Secondary History

A six-part animated series that explores the key events of the battle for the throne in 1066 and how William the Conqueror secured power.

An interactive article exploring the legacy of this brutal conquest - the last time England was successfully invaded – which still pervades many aspects of our language and culture today.

Professor Robert Bartlett tells the extraordinary story of England's most dysfunctional, yet longest ruling, royal dynasty, beginning in 1128.

A look at what sources can tell us about the importance and origins of Magna Carta.

A look at what sources can reveal about Antisemitism in Medieval times.

A look at how sources can help separate the myth from the man that is William Wallace.

Historian Ruth Goodman and archaeologists Tom Pinfold and Peter Ginn examine how the castles of the 13th century, known as the golden age of castle building, were constructed.

Historian Ian Mortimer transports viewers back to Elizabethan England and reveals, in vivid detail, a living, breathing Tudor world.

David Olusoga explores the lives of some of the hundreds of black migrants who were in England during the Tudor period.

This interactive guide explores the lives of Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn and Thomas Cromwell, and looks at how they shaped Tudor England.

Dr Sam Caslin begins her investigation into the personality of Elizabeth I by examining a source held at The National Archives at Kew.

What did the Tudor king Henry VIII want from his six wives? And why would he execute them, like Anne Boleyn, or divorce them, like Catherine of Aragon?

An explainer article exploring how Tudor king Henry VIII ruled at a time when the average life expectancy was just 35 years old.

An interactive article looking at why we light Guy Fawkes effigies on bonfires on November 5th. And how Gunpowder Treason Day became fireworks night over 400 years.

Dan Snow travels through India in the footsteps of the company that revolutionised the British lifestyle and laid the foundations of today's global trading systems.

Professor Jeremy Black explains the unique economic, social and political factors that helped Britain transform itself almost entirely by the 19th century.

Dan Snow examines the development of the railways from their beginnings as track-ways for coal carts in the early 18th century to the pivotal technology for modern Britain.

Including: the Palatines who migrated to Britain in the 1700s, Black people in Britain during the Atlantic slave trade era, and The Irish migrants who moved to Liverpool during the Industrial Revolution.

Historian David Olusoga looks at: why slave owners opposed abolition, how British slavery owners fought for compensation, the Barbados Slave Code, Evidence of British slave ownership in the 1830`s, and the social and economic impact of slave ownership on British Society.

Short films exploring the stories of the 'young Victorian villains' and the strict justice system that decided their fate.

Dramatisation of the Manchester Cholera Epidemic - the epidemic affected other parts of the UK too; this is an illustration of how Manchester was affected.

Sally Lindsay takes a rare look at the personal loves, losses and political passions that transformed Emmeline Pankhurst from a working mum from Manchester into a militant activist.

A short video about three significant suffragettes - Princess Sophia Duleep Singh, Annie Kenney and May Billinghurst - emphasising the diverse make-up of the women's suffrage movement.

Collection of 5 short clips looks at the way women's rights changed during the 20th century, including the Suffragettes, World Wars and the 1960s.

Gemma Cairney investigates how women fought for changes such as the right to vote, equal pay and birth control. She talks to women who were involved in fighting for equality in the workplace and other social freedoms.

A collection of video resources and interactive articles for secondary schools, perfect for use with students studying World War One.

A collection of video resources for secondary schools, perfect for use with students studying World War Two.

Noel Thompson looks at the history of the Arab Israeli conflict during the 20th century, examining the key events and personalities on both sides of the conflict and tracing the issues of the country.

Profiles of Neil Armstrong, Marie Curie, Dr Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, and Helen Keller.

This short film looks at the New Cross house fire of 1981, and the protests, unrest and accusations of indifference that followed and defined race relations for a generation.

This short film examines how black children in the 1960s and 1970s were disproportionately sent to schools for the so-called ‘educationally subnormal’.

This short film looks at the Black Power movement in the 1960s in the UK, surveying both the individuals and the cultural forces that defined the era.

Short films exploring the lives of London's West Indian community during the 1960s, 70s and 80s, produced alongside the BBC One collection of films directed by Oscar winner Steve McQueen.

Exploring what historical sources reveal about how close Britain came to nuclear war in the early 1960s.

An exploration of historical sources from the 1960s reveals deep seated changes in attitudes among young people.

Six British 15-year-olds trace their own family history back to the post war period of the 1950s and 60s.