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.
128 courses available
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 - The life and times of King George II
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..Online
Fri 6 Nov 2026William SterlingFull fee £89.00 Senior fee £71.00 Concession £58.00 - Blood, Guts & Gore: How Human Emissions, Fluids & Excretions shaped ideas & societiesThis course takes an alternate view of history, exploring the past from the perspective of the substances removed, expelled or eliminated from the body as waste products, demonstrating their economic, environmental or symbolic value.
Online
Tue 10 Nov 2026Linsey HunterFull fee £89.00 Senior fee £89.00 Concession £58.00 - Witches, Witchcraft and Witch-Hunting in Scotland
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.
Online
Wed 11 Nov 2026Linsey HunterFull fee £149.00 Senior fee £149.00 Concession £97.00 - Taster: What is history? Who is it for?Join this session to discuss history, what it is, what it allows us to do and how we can all use it for excitement, learn new things and expand horisons! History is much more than you think!
Online
Fri 13 Nov 2026Olivia DurandFull fee £19.00 Senior fee £15.00 Concession £12.00 - US midterms: results and consequences
Take stock of the fallout of the US Mid-Term elections with City Lit Principal Mark Malcomson-who won, who lost, and what it means for the future of American politics and the road to the next presidential race.
Online
Tue 17 Nov 2026Mark MalcomsonFull fee £29.00 Senior fee £29.00 Concession £29.00 - Latin American History Late: Che Guevara's RevolutionsWe're all familiar with the image of Ernesto 'Che' Guevara - but why is the idea of this man still so powerful, even 65 years after the Cuban Revolution? Join Dr Anna Grimaldi to explore Guevara's life, ideology, impact and legacies.
Online
Tue 17 Nov 2026Anna GrimaldiFull fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £12.00 - Russia and Ukraine: The memory politics of conflictThe ongoing Russian occupation of Ukraine and the Ukrainian fight for its people, land and sovereignty is not only fought on the battlefield. A significant dimension revolves around how Ukraine as a multi-cultural nation and sovereign state challenges the dominant Russian political representation of the linkage between the history of the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union and today's Russia. Join us to understand how both history and memory are an integral dimension of the war.
Online
Thu 26 Nov 2026Olivia DurandFull fee £29.00 Senior fee £29.00 Concession £19.00 - London History Lectures: ‘A disgrace to the Christian world?’: The Emigration of London’s Street Children to Canada, 1869-1904
In this talk, Sarah Wise focuses on the work of Annie Macpherson in Spitalfields, East London, whose rescue and resettlement work from the 1860s to the early 1900s drew huge admiration as well as bitter criticism.
Online
Wed 2 Dec 2026Sarah WiseFull fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £12.00 - Taster: History and memory work as democratic practice?What is history? What does history mean to you? Is history important to society? How about memory? Who gets to decide what and whose history and memory are important? What are the implications of this? There are many reasons and ways to engage with history and memory. With this session, we scratch the surface of the vast universe that is history and memory to give you a taster of the importance of doing both as democratic practice..
Online
Fri 4 Dec 2026Olivia DurandFull fee £19.00 Senior fee £15.00 Concession £12.00 - Digital Archaeology: AI and the Preservation of the Past
Explore how AI and digital tools are reshaping archaeology and heritage. Reflect on the ethics, power and promise of preserving the past in a data-driven world. Discuss why heritage still matters.
Full fee £139.00 Senior fee £139.00 Concession £90.00
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