CONTENTS SEPTEMBER 2023
FEATURES
EVERY MONTH
22 Scotland’s greatest victory Helen Carr explains how Robert the Bruce’s triumph at Bannockburn transformed the balance of power between two warring nations
27 Georgian scandals Emily Brand shares eight episodes that resulted in political humiliation, financial ruin and changes to the law
35 Could the First World War have ended in 1916? Britain and its allies fought the Central Powers to the bitter end in 1918. But, Holger Afflerbach asks, could the conflict have been shortened?
46 Northern powerhouse Fiona Edmonds tells the story of an ambitious kingdom that dominated swathes of early medieval Britain
52 Tokyo in ruins In 1923, Japan’s capital was hit by an earthquake that killed over 100,000 people. Christopher Harding discusses the disaster
59 Ignoring the Armada Robert Blackmore exp l a ins why English merchants kept on trading as a Spanish invasion fleet approached
6 Anniversaries
The Conversation
11 Are history degrees in danger? 14 The cultural history of Barbie 17 Michael Wood on William
Blake’s role in alternative culture 18 Hidden Histories
20 Letters 44 Q&A History questions answered
Books
66 Interview: Char l ot te Lydia Ri l ey on the legacy of the empire in postwar Britain 70 New history books r ev i ewed
Encounters
7 6 Diary: What to se e and do this month 82 Podcast: The Luddites 84 Explore: Lincoln 86 Historic Cities: Istanbul
88 Prize crossword
90 My h i s t o r y he r o
Ashley John-Baptiste picks footballer Walter Tull
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