england

As the youngest son of William the Conqueror, Henry I was not likely to become king. Nevertheless, he outlived, outfought, or outwitted his older brothers to become the king of England in 1100 CE. Henry proved to be a master politician—but then his demise plunged England into a civil war.

The Vikings were raiders from Scandinavia who, during the period now called the Viking Age, terrorized coastal Europe for hundreds of years. Most were formidable warriors, but few among them were as terrifying as the King’s elite bodyguard: the huscarls. While most Vikings wielded simple spears, the huscarls had a much more brutal weapon.

Elizabeth I may have had many ladies-in-waiting in her royal court, but she only trusted Bess of Hardwick to do her dirty work.

Edward Longshanks is remembered as the villainous king from Braveheart—but most people don’t know the gruesome extent of his dark history.

James II may be remembered as the king who lost his crown, but the King Over the Water led a fascinating life on top of that one great failure.

“Ambition leads me not only farther than any other man has been before me, but as far as I think it possible for man to go.”—Captain James Cook.