Edward III’s siege of Calais was a pivotal moment in the Hundred Years’ War. In today’s long read, Dan Jones argues that it bears comparison with one of the most brutal clashes of the modern era: the battle of Stalingrad.

HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the November 2023 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB.

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In September 1923, the British empire reached its maximum territorial extent – a staggering 460 million people lived within its borders. Yet just as the imperial project reached its apex, writes Matthew Parker in today’s long read, cracks were widening.

HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the November 2023 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB.

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Anne Boleyn famously spent her youth learning the customs and etiquette of the French court. But how did this extensive education impact her later life, and her approach to queenship? Today’s long read, written by John Guy and Julia Fox, reveals how international diplomacy supercharged the rise of Henry VIII’s second wife – and hastened her fall.

HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the November 2023 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB.

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Today, insects are seen as a vital part of our ecosystem, but in the late 17th century, they were largely overlooked by science. Today’s long read, written by Patricia Fara, tells the story of a groundbreaking lepidopterist whose research provided solace from a turbulent personal life.

HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the October 2023 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB.

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Over the past 200 years, Dick Whittington has become one of Britain’s best-loved pantomime heroes. Yet, as today’s long read explores, the real-life story that inspired Dick’s rags to riches tale is even more remarkable than the fiction. Based on his interview with author Michael McCarthy, Jon Bauckham considers how this fascinating medieval merchant morphed into an icon of the stage. 

HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the October 2023 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB.

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From cobbled alleys and snarky graffiti to bustling communal fountains and holy shrines, Pompeii was a city teeming with life. In today’s long read, written by Sophie Hay, we travel back 100 years to an archaeological dig that transformed our understanding of daily life on its streets.

HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the October 2023 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB.

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From 1307, members of the Knights Templar were beaten, brutalised and put to death on charges of heresy, Satanism and mass murder. But, asks today’s long read, written by historian Steve Tibble, were this elite band of holy warriors fitted up for crimes they didn’t commit?

HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the October 2023 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB.

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From the illicit affairs of high society to duels, crimes and even ghosts, Georgian Britain loved a scandal. Today’s long read, written by historian and author Emily Brand, charts eight of the most shocking. 

HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the September 2023 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB.

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What did English merchants and mariners do when a Spanish invasion fleet menaced the South Coast in 1588? Well, as today’s long read written by Robert Blackmore reveals, they simply boarded their ships and carried on trading.

HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the September 2023 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB.

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The image of plucky warriors sending a cocksure English army into flight has secured Bannockburn’s status in the annals of Scottish history. Today’s long read, written by public historian Helen Carr, chronicles how the 1314 clash transformed the balance of power between two warring nations. 

HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the September 2023 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB.

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