HistoryExtra Long Reads

It’s a tale of slavery, racism and naked imperial power. This Long Read written by Barnaby Phillips traces the fate of the exquisite golden treasures looted by British forces from the kingdom of Asante 150 years ago.

Today's feature originally appeared in the April 2026 issue of HistoryExtra Magazine, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB.
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In the Middle Ages, the bearing and raising of children defined women’s lives. But, as this Long Read written by Elinor Cleghorn explains, there were women who had other ideas and boldly challenged attitudes towards motherhood.

Today's feature originally appeared in the April 2026 issue of HistoryExtra Magazine, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB.
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From Romulus’s open-city policy to Claudius’s reforms, citizenship was used by Rome as both a reward and a weapon. As this Long Read written by Shushma Malik explains, it enabled the burgeoning empire to build power and define identity.

Today's feature originally appeared in the April 2026 issue of HistoryExtra magazine, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB.
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It’s 80 years since the war victor and ex-prime minister Winston Churchill delivered his ‘Iron Curtain’ speech, sounding the alarm for a perilous new age. The speech, given as tensions with Stalin soared, is among the most famous in modern history. Yet, asks this Long Read written by Richard Toye, has it been misunderstood?

Today's feature originally appeared in the March 2026 issue of HistoryExtra Magazine, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB.
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Dark or brunette? Fair or swarthy? A paragon of beauty or a refined charmer? Our picture of Henry VIII’s ill-fated second queen has become distorted over five centuries – but new research by Owen Emmerson and others comes closer to revealing her true appearance. This Long Read, written by Owen, explains more.Today's feature originally appeared in the March 2026 issue of HistoryExtra Magazine, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB.
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