Britain has been shaped by turmoil between its nations, and tension between state and church. But centuries of conflict would forge the power at the heart of the largest empire the world has ever seen.
Discover more in the sections below.
Normans
The story behind the Battle of Hastings, and the leaders who fought it out in 1066.
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Tudors
An era of change and triumph, from Henry VIII's Reformation to Elizabeth and the Armada.
Empire & Sea Power
War with France brought victory at Trafalgar and Waterloo, and gave Britain control of the seas.
Victorians
Industrial revolution powered Britain to global pre-eminence and initiated social reform.
Home Front: World War Two
Life on the Home Front, from the bombs of the Blitz to the preparations for invasion.
Middle Ages
Turmoil, crisis and the creation of a state, from Magna Carta to the horrors of the Black Death.
Civil War & Revolution
The Gunpowder Plot failed, but the English Civil War would later claim the life of a king.
Abolition of the Slave Trade
How the trade operated and the dramatic transatlantic campaign that led to its abolition.
Home Front: World War One
Controversy and emancipation. Britain's costliest conflict had a far-reaching impact at home.
Making Modern Britain
Britain in the late 20th century, from the creation of the Welfare State to multiculturalism.
