By Tim Lambert The Background to the Plot The Gunpowder Plot was an attempt to kill King James I and the members of parliament. The plot was foiled and its failure is celebrated every year in England on 5 November when bonfires and fireworks are lit. In the late 16th century most people in England… Continue reading The Gunpowder Plot 1605
A Brief History of The Inquisition
By Tim Lambert The Medieval Inquisition The Inquisition began in the 13th century as a way of dealing with heresy. The Cathars were a religious sect that flourished in Southern France and Northern Italy in the 12th and 13th centuries. In France, they were called Albigensians after the town of Albi. In 1184 Pope Lucius… Continue reading A Brief History of The Inquisition
The Katyn Massacre
By Tim Lambert In 1939 Stalin made a treaty with Hitler and they agreed to split Poland between them. Germany invaded Poland from the west on 1 September 1939. The Soviet Union invaded Poland from the east on 17 September. All Polish resistance ceased on 5 October 1939. Afterward, Germany occupied about 2/3 of Poland… Continue reading The Katyn Massacre
A History of Roman Gladiators
By Tim Lambert Origins of the Gladiators In Rome and other major cities in the Roman Empire gladiators were men (or sometimes women) who fought, sometimes to the death, to provide entertainment. The first gladiators fought in 264 BC at a funeral. Six gladiators fought to entertain the guests. The word gladiator means a man… Continue reading A History of Roman Gladiators
A History of the Tower of London
By Tim Lambert The Tower of London in The Middle Ages The Tower of London is one of the most famous buildings in London (although it is actually several towers and other buildings). It has stood guard over the city since Norman times. The first part of the Tower of London to be built was… Continue reading A History of the Tower of London
A History of the Witch Trials in Europe
By Tim Lambert The Background to the Witch Trials From the late 15th century to the late 18th century, a wave of persecution washed across parts of Europe. Tens of thousands of people were executed for witchcraft. So what happened? Belief in magic was almost universal in the past. Almost all cultures believed that you… Continue reading A History of the Witch Trials in Europe
Religion in the Ancient World
By Tim Lambert Religion in Ancient Egypt The Egyptians were polytheists. That is, they worshiped many gods. Gods and goddesses were usually depicted as human beings though sometimes they had animal heads. Among Egyptian gods were Amun-Re, the sun god and the leader of the gods. Nut was the sky goddess. Her brother Geb was… Continue reading Religion in the Ancient World
Children in the Ancient World
Children in Ancient Egypt Most children in Ancient Egypt did not go to school. Instead, boys learned farming or other trades from their fathers. Girls learned sewing, cooking, and other skills from their mothers. Some girls were also taught to read and write. Boys from wealthy families sometimes learned to be scribes. They learned by… Continue reading Children in the Ancient World
The Cro-Magnons
By Tim Lambert The Cro-Magnon people About 35,000 years ago modern humans entered Europe. (They are sometimes called Cro-Magnons). At that time Europe was in the grip of an ice age. Scandinavia and most of the British Isles were permanently covered in ice. (In fact of course they were not islands at that time. Great… Continue reading The Cro-Magnons
Life in Prehistoric Europe
By Tim Lambert Prehistoric Hunters Modern humans entered Europe about 35,000 BC at a time when the Earth was in the grip of the last ice age (which ended about 8,000 BC). They lived by hunting mammoths, reindeer, bison, and horses. They also hunted smaller animals like hares and arctic foxes. The Ice Age hunters… Continue reading Life in Prehistoric Europe