History Extra

Few pirates in history wielded as much power as Zheng Yi Sao, the woman who rose from obscurity to command one of the largest pirate fleets the world has ever seen, challenging the Qing empire's control of the South China Sea. Yet despite her extraordinary achievements, surprisingly little is known for certain about her life, and many of the stories told about her blur the li...

For about 370 years, the people of medieval and early modern Europe lived in fear of the plague.

The infectious disease, caused by the baterium Yersinia pestis, first arrived on the continent in 1347. Spread by fleas living on rats, the

In the summer of 1553, a dying boy sat on England’s throne.

Edward VI was only 15 years old, but illness had left him desperately weak. The male heir who

Samurai and statesman Tokugawa Ieyasu founded the dynasty that unified Japan in the early 16th century. His house ruled the country for more than 250 years. He’s a towering figure from the nation’s history – a man capable of ruthless, decisive action, but who at other moments actively sought to avoid conflict and waited for his enemies to make mistakes.

In this episode,...

Across the early months of 1990, Margaret Thatcher’s controversial Community Charge, nicknamed the Poll Tax, triggered an explosion of opposition – one with echoes of the past.

“Re-enacting 1381 revolt,” reported the Kentish Gazette in March that year. “Anti-poll tax protesters going on a three-day march to London later this month.”

For the paper, and man...