British & Irish History
Courses Online & In London

The course examines what has been described as the most celebrated disaster in post-war domestic British politics - the Poll Tax of 1988-94.

Explore the life of the 18th century black Londoner, Ignatius Sancho. Orphaned on a slave ship bound for South America he had many lives in London: in service to noble family in Greenwich, a businessman, elector, correspondent with Laurence Sterne and others and a composer of music. After his early death many of his letters were published and helped to raise awareness of the plight of enslaved and ex-enslaved Africans, fuelling the drive to abolish slavery across the British colonies in the Caribbean.

Join Captain Mark Linnell, chair of the Naseby Battlefield Trust, to learn more about the significance of the battle, early modern weaponry, the strategies used and the key figures involved in this tragic conflict.

George II is perhaps best remembered as the last British monarch to lead his troops into battle and also as the instigator of the custom of standing for the Hallelujah Chorus in Handel’s Messiah. His reign marked the high point of Handel’s career which the King did much to promote but also saw other great achievements in British culture with the art of Hogarth and the works of Pope and Swift. In politics, Robert Walpole created the post of Prime Minister and Bonnie Prince Charlie’s rebellion was the last attempt by the Stuarts to regain power and made him into an
instant legend. Towards the end of the reign men like Pitt, Wolfe and Clive laid the foundations of the British empire whilst the Agricultural Revolution was transforming British society..

Between the passing of the Witchcraft Act in 1563 by the Scottish parliament and its repeal in 1736 by the British parliament, an estimated 4,000-6,000 people in Scotland were prosecuted for witchcraft - a rate far higher than occurred in England. This course will explore this phenomenon via its sources to comprehend this unusual period in Scottish History.

Infamous for “losing” America and going mad, George III was the first English-born king for 70 years and a great patriot who supported agricultural improvements and helped advance learning in the Age of the Enlightenment..

The Norman Conquest was arguably the most catastrophic event in English history. Changes in language and law are still with us today. We can thank the Normans for words like ‘murder’, the imposition of inheritance tax and haute cuisine!

Although inextricably linked to Britain, Ireland’s history, identity, and nationhood has equally been shaped by its relationship with Europe. This course traces Ireland’s development from the coronation of Henry VII as King of Ireland in 1541 to the Treaty of Limerick and ‘The Flight of the Earls’ in 1691.

From two World Wars to a welfare state; consensus to Thatcherism; trace the upheavals that reshaped 20th-Century Britain. Explore politics, culture, and identity in a nation remade by conflict, decolonisation, affluence, and diversity.