WELCOME

FEBRUARY 2023

What does progress mean to you? And in which periods of history can we see it most clearly? I expect if you asked the average Briton these questions, they probably wouldn’t point to the medieval era as being a time of transformation. After all, this was long before the advances of the industrial revolution and the digital era. But perhaps we should think again. For as Ian Mortimer argues in our cover feature, we need to “take off our technology-tinted spectacles and look at the world with fresh eyes”. By focusing on society, culture and psychology, as opposed to science and technolog y, the Middle Ages is revealed as a time of astonishing change. You can read his argument on page 20.

Sticking with the medieval theme, this issue we’re examining women’s lives in the late Middle Ages, in a piece drawing on Chaucer’s Wife of Bath. Though Chaucer was of course a male writer, he created one of the most distinctive female voices of the 14th century, whose words provide many insights into opportunities for women at the time. Marion Turner’s fascinating article on this is on page 36.

If you’re still eager for more history after reading the issue, then do check out our new podcast series on historical conspiracy theories. Over recent weeks I’ve been finding out why people doubt the moon landings, believe aliens built the pyramids, think Hitler escaped to South America, and more. Magazine subscribers can listen ad-free at historyextra. com/historical-conspiracies. I hope you enjoy it.

Rob Attar Editor

THREE THINGS I’VE LEARNED THIS MONTH

1. Reaching new heights

Among the evidence cited by Ian Mortimer for medieval progress in our cover feature was the fact that, between 1000 and 1300, the height of the tallest building in London increased by a factor of six or seven (page 24).

2. Drinking problem

As a fan of ginger beer, I was interested to read, in our piece on the history of

British strikes, about an employee walk-out in protest against a tax on the drink (page 12).

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3. Turned to stone I was intrigued to discover,

in this month’s Explore article, that Benjamin Disraeli kept a marble copy of his wife’s foot on the desk in his library (page 84) – apparently not an uncommon practice in the Victorian era.

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THIS ISSUE’S CONTRIBUTORS

Lucy Wooding “Everyone thinks that they know the story of the Tudors, but away from the glittering world of the court there were millions of ordinary people contending with the challenges of plague, warfare and profound political uncertainty.” Lucy reveals what the lives of eight ordinary Tudors can tell us about the era on page 52

James Bulgin “The Holocaust was not the product of a faceless, anonymous machine, but of individual choices, decisions and actions. Examining the early phases of mass murder reveals this with terrible clarity.” James examines how the Nazis’ brutal campaigns in the USSR paved the way for the Holocaust on page 46

Caroline Dodds Pennock “In my new book, I look at the ways that Indigenous peoples saw Europe and Europeans. For them, this continent where people beat their children and didn’t look after the poor was a savage, awful place.” Caroline discusses the experiences of Indigenous visitors to Europe on page 66

Marion Turner “Women led surprisingly varied lives in the Middle Ages. Researching the Wife of Bath has helped me to discover fascinating, untold histories about medieval women’s experiences – travelling, working and telling their own stories.” Marion explores how Chaucer’s prose reflects the lives of real women on page 36

Contact us

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