Online History Courses
Take a closer look at the events, people and ideas that have shaped our world with City Lit’s online history courses. Whether you're fascinated by ancient civilisations, medieval Europe, modern politics or global history, our expert-led courses offer flexible and engaging learning — all from the comfort of your own home.
Explore key historical periods, movements and cultural changes, and gain insight into the social, political and economic forces that have influenced the course of history. With live interactive sessions, group discussion and guidance from experienced tutors, you'll build knowledge, develop critical thinking and share your passion for the past with fellow learners.
Our online history courses are open to adults of all ages — no prior experience required. Whether you're returning to study or exploring history for the first time, you'll find a welcoming, supportive environment to feed your curiosity and expand your understanding.
Explore our online history courses today and connect with the stories that continue to shape the world we live in.
123 courses available
- The Byzantine Empire
Explore the dramatic history of the Byzantine Empire from its Roman roots to its fall in 1453. This course offers a concise yet penetrating look at an empire that shaped both Europe and the Islamic world.
Online
Mon 5 Oct 2026Sean GabbFull fee £189.00 Senior fee £151.00 Concession £123.00 
History taster: Puerto RicoA concise exploration of Puerto Rico’s unique journey from empire to US territory and the identity questions that remain.
Online
Tue 6 Oct 2026Anna GrimaldiFull fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £12.00- London History Lectures: The World of the London Bodysnatchers, 1800-1832
In this illustrated talk, Sarah Wise - author of The Italian Boy: Murder and Grave Robbery in 1830s London - takes us on a tour of some of London’s lesser-known graveyards, and surveys some of the highly unsentimental folk who profited from other people’s deaths and family bereavements. Some of them even turned to murder.
Online
Wed 7 Oct 2026Sarah WiseFull fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £12.00 - European empires in AfricaJoin us for an introduction to the major themes of imperial history in the past 200 years of African history, where we will contextualise many of the trends and challenges in the continent today and view Africa in a new light.
Online
Sat 17 Oct 2026Sunday Abraham OgunodeFull fee £189.00 Senior fee £151.00 Concession £123.00 - Black British Communities from the 1700s to the 21st centuryWe’ll explore the presence and experiences of Black communities in Britain, from the 1700s to the present. We’ll also analyse the concept of race and racist ideologies as they evolved, and community resistance to them.
Online
Wed 21 Oct 2026A. SFull fee £89.00 Senior fee £89.00 Concession £58.00 - Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan 1917-21: Revolution, Conflict and Experiments in IndependenceJoin our tutor David Rowson to discover the fascinating history of Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, otherwise known as the South Caucasus. What impact might the Russian Revolution have on these states?
Online
Thu 22 Oct 2026David RowsonFull fee £189.00 Senior fee £189.00 Concession £123.00 - America Divided: Lead up to the Mid-Terms 2
Join City Lit Principal Mark Malcomson to discover why the US Mid-Term elections are among the most dramatic and high-stakes political events -and why they could matter far beyond America’s borders.
Online
Thu 22 Oct 2026Mark MalcomsonFull fee £29.00 Senior fee £29.00 Concession £19.00 - Meet the Scientists: Isaac Newton
Explore Isaac Newton’s groundbreaking contributions to the development of physics during this History of Science Late.
Online
Thu 22 Oct 2026Gary RetallickFull fee £29.00 Senior fee £29.00 Concession £19.00 - From cradle to the grave: a history of the NHS 1948 to the present
The course examines the creation, consolidation, development and reorganizations of the NHS from 1948 to the present day.
Online
Tue 27 Oct 2026David IngledewFull fee £169.00 Senior fee £169.00 Concession £110.00 - The Spanish Empire: Power, Conquest, and Legacy
Join Dr. Maisa Edwards to explore the rise, global reach and fall of the Spanish Empire from the 1400s to the 1800s.
Online
Tue 27 Oct 2026Maisa EdwardsFull fee £129.00 Senior fee £129.00 Concession £84.00 - The London of Bram Stoker and DraculaAlthough born in Ireland, Bram Stoker came to London to work with the great Actor Manager Henry Irving at the Lyceum Theatre and spent the rest of his life here. While working at the Lyceum he published his most famous and enduring novel “Dracula” in 1897. This virtual tour takes us to the London locations of that novel so we cover a wide range of ground from Hendon to Hampstead and Piccadilly to Pimlico tracing the footsteps of the fictional vampire and his creator. Learn about the places Stoker visited, the people he knew, the library where he researched and the history of the book on stage and screen.
Online
Tue 27 Oct 2026Diane BursteinFull fee £29.00 Senior fee £29.00 Concession £19.00 - Taster: Why are history and memory important?What is history? What does history mean to you? Is history important to society? Why or why not? Who gets to decide what and whose history is important? What are the implications of this? There are many reasons and ways to engage with history. With this course, we scratch the surface of the vast universe that is history to give you a taster.
Online
Mon 2 Nov 2026Olivia DurandFull fee £19.00 Senior fee £15.00 Concession £12.00 - The History of the FBI 1908-1976The online course will assess the impact of the Federal Bureau of Investigation under the leadership of its first Director, J. Edgar Hoover, on US politics, society and culture from its beginnings in 1908 until 1976.
Online
Mon 2 Nov 2026Dafydd TownleyFull fee £159.00 Senior fee £159.00 Concession £103.00 - London History Lectures: Strands of Radicalism in Soho's Denmark Street 1850-1880
A tiny meeting house, converted from a chapel, stood at the back of number 18 Denmark Street, Soho, until the end of the 19th century. The Eclectic Hall regularly hosted a range of political radicals and counter cultural commentators, often attracting sell-out crowds. Using this venue as a prism, Sarah Wise investigates the shifting currents in ‘Soho radicalism, mapping the various currents of political radicalism packed into this tiny area of central London; and giving an idea of the audiences who came along to listen, and the atmosphere of attending such meetings.
Online
Wed 4 Nov 2026Sarah WiseFull fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £12.00 - The United and Disunited States of America 1776-1865This interactive lecture outline course explores the political, social, and cultural development of the United States from independence to the end of the civil war.
Online
Thu 5 Nov 2026Dafydd TownleyFull fee £189.00 Senior fee £189.00 Concession £123.00
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