History Extra

BBC History Magazine aims to shed new light on the past to help you make more sense of the world today. Fascinating stories from contributors are the leading experts in their fields, so whether they're exploring Ancient Egypt, Tudor England or the Second World War, you'll be reading the latest, most thought-provoking historical research. BBC History Magazine brings history to life with informative, lively and entertaining features written by the world's leading historians and journalists and is a captivating read for anyone who's interested in the past.

WELCOME JUNE 2026

THREE THINGS THAT CAUGHT MY EYE

THIS ISSUE’S CONTRIBUTORS

ANNIVERSARIES • DANNY BIRD highlights events that took place in June in history

“Reforms of the House of Lords that succeed are gradualist and piecemeal” • As hereditary peers exit the House of Lords, MEG RUSSELL traces the evolution of the body that has, since the 14th century, played a distinct role in English – and, later, British – parliaments

“Sometimes cataclysmic change unfolds before our eyes”

WHAT WE’VE LEARNED THIS MONTH • JAMES OSBORNE highlights four insights shared by experts on our HistoryExtra podcasts

“Guernica will always be a record of a time that is still hard to speak of”

LETTERS

History Extra

“THE PLAGUE SAT LIKE A KING ON THE THRONE” • The Black Death is infamous for ravaging the population of Europe – yet it was most lethal in the Muslim world, leaving such a trail of devastation that bodies were left rotting in the streets. Thomas Asbridge investigates why plague took such a heavy toll in the Near East

UNMASKING THE BLACK DEATH • What was the killer that raged across the Near East?

THIS MONTH’S TOP PODCAST PICKS

THE MASKED GEORGIANS • Meghan Kobza takes us inside the world of the 18th-century masquerade, where sex, wealth and power collided with the urge to make a splash in high society - often with scandalous results

How to be a master of disguise • 10 do’s and don’ts when attending a masquerade

Greek tragedy • In 480 BC, Athens and Sparta joined forces to repel one of the greatest invasion forces the world had seen. Yet just a few decades later, they faced off against each other - with dire results for the people of Greece. Adrian Goldsworthy reveals how these great cities, once allies, became deadly foes

Q&A • A selection of historical conundrums answered by experts

Gay News on trial • In 1976, a poem depicting Jesus as a gay man sparked a storm of controversy. With graphic descriptions of sex acts, it provoked a fiery legal battle and debates about blasphemy. Fifty years on, DAVID NASH asks: what impact did the case of Mary Whitehouse v Gay News have on LGBTQ rights?

BLASPHEMY THROUGH THE AGES • British blasphemy laws have been updated and contested many times over the past six centuries

What was the biggest blunder in history? • Our team of historians, broadcasters and authors reveal the monumental mistakes that changed the course of history

Offa the man, the monarch, the myths • Within a century of his death, Offa of Mercia was reviled as a saint killer, warmongar and tyrant. But look critically at the evidence, argues Rory Naismith, and it’s clear this is at best a partial picture of one of Anglo-Saxon England’s most important monarchs

SHOW OF STRENGTH • Why did Offa build a dyke to separate Mercia from Wales?

The brains behind the bombshell • The heart-shaped face. The iridescent blonde hair. And who can forget that billowing white dress? Image was key to Marilyn Monroe’s meteoric rise but, as Lucy Bolton explains on the star’s centenary, her success was only possible because of raw talent, ambition and a ferocious work ethic

BOOKS

“English national...