British & Irish History
Courses Online & In London

Meet Elizabeth Cromwell, the enigmatic wife of Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell. What can we learn about Elizabeth's life and reputation from contemporary sources during her husband's rise to power, whether Royalist propaganda, portraits, or her letters to her husband? Is there more to Elizabeth than meets the eye?

Henry II is remembered for marrying Katherine Hepburn aka Eleanor of Aquitaine, his revolting sons and the murder of Becket. Richard I was a great soldier but an absentee monarch. His brother, John, has been dubbed the worst king in English history.

From being the ruler of an obscure German electorate George I suddenly became king of on the most powerful nations in the world in his fifties. He was never popular in his new kingdom but established a constitutional monarchy which has survived to today. Explore his life and world on this interactive lecture course

Examine how Britain was reshaped between 1850 and the First World War. Explore politics, society, culture, and empire in an era of reform, industrial growth, urban change, and changing ideas about class, gender, and identity.

Brothers in arms...? Join us to explore the restoration of the Stuart monarchy under King Charles II, the turbulent succession of his brother James II, and the resulting Glorious Revolution, tracing the political, religious and social events that reshaped England in the late 1600s.

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.

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..