CHRISTMAS 2015

CONTENTS

Features

Every month

6 ANNIVERSARIES 9 HISTORY NOW 9 The latest history news

1 2 Backgrounder: US gun crime 1 4 Past notes

Read about Britain’s mortal battle with the U-boat menace, on page 32

20 Elizabeth versus Mary Anna Whitelock charts the volatile – and ultimately deadly – relationship between the Virgin Queen and her Scottish cousin

26 Outrage in the empire Richard Huzzey on the bloody suppression of a 19th-century uprising in Jamaica that caused uproar back home

32 Battle of the Atlantic Jonathan Dimbleby reveals how German U-boats brought Britain to the brink of disaster in the Second World War

36 Game of Thrones Carolyne Larrington explores the medieval inspirations for the blockbuster fantasy TV series

16 LETTERS 19 MICHAEL WOOD’S VIEW 67 BOOKS OF THE YEAR Our panel of experts selects the nest history volumes of the past 12 months. Plus we round up 2015’s best historical ction and DVDs

77 TV & RADIO Our pick of Christmas history programmes

80 OUT & ABOUT 80 History explorer: Titanic

84 My favourite place: Munich

91 MISCELLANY 91 Q&A 92 Samantha’s recipe corner 94 Bumper Christmas quiz 96 Prize crossword

98 MY HISTORY HERO RobertHardychoosesKingHenryV

40 Vikings in America John Haywood reveals the extent of Norse exploration in the New World

47 All in the head James Poskett examines the 19th-century fascination with phrenology – where skull shape was said to determine character

50 Happy Victorians? Rosalind Crone challenges the idea that 19th-century life was blighted by dirt, poverty, crime and disease

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60 Owain Glyndwr Huw Pryce describes the life of the last Welsh Prince of Wales, who took on the English crown in the 15th century

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USPS Identification Statement BBC HISTORY (ISSN 1469-8552) (USPS 024-177) Christmas 2015 is published 13 times a year under licence from BBC Worldwide by Immediate Media Company Bristol Ltd, 9th Floor, Tower House, Fairfax Street, Bristol BS1 3BN, UK. Distributed in the US by Circulation Specialists, Inc., 2 Corporate Drive, Suite 945, Shelton CT 06484-6238. Periodicals postage paid at Shelton, CT and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to BBC HISTORY, PO Box 37495, Boone, IA 50037-0495.

36 Medieval history is a major in uence on Game of Thrones

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26 Why bloodshed in Jamaica shocked British liberals

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