Online World History Courses
Explore the connections, conflicts and cultural exchanges that have shaped the global story with City Lit’s online world history courses. From ancient empires and trade routes to global revolutions, migrations and modern international relations, our expert-led courses offer insight into the events and ideas that continue to influence the world we live in today.
Study a wide range of topics including global empires, colonisation and decolonisation, the Silk Road, world wars, and the development of global institutions. With flexible online learning, live interactive sessions and supportive tutor feedback, you’ll gain a broader perspective on history beyond national borders — all from the comfort of your own home.
Our courses are open to adults of all ages, whether you're new to history or looking to deepen your understanding of global events and their impact. Learn in a collaborative, accessible environment where curiosity and critical thinking are encouraged.
Explore our online world history courses today and connect with the stories that have shaped the shared history of humanity.
17 courses available
History taster: Genghis Khan on TrialStep into the courtroom of history and put one of the world’s most legendary-and controversial-figures under the spotlight. Was Genghis Khan a ruthless conqueror or a visionary leader who reshaped the world? In this lively taster course, you’ll take on the role of historical detective, weighing evidence and forming your own verdict on the founder of the Mongol Empire.
Online
Tue 8 Sep 2026Vanessa KingFull fee £19.00 Senior fee £15.00 Concession £12.00- Global encounters: the Silk RoadsTravel nearly 2000 years of history along the Silk Roads across Eurasia and China and explore the cross-cultural impact generated through the expansion of trade.
Online
Tue 15 Sep 2026Vanessa KingFull fee £189.00 Senior fee £151.00 Concession £123.00 - Global encounters: meet the MongolsAt its height the Mongol empire stretched from the Sea of Japan to eastern Europe. We explore how the Mongols interacted with the nations they conquered.
Online
Tue 15 Sep 2026Vanessa KingFull fee £189.00 Senior fee £151.00 Concession £123.00 - Global history for beginnersWhat is global history? How is it different from other ways of understanding history? This introductory course will give you a sense of what it means to study global history.
Online
Thu 1 Oct 2026Olivia Durand, Martin JorgensenFull fee £259.00 Senior fee £207.00 Concession £168.00 - 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 - 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 - Global History Friday Lates: Diamonds: A Billion Years of Sparkling History
Why are diamonds ‘a girl’s best friend’? Explore their billion-year journey through geology, history, and culture, to reveal the brilliance and allure behind these timeless treasures.
Online
Fri 11 Dec 2026Vanessa KingFull fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £12.00 - Global encounters: Europe and the Ottoman Empire, 1100-1700The Turks entered European consciousness in 1071 when they captured the Byzantine emperor at the Battle of Manzikert. So began centuries of uneasy co-existence between Christians and Muslims on the fringes of Europe.Full fee £189.00 Senior fee £151.00 Concession £123.00
- Global encounters: beyond Europe in 12 Objects, 1500-1750
Twelve objects tell extraordinary tales of European adventures in Africa and the Far East. Six weeks of spice routes, silk roads, and surprising encounters. History's treasures await your discovery!
Online
Thu 14 Jan 2027Vanessa KingFull fee £189.00 Senior fee £151.00 Concession £123.00 - Seventy years in the Soviet grip: the experience of the people of Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia within the USSRJoin us to explore the long period during which the different nations of the South Caucasus were part of the Soviet Union, starting with their annexation and ending with the break-up of the Soviet state seventy years later, which resulted in renewed independence for the three republics. This experience was at different times revolutionary, traumatic, stultifying and nation-shaping.
Online
Thu 21 Jan 2027David RowsonFull fee £189.00 Senior fee £189.00 Concession £123.00 - Global History Friday Lates: tea & tea trading
Explore the fascinating history of tea consumption in Britain and the global trade networks that brought it here.
Online
Fri 29 Jan 2027Linsey HunterFull fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £12.00 - The Portuguese Empire; establishment, world-making, demise and legaciesA journey through the rise and fall of the Portuguese Empire. Uncover pioneering navigation, understand colonial societies in Brazil, Africa, and Asia through their economies, culture, independence struggles, and legacies.
Online
Wed 10 Feb 2027Ingrid Aguiar SchlindweinFull fee £89.00 Senior fee £89.00 Concession £58.00 - Global History Lates: Pearls
Trace the history of pearls from 5000 BCE to the 21st century. Did Cleopatra drink a pearl cocktail? Where can you harvest black pearls? Who wrote the Pearl Fishers? How has global warming affected pearl production?
Online
Fri 26 Mar 2027Vanessa KingFull fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £12.00 - Spice Encounters: When Europe encountered Asian Food 1500-1700
Eat you way around India, China and Japan through the eyes of Edward Terry and others. The Mongols in China and the Turkic conquerors of India initiated a fusion of cooking traditions still apparent today.
Online
Tue 13 Apr 2027Vanessa KingFull fee £189.00 Senior fee £151.00 Concession £123.00 - Europe in the 17th CenturyPost-Reformation Europe saw endemic warfare and plague. It was also an age of absolutism where royal courts reached their apogee as centres of patronage and splendour.
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Fri 16 Apr 2027Vanessa KingFull fee £239.00 Senior fee £191.00 Concession £155.00
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