MAY 2019

CONTENTS

Features

Every month

6 ANNIVERSARIES 11 HISTORY NOW 1 1 The latest history news

1 4 Backgrounder: Kashmir 16 Past notes: passports

Discover why Britain was in political and cultural turmoil 40 years ago, on page 30

20 Henry’s hitmen Bribery, subterfuge, kidnap and murder by paid assassins. Robert Hutchinson reveals how Henry VIII targeted his enemies

26 In the shadows of giants When the Anglo-Saxons encountered the ancient burial sites and Roman remains that dot Britain, they were gripped by wonder and dread, says Tim Flight

30 1970s: Britain in meltdown The United Kingdom in the 12 months before the 1979 general election was a country on the edge, says Phil Tinline

17 MICHAEL WOOD’S VIEW 18 LETTERS 67 BOOKS Thelatestreleasesreviewed,plus AnitaAnanddiscussesherbookon the Amritsar massacre’s a ermath

77 TV & RADIO The pick of new history programmes

80 OUT &ABOUT 80 History Explorer: British cinema

85 Five things to do in May 8 6 My favourite place: Rome

93 MISCELLANY 93 Q&A and quiz 94 Samantha’s recipe corner 95 Prize crossword

98 MY HISTORY HERO FrankGardneronWilfredThesiger

36 1970s: Thatcher’s Britain? Did Margaret Thatcher engineer a decisive break with the past? Four historians o er their expert perspectives on her years in power

44 Victorian cheap thrills Titillation, humour and a dash of high culture. Joanne Cormac explores the strange world of 19th-century burlesque

50 Leonardo da Vinci From ying machines to geology, Marina Wallace explores the groundbreaking work of the genius polymath

60 Motherhood revolution Over four centuries in the west, a decline in family sizes has radically changed women’s lives, argues Sarah Knott

EVENTS 58 History Weekend tickets on sale this month

48 SUBSCRIBE

Save when you subscribe today

*Available to UK Direct Debit orders only.

USPS Identification Statement BBC HISTORY (ISSN 1469-8552) (USPS 024-177) May 2019 is published 13 times a year under licence from BBC Studios by Immediate Media Company Bristol Ltd, Tower House, Fairfax Street, Bristol BS1 3BN, UK. Distributed in the US by Circulation Specialists, Inc., 2 Corporate Drive, Suite 945, Shelton CT 06484-6238. Periodicals postage paid at Shelton, CT and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to BBC HISTORY MAGAZINE, PO Box 37495, Boone, IA 50037-0495.

67 Anita Anand on how an assassin plotted revenge for 20 years

I R L E V Y

I S TA

/A L

I D G E M A N

G E T T Y/ B R

44 Saucy satire. How the Victorians reinvented burlesque for middleclass audiences

4

BBC History Magazine