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Shakespeare's Astronomy

Amongst all his astronomical allusions, Shakespeare demonstrates a deep knowledge of the night sky and its movements, including the new Copernican world-view. What can we learn of Elizabethan astronomy and Shakespeare's knowledge of it from the plays?

Charles Dickens, 'Hard Times' and Hyperbole

Dickens' use of exaggeration is key to his style. But its use has myriad effects from making a character's disposition unmissable, to adding whimsy and humour.

King Edward VII

Edward VII had an instinctive understanding of the human side of monarchy. At home he faced a constitutional crisis when the House of Lords rejected the budget in 1909. The crisis remained unresolved at Edward’s death in 1910.

Queen Victoria's Views On The Appointments of Ecclesiastics

A question from the lecture 'Queen Victoria' by Professor Vernon...

Queen Victoria

Queen Victoria was the first constitutional monarch. The Crown had become the symbol not only of British nationhood but also of Empire. How did this come about?