Discover archives with exciting online talks, delivered by our specialists and guest speakers.
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July 2024
Courting India
- Wednesday 31 July 2024, 19:30
Join historian Nandini Das as she explores the origins of the British Empire.
When Thomas Roe arrived in India in 1616 as James I’s first ambassador to the Mughal Empire, the English barely had a toehold in the subcontinent. Their understanding of South Asian trade and India was sketchy at best, and, to the Mughals, they were minor players on a very large stage.
Nandini Das will discuss the fascinating history of Roe’s four years in India, which reveals Thomas Roe’s time in Mughal India to be a major turning point in the history of trade and the early British empire. It’s a story of palace intrigue and scandal, lotteries and wagers that unfolds as global trade begins to stretch from Russia to Virginia, and from West Africa to the Spice Islands of Indonesia.
August 2024
Murder in the Cathedral: Church and State in the Reign of Henry II
- Friday 2 August 2024, 14:00
The shocking murder of Thomas Becket in his own cathedral sent shockwaves across twelfth-century Europe. Souvenirs depicting his death immediately began to be sold, and he was made a saint only three years later. Medieval specialist Kathryn Maude looks at the long-lasting impact of this event on the relationship between church and state.
The Story of a Century: The Long 12th Century
Conquest and rebellion, betrayal and murder, warring queens and sibling rivalry. This is the story of the long 12th century, a four part series exploring the legacy of this turbulent period of British history. Each week join our collection specialists and special guests to discover the key characters and events that shaped this time of extraordinary change.
A Travel Guide to the Middle Ages
- Wednesday 7 August 2024, 19:30
Drawing on his book, A Travel Guide to the Middle Ages, historian Anthony Bale will disrupt your preconceived notions about travel in the middle ages and bring to life a travel culture not too dissimilar to our own.
Explore a world that blurs the distinction between real and imagined places and follow journeys made by scholars, spies and saints across a medieval world brimming with miraculous wonders and long-lost landmarks.
From western Europe to the Far East, the Antipodes, and the ends of the earth, this talk will offer you an unforgettable insight into how medieval people understood their world.
The Year of Two Queens: Controlling the Realm in ‘The Anarchy’
- Friday 9 August 2024, 14:00
In 1141, after King Stephen’s capture at the Battle of Lincoln, England found itself in a unique place in its history: the Empress Matilda and Queen Matilda waged war against each other trying to gain, hold or maintain the English throne. Explore this extraordinary year with historian Katherine Weikert, as she reveals what female authority looked like in this brutal struggle for power.
Katherine Weikert is Senior Lecturer in Early Medieval European History at the University of Winchester specialising in England and Normandy circa 900-1200.
The Story of a Century: The Long 12th Century
Conquest and rebellion, betrayal and murder, warring queens and sibling rivalry. This is the story of the long 12th century, a four part series exploring the legacy of this turbulent period of British history. Each week join our collection specialists and special guests to discover the key characters and events that shaped this time of extraordinary change.
The Devil’s Brood: Power & Politics under the Plantagenet Kings 1154-1272
- Wednesday 14 August 2024, 19:30
Join historian Nick Barratt to explore how Henry II and the next two generations of his family governed England, first as a rulers of a remote territory on the edge of their continental lands, and then as resident kings of England for the first time since the 11th century.
The Story of a Century: The Long 12th Century
Conquest and rebellion, betrayal and murder, warring queens and sibling rivalry. This is the story of the long 12th century, a four part series exploring the legacy of this turbulent period of British history. Each week join our collection specialists and special guests to discover the key characters and events that shaped this time of extraordinary change.
September 2024
Family History: Using Military history records
- Friday 6 September 2024, 14:00
Discover popular military records and how they can be used in your family history research.
In this webinar, our experts will draw on collections held at The National Archives and explore how using these sources can enrich genealogical research and help develop your understanding of an ancestor’s time in military service. This webinar will focus on army, navy and other records prior to the Second World War.
This webinar is presented by Will Butler, Head of Military Records.
Catland: Feline enchantment and the making of the modern world
- Friday 13 September 2024, 14:00
Join historian and author Kathryn Hughes for a fascinating feline exploration of Victorian society and discover how Britain was taken over by the ‘cult of the cat’.
By the end of the nineteenth century, cats no longer had to earn their keep by catching mice. Instead, Victorian and Edwardian Britain fell in love with cats, in part due to social and economic forces, but also due to the work of artist Louis Wain, whose drawings of anthropomorphic cats delighted the world.
Kathryn Hughes tells the incredible story of how the country became obsessed with cats, and the life of the prolific illustrator who transformed the image of cats forever.
Missed an event or can’t watch a talk live?
Talks are available to watch for 48 hours after the event. You will be sent a link to the recording after the event is over.