BBC History UK - September 2023

In this issue

Scotland’s greatest victory
Helen Carr explains how Robert the Bruce’s triumph at Bannockburn transformed the balance of power between two warring nations.

Northern powerhouse
Fiona Edmonds tells the story of an ambitious kingdom that dominated swathes of early medieval Britain.

Tokyo in ruins
In 1923, Japan’s capital was hit by an earthquake that killed over 100,000 people. Christopher Harding discusses the disaster..

Is history under threat at the UK's universities?

Universities around Britain have announced staffing cuts to history departments in recent months, citing falling admissions and funding shortages. President of the Royal Historical Society EMMA GRIFFIN spoke to Matt Elton about the causes of the crisis

5 mins

"Barbie has been both forward-thinking and a behind-the-times image of womanhood"

As the new Barbie film catapults the doll back into the cultural spotlight, Robin Gerber explores the toy's origins - and the sometimes controversial ways in which it has depicted wider social values

5 mins

"In an inclusive public culture, Blake's is a great, passionate human voice"

PUTTING AWAY THE CAMPING GEAR AFTER THIS year's Glastonbury Festival, I found myself reflecting on the idea of alternative cultures. Since its origins, Glastonbury has always been political, and hosts a huge number of side discussions, concerts and seminars. It still gives money to Greenpeace, WaterAid and Oxfam, in addition to a host of local charities. As a festival of music and arts, it plays an important part in public discourse in these deeply polarised times - when, for instance, a journalist from The Times recently argued that the humanities are a waste of effort.

3 mins

"Britain's first black editor achieved so much in such a short life"

WHEN I RECENTLY CAME ACROSS THE MAN considered Britain's first black editor, I was surprised that I had never before heard his name. Samuel Jules Celestine Edwards was born in Dominica, the youngest of 10 children, near the end of the 1850s. In 1870 he travelled to North America and then, some seven years later, to Edinburgh, where he worked as a labourer. He later spent time in Sunderland, where he reconnected with his Christian faith, practising as a Methodist, and became a vocal proponent of temperance.

2 mins

Scotland's greatest victory

The image of plucky warriors sending a cocksure English army into flight has secured Bannockburn's status in the annals of Scottish history. Helen Carr chronicles the 1314 clash that transformed the balance of power between two warring nations

8 mins

Did they really have to fight to the finish?

From 1914, powerful voices called for the First World War to end in a negotiated compromise. Why were they ignored?

8 mins

NORTHERN POWERHOUSE

During its turbulent four-century history, the kingdom of Northumbria clashed with Pictish warriors, Welsh kings and Viking raiders. Fiona Edmonds tells the story of an ambitious realm that changed the face of early medieval Britain

8 mins

TOKYO IN RUINS

In 1923, a violent earthquake razed Japan's bustling imperial capital and killed more than 100,000 people. Christopher Harding explores the aftermath of the disaster - and its pivotal cultural and physical legacy

10 mins

ΚΕΕΡ CALM AND IGNORE THE ARMADA

What did English merchants and mariners do when a Spanish invasion fleet menaced the south coast in 1588? As Robert Blackmore reveals, they boarded their ships and carried on trading

5 mins

France in the dock

RICHARD J EVANS applauds a vivid account of the final days of the collaborationist French Vichy regime, and of the trial of its leader, Marshal Philippe Pétain

4 mins

How bias begins

ALEXANDER WATSON commends a powerful examination of the portrayals of Roma people in Europe through the centuries

2 mins

Narrative thread

CHRISTIENNA FRYAR is enthralled by the story of three enslaved women told by one simple artefact

2 mins

Dead reckoning

JAMES LIN is impressed by a scholarly but readable look at what the tombs of ancient Chinese people reveal about past and contemporary beliefs and culture

2 mins

Walter Tull 1888-1918

MY HISTORY HERO

2 mins

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BBC History UK Magazine Description:

BBC History Magazine is Britain’s bestselling history magazine devoted to history enthusiasts of all levels of knowledge and interest. Published 13 times a year, BBC History Magazine brings history to life with informative, lively and entertaining features written by the world’s leading historians and journalists. Whether it is the history of our politics and institutions, or the fascinating stories of our private lives through the ages, BBC History Magazine sheds new light on the past and helps make more sense of today’s world.Covering the latest new developments in history and archaeology from Britain and around the world, the latest, most thought provoking historical research and strong links with TV and radio programming maximizing use of BBC’s existing expertise in the genre.