DECEMBER 2017

CONTENTS

Features

Every month

6 ANNIVERSARIES 11 HISTORY NOW 1 1 The latest history news

1 4 Backgrounder: Catalonia 16 Past notes: the Nobel Prize

Read about the historical forces driving Catalans’ thirst for autonomy, on page 14

20 Elizabeth I’s nemesis When Lettice Knollys married the Virgin Queen’s sweetheart, the results were explosive, writes Nicola Tallis

28 The Balfour Declaration Britain’s bungled diplomacy in the First World War had major consequences for the Holy Land, argues David Reynolds

35 Africans in Tudor England Miranda Kaufmann tells the story of six black men and women who called England home in the 16th century

42 HellishVictorianhospitals From bugs to belly-ripping, Lindsey Fitzharris describes the horrors of early 19th-century ‘houses of death’

50 The cruel cost of the Blitz Daniel Todman relates the challenges facing Britons seeking to rebuild their lives in the wake of German bombing raids

56 A fearless fossil hunter Karolyn Shindler tells the story of the brilliant palaeontologist Dorothea Bate

58 Caroline of Ansbach Matthew Dennison makes the case for George II’s wife being one of Britain’s greatest queen-consorts

17 MICHAEL WOOD’S VIEW 18 LETTERS 26 OUR FIRST WORLD WAR 63 BOOKS Thelatestreleasesreviewed,plus Simon Schama discusses his book onthehistoryoftheJewishpeople

77 TV & RADIO The pick of new history programmes

80 OUT &ABOUT 80 History Explorer: Charles II

85 Five things to do in December 86 My favourite place: Camargue

93 MISCELLANY 93 Q&A and quiz 94 Samantha’s recipe corner 95 Prize crossword

98 MY HISTORY HERO LeaderoftheLabourpartyJeremy CorbynpicksMaryWollstonecra

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47 EVENTS Still time to book our History Weekend in York

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USPS Identification Statement BBC HISTORY (ISSN 1469-8552) (USPS 024-177) December 2017 is published 13 times a year under licence from BBC Worldwide by Immediate Media Company Bristol Ltd, 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 MAGAZINE, PO Box 37495, Boone, IA 50037-0495.

58 How Caroline of Ansbach won over a nation

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42 Why Victorian surgery was o en an agonising death sentence

28 Britain’s diplomatic woes in the Holy Land

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