I don’t know why, but my history teachers seemed to have a thing about cakes. King Alfred burned them, so they said, and Marie Antoinette told the plebs to eat it – except later on I found out she didn’t, and neither did he. All very confusing!
And there’s a lot they left out, which is something else I didn’t realise until later.
There’s a lot to talk about here, from cake that didn’t get burned to famines I didn’t get taught about.
While I’m putting it all together, choose something from the carousel to be getting on with, or just see what you can find in the posts table below.

Pick Something on the Carousel
18 April 2026
Mary Wroth, Aphra Behn et al.: Women and Gender in 17th-Century England
An overview of women's lives and gender politics in 17th-century England, with reference to writers including...
18 April 2026
The English Reformation: Why Did They Burn?
A playlist exploring the English Reformation with particular focus on martyrdom, examining why Protestants...
18 April 2026
Victorian Women: Breaking the Stereotype - The Reality Behind "The Angel in the House"
An examination of the reality of Victorian women's lives, challenging the idealised Angel in the House...
18 April 2026
Mary Astell: The First English Feminist? Women, Education and the 17th Century
A study of Mary Astell, often considered the first English feminist, exploring her arguments for women's...
18 April 2026
The English Civil Wars: The "Puritan Revolution" and the Wars of the Three Kingdoms
An account of the English Civil Wars of the 17th century, examining the conflict between Crown and Parliament,...
18 April 2026
Middle English 1066-1450: A Short Introduction
A short introduction to the main dialects of Middle English and the influence of Norman French on the...
18 April 2026
The Reformation of the Church in 16th-Century England: From Henry VIII to Elizabeth
An examination of the English Reformation from Henry VIII's break with Rome through the reigns of Edward...
18 April 2026
England and her Neighbours 1066-1485: War, Diplomacy and the Making of a Nation
An exploration of medieval England's relationships with neighbouring kingdoms, covering war, diplomacy,...
18 April 2026
A Short History of Britain to 1066: Celts, Romans, Anglo-Saxons, Vikings
A survey of early British history from the Celts and Romans through the Anglo-Saxon period to the Viking...
