The study of enslaved resistance has often focused on acts of armed rebellion as evidence of enslaved agency and violent opposition to slavery. However, resistance against colonial authority was not always collective or dramatic. For the majority of enslaved people in America and the Caribbean, it took the form of acts of everyday resistance, which undermined slavery from within. Labour Resistance As enslaved populations were relied upon for their labour to produce cash cro

The Cambridge dictionary defines the word ‘revolution’ in a political context as "a change in the way a country is governed, usually to a different political system and often using violence." By this definition, the Reformation fundamentally does not qualify as a revolution. Nonetheless, the second definition frames it in a cultural context: "a very important change in the way people do things." Discussions of the Reformation's revolutionary nature become more complex. So why

The printing press should be considered a revolution. The invention marked the departure from the rigid Middle Ages that centred around the Catholic Church, to an ever-expanding, modernising world that began to prioritise the importance of literature and knowledge. The printing press began to spark ideas of revolution, most notably fuelling the Protestant Reformation, where Martin Luther’s 95 Theses directly challenged papal authority and the use of indulgences by the Church

Scotland renounced Catholicism in 1560, dismantling church hierarchies and replacing royal appointment of bishops with elected ones. The Kirk modelled a Presbyterian society on John Knox’s experience of Calvin's Geneva. With James VI becoming king of England in 1603, he aimed to unify the churches, but Charles I pushed further than his father had with reforming the Scottish church. In 1636 Charles, with encouragement from Bishop Laud, imposed the Book of Common Prayer on Scot

In 1649, England was in the midst of the greatest political upheaval in its history. The King was dead, the monarchy had fallen, and all the old certainties lay in ruins. As the nascent Commonwealth tried to assert its authority, radical movements with new ways of imagining England’s future began to emerge upon the fringes of the Revolution. The most radical of these were the Diggers who, led by Gerrard Winstanley, proposed fundamental economic change. Two hundred years befor

In the turbulent setting of fifteenth-century England – marked by the Wars of the Roses, in which the crown changed hands seven times over thirty years – few figures embody resistance as controversially as Margaret of Anjou. As Queen consort to the mentally fragile Henry VI, she faced significant opposition from the House of York, emerging as one of the most persistent political figures of the era. This article seeks to move beyond the traditional caricature of Margaret of An

Content Warning: This article contains detailed descriptions of torture, bodily mutilation, and execution. The early modern period has become synonymous with the witch-hunts that took place over the course of four centuries throughout Europe and Colonial America. Those who found themselves standing accused of witchcraft, predominantly women, were subjected to a rigorous process that often resulted in execution. As suspicions arose within communities, neighbours began to turn

The year is 1518. It’s the peak of a blistering summer. Strasbourg, one of the largest cities of the Holy Roman Empire, is gripped by a dancing mania. Blistered feet stain the streets with blood, sweat pours down jerking bodies, cries for help fill the air, the smell of heat stifles the city. Some dance in the narrow streets, some in the public square, some at home. Strasbourg was afflicted by choreomania : people were dancing themselves to death. One month earlier, a woman

Today, we usually attribute misfortune and tragedy to chance or coincidence, not tending to read into such events for any underlying cause or significance, however the same cannot be said for those living in early modern Europe, who often turned to the supernatural for an explanation, which cultivated a paranoid and God-fearing society. Looking at fears surrounding the patriarchy, immorality and difference may therefore help us to understand why it was witchcraft that Europea

The Enlightenment is often viewed as a period of rationalised thinking, that sought to emphasise individualism and challenge the traditional authority. Those who promoted these ideals are often regarded as the ‘great Enlightenment thinkers’, and if I were to ask you to name me these people, you might suggest John Locke, father of liberalism; Voltaire, criticiser of religious institutions; or even Isaac Newton, the physicist who transformed our understanding of gravity and mot

1642 marked the volatile split between King and Parliament. Only war would decide the victor. England became staunchly divided along tribal loyalties, and Warwickshire was no exception. It was in this county that the first battle of what became known as the English Civil War took place: Edgehill. Drawing up battle lines near Kineton, both forces – each around 14,000 strong – were eager for battle. King Charles I, largely a nominal figurehead, delegated command to the Earl of

In the turbulent mid-seventeenth century, England witnessed the collapse of the monarchy, the rise of revolutionary politics, and a surge of radical religious expression. Amidst this upheaval, Warwickshire produced one of the period’s most notorious and enigmatic figures: Abiezer Coppe (1619–1672). A preacher, writer, mystic – and to many, a heretic – Coppe’s life exemplifies the wild, visionary spirit of the English Civil War, with his story beginning right here in Warwick.

The Benjamin Satchwell is a sacred place known to many a student at the University of Warwick. Whether you’re after a post-circle round...

Military History witnessed its fair share of innovators over the centuries. From Gaius Marius in the Age of Antiquity, to Napoleon in the...

Even for those familiar with the reign of Henry VII, the name Ralph Wilford is often forgotten; and this is despite him being one of...

In the tale of the French Revolution, how bad must you be to be referred to as the “worst person of this story” by Dominic Sandbrook? The...

No figure is more emblematic of the Victorian era than Queen Victoria herself, whose reign from 1837 to 1901 gave the period its name....

It is startling just how many of Colchester’s streets are casually dotted with pieces of history that thousands walk past unknowingly...

At the height of the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020, the world watched as anti-racist demonstrators in Bristol pulled down a statue...

“Whoever comes to me will be free and equal, because I am freedom.” These bold words, uttered by the spirit of Poland (Wolność) in Adam...