BBC History Magazine aims to shed new light on the past to help you make more sense of the world today. Fascinating stories from contributors are the leading experts in their fields, so whether they're exploring Ancient Egypt, Tudor England or the Second World War, you'll be reading the latest, most thought-provoking historical research. BBC History Magazine brings history to life with informative, lively and entertaining features written by the world's leading historians and journalists and is a captivating read for anyone who's interested in the past.

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THIS ISSUE’S CONTRIBUTORS

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THIS MONTH IN HISTORY

TALKING POINTS Rewriting history? • The row about how heritage bodies tackle contentious episodes of the past rumbles on, with an open letter penned by MPs sparking much debate. ANNA WHITELOCK watched it unfold

Project aims to make scents of the past

HISTORY IN THE NEWS • A selection of the stories hitting the history headlines

BEHIND THE NEWS The north-south divide • The disproportionate impact of coronavirus on cities such as Liverpool and Manchester has raised fresh concerns about England’s regional inequalities. DAN JACKSON explores how geography and identity have shaped prosperity over the centuries

MICHAEL WOOD ON… • POST-BREXIT ENGLAND

ANNIVERSARIES • DOMINIC SANDBROOK highlights events that took place in January in history

WHY WE SHOULD REMEMBER… • The unification of Germany brings a new empire into being

Estates of denial?

LETTERS

BBC HiSTORY MAGAZINE

How Thomas Becket rose from the dead • The “meddlesome priest” exerted an extraordinary hold over king and country during his lifetime. But, writes Emily Guerry, that was nothing compared to the power he wielded from beyond the grave

MEDDLING WITH THE TRUTH • Is Henry II’s notorious lament, “Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest?”, fact or fabrication?

Killers in the house of God • If you were convicted of a serious crime in 13th-century England, you could expect to be put to death - unless you made it to the sanctuary of a church first. Kenneth F Duggan reports on criminals’ attempts to elude justice by fleeing to holy ground

RUNNING FROM THE LAW • Three medieval criminals who sought sanctuary in the church

August Agboola Browne Freedom-fighting jazzman • Nigerian-born Browne was famous in interwar Poland for his musical talents, but he earned renown of a different kind when he became the only black insurgent in the Warsaw Uprising. CLARE MULLEY profiles the rebel who marched to the beat of his own drum

Miracle CURES • As the race to develop a Covid-19 vaccine reaches a climax, Gareth Williams explores four previous attempts to rid the world of lethal diseases, from Edward Jenner’s “delightful” war on smallpox to the rancorous battle to consign polio to the past

“Does every generation have to prove itself in Britain?”

BACK WITH A BANG • The invasion of Sicily in 1943 marked the Allies’ return to ‘Fortress Europe’ - and, despite hellish terrain and an obdurate enemy, ended in victory in just 38 days. So why, asks James Holland, is the operation chiefly remembered for its failings?

FIVE SICILIAN LESSONS FOR D-DAY • Operation Husky provided the Allies with valuable learnings ahead of an even more momentous amphibious assault - on Normandy’s beaches in June 1944...

Q&A • A selection of historical conundrums answered by experts

DID YOU KNOW...?

Scottish superhero... or Italian coward? • To his admirers, Bonnie Prince Charlie was a valiant leader; to his detractors, a gutless popinjay. On the 300th anniversary of the Jacobite prince’s birth, Jacqueline Riding endeavours to locate where the truth lies

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