began reading up what used to be called ‘The Dark...
A trail of garnet and gold: Sri Lanka to Anglo-Saxon England
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The Historian 44
The magazine of the Historical Association
Featured articles
3 Heroes of the Cuban Revolution: Martí, Maceo and Gómez - Joseph Smith
9 Update: Nationalism and National Cults in England and on the Continent between the Tenth and the Twelfth Centuries - Emma Mason
12 Biography: Churchill's Wartime Radio Rival - David Smith
16 Record Linkage: The Scottish Architect...
The Historian 44
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The Heroine Project Presents: Dorothy Lawrence films
Forgotten First World War heroine speaks to a new generation
In 1915 aspiring journalist Dorothy Lawrence left London for northern France with ambitions to become the first female war correspondent. What happened next defied authority and convention – and challenges traditional depictions of women’s role in World War One.
The Historical Association (HA) commissioned Theatre company The Heroine Project Presents to create...
The Heroine Project Presents: Dorothy Lawrence films
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To what extent was the failure of denazification in Germany 1945-48 a result of the apathy of the allies?
Historian article
To blame the failure of the denazification process in postwar Germany entirely on a vague and generalised concept such as apathy is simplistic and does not stand up to serious scrutiny. Denazification was one of the most ambitious attempts ever at provoking an artificial revolution; it is reasonable to assume...
To what extent was the failure of denazification in Germany 1945-48 a result of the apathy of the allies?
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Nottingham Branch History
Article
A major feature of the Historical Association's branches has been their strong links with a variety of voluntary organisations focused on, or with interests in, history. The Association's initial aims drawn up in June 1906 included 'Co-operation for common objects with the English Association, the Geographical Association, the Modern Language...
Nottingham Branch History
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Napoleon: Man and Myth
Was Napoleon a revolutionary?
In this podcast Professor Michael Broers of the University of Oxford looks at the significance of Napoleon Bonaparte.
This podcast was funded by the Age of Revolution education legacy project and recorded with the help of Maria Edwards, Student Ambassador at the University of Kent.
Napoleon: Man and Myth
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Archaeology – get involved
The Council for British Archaeology
Across the UK there are regional community groups undertaking practical field work; there are colleges and universities offering part-time courses – all of whom are keen to hear from you.
It doesn't matter where you live or what age you are, the archaeology of the UK is for everyone to...
Archaeology – get involved
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What difference has the opening (and closing) of archives after 1991 made to the historiography of the Cold War?
Twentieth-century history
Prior to the East European revolutions of 1989, and the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, commentators outside the region were largely reliant on printed material collected by specialist research libraries, informal rrangements with contacts ‘behind the iron curtain’, information that could be gleaned from visits to the region, and...
What difference has the opening (and closing) of archives after 1991 made to the historiography of the Cold War?
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The first trans-Atlantic hero? General James Wolfe and British North America
Article
Early on the morning of 8 June 1758, British frigates unleashed their broadsides upon French shore defences at Gabarus Bay, on the foggy and surf-lashed island of Cape Breton. Under cover of the warships' guns, a motley flotilla of craft headed towards the land. Propelled by straining Royal Navy oarsmen,...
The first trans-Atlantic hero? General James Wolfe and British North America
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Victorian Life: Clothes
Book Review
Victorian Life: Clothes by Liz Gogerly. Wayland, 2008; ISBN: 978 0 7502 5368 0
Reviewed by Alf Wilkinson
An exploration of Victorian clothes - for rich and poor - for upper KS2 pupils. The text briefly sets the context of the Victorian period, and uses examples of famous people -...
Victorian Life: Clothes
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Who's afraid of the Big Bad Bronze Age?
Primary History article
It’s September 1992 and in Dover archaeologists from the Canterbury Archaeological Trust are working alongside construction workers when six metres below ground they find some waterlogged planks. Thankfully, an expert in maritime archaeology is on site and he recognises that this could be a lot more than abandoned timber. Uncovering...
Who's afraid of the Big Bad Bronze Age?
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The cultural biography of opium in China
Historian article
Zheng Yangwen shows that despite its association with trade, war and politics, opium was first of all a history of consumption.
Opium has fascinated generations of scholars and generated excellent scholarship on the opium trade, Anglo-Chinese relations, the two opium wars, and Commissioner Lin. The field has diversified in the post-Mao...
The cultural biography of opium in China
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Artisans and the craft economy in Scotland c.1780-1914
Podcast
In this podcast Professor Stana Nenadic looks at Artisans and the craft economy in Scotland c.1780-1914 and the impact of the Industrial Revolution.
Artisans and the craft economy in Scotland c.1780-1914
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The Scottish Textile and Craft Industries
Podcast
In this set of podcasts Professor Stana Nenadic of the University of Edinburgh discusses the Scottish textile industry, the craft and artisan economy in Scotland and the impact of the Industrial Revolution.
The Scottish Textile and Craft Industries
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What is a Synoptic Essay and How Do I Write One?
Student Guides
This resource is free to everyone. For access to a wealth of other online resources from podcasts to articles and publications, plus support and advice though our “How To”, examination and transition to university guides and careers resources, join the Historical Association today
Part of the A-Level History course now...
What is a Synoptic Essay and How Do I Write One?
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Film: The Quest for the Lost of the First World War
The Searchers
Historian Robert Sackville-West joined the HA Virtual Branch in November 2021 to talk about the topic of his book The Searchers: The Quest for the Lost of the First World War. By the end of the First World War, the whereabouts of more than half a million British soldiers were unknown. Most were presumed...
Film: The Quest for the Lost of the First World War
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Cunning Plan 159: Was King John unlucky with his Barons?
Teaching History feature
Typical teaching of King John and Magna Carta focuses either on the weakness of John or the importance (as Whig historians would see it) of Magna Carta. The first question is a bit boring and the second discussion unhistorical. This enquiry sequence is designed for students aged 11 to 13. It...
Cunning Plan 159: Was King John unlucky with his Barons?
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Lesson sequence: The Normans
Article
The first lesson of this sequence is available free to all secondary members here.
This series of lessons investigates the impact of the Norman Conquest. It does this by getting students to question Simon Schama’s interpretation that the Normans brought a ‘truck-load of trouble’ to England. The sequence is five lessons long,...
Lesson sequence: The Normans
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Lesson sequence: The Normans - taster lesson
Article
This series of lessons investigates the impact of the Norman Conquest. It does this by getting students to question Simon Schama’s interpretation that the Normans brought a ‘truck-load of trouble’ to England. The sequence is five lessons long, with the first four lessons delivering the content and the fifth wrapping up...
Lesson sequence: The Normans - taster lesson
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My Favourite History Place - Cambridge City Cemetary
Historian feature
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission maintains memorials to our war dead in large and small numbers in cemeteries across the world, and here Glenn Hearnden presents us with a detailed and informative case-study of Cambridge City Cemetery.
Like many large towns and cities across the UK, there is a cemetery in...
My Favourite History Place - Cambridge City Cemetary
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The Swansea Branch Chronicle 7
Branch Publication
This edition features articles on the following:From the EditorA Deeper Unrest, Richard NyeA Great War Swansea Pot Pourri, Bernard LewisThe Crimson Shadow of Mametz Wood, Giles ReesGeorge Arthur EvansHedd WynAs it Looked to Me; France and Belgium 1917, John LawThere Were Hundreds of Us in the Queue Trying to Enlist,...
The Swansea Branch Chronicle 7
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Recent Advances in the Study of Surnames
Article
Many surnames have a straightforward meaning. It is obvious that names such as Smith, Wright and Turner come from occupations; that names such as Pickering or York are from the names of places; and that Roberts, Robertson, Robson and Robinson are derived from the same personal name. It is not...
Recent Advances in the Study of Surnames
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Teaching History 82
The HA's journal for history teachers
6 Project Chata: Concepts of History and Teaching Approaches at Key Stages 2 and 3 - Peter Lee, Alaric Dickinson and Rosalyn Ashby
12 History, Economics, Economic History and Economic Awareness - Peter J. Rogers
20 GCSE History: A Case for Revolution - John Checketts
23 History 14-19: Challenges and Opportunities...
Teaching History 82
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Saxons, Normans and Victorians
Classic Pamphlet
When Queen Victoria died in 1901, the Annual Register remarked that the feeling of forlorn-ness which swept the country had no parallel since the death of King Alfred. The men of the new century were driven to seek a Saxon parallel. So too were men at the beginning of the...
Saxons, Normans and Victorians
