Charles George Gordon was celebrated as a romantic hero and martyr throughout the British Empire. He is now usually remembered only for his foolhardy defence of Khartoum against Islamist forces in the Sudan, which ended with his death two days before his 52nd birthday in 1885. He was a complex character and here we record … Read more
Celebrating the long history of the United Kingdom and its monarchy As part of the celebrations to mark the coronation of King Charles III, the Annals Britannica website is going to be accessible to everyone free of charge throughout the month of May. King Charles will become the 19th monarch (including the joint monarchy of … Read more
Lady Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Derby and Richmond, 1443-1509 Born into an illegitimate line of the Plantagenet royal family, she was foremost in promoting the cause of her Welsh-born son, who founded the Tudor Monarchy. Her grandparents were the third son of Edward III, John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, and his mistress Katherine Swinford. … Read more
The Duke of Monmouth Lucy Walter, a single Welsh woman of gentle birth, gave birth to a son named James on April 9th 1649 in The Hague. The father was acknowledged to be Charles Stuart, son and heir to King Charles I of Scotland and England who had been executed in Whitehall, London, the … Read more
Short-time Prime Minister The recent appointment as prime minister of Liz Truss and her fall from office in record short time gives an opportunity to recall the previous holder of that unenviable record. George Canning was son of an unsuccessful lawyer from Ulster, Ireland, and an actress, despite which he achieved an education at Eton … Read more
In recent weeks many visitors to Annals Britannica from around the world have visited the chapter about Notable Royal Spouses, Mistresses, Favourites and Lovers. This increase in interest has perhaps been caused by the death of our late Queen Elizabeth II, although the chapter contains no references to any living personalities. Nevertheless, I hope all … Read more
When the accession of King Charles III was proclaimed throughout Cambridgeshire (including the City of Ely) on Sunday Sept 11th, it appears that an old tradition was forgotten. In 1952, I was present as a schoolboy age 13 when newsreel cameras and journalists gathered to report the proclamation of Elizabeth II in the city of … Read more
Seventy years of service and devotion to duty by an extraordinary woman are now completed. She ranks among the best and greatest of the preceding 53 monarchs who, beginning with Aethelstan in AD 927, are recorded by Annals Britannica as rulers of first England and later Great Britain, the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth countries … Read more
This is a series in Annals Britannica the online website by Tom Bliss about people whose great contributions to the political, cultural, social or spiritual life in Britain and the wider world are neglected in most accounts of British history. Granville Sharp 1735-1813 Whilst his contemporary, the orator William Wilberforce is commemorated with an imposing … Read more
The British Empire See Annals Britannica the complete British History website by Tom Bliss for the latest addition entitled The Growth and Decline of the British Empire. This is a major new section which provides a time-line of Britain’s involvement with every part of the former British Empire, from the vast complexity of the British Raj … Read more
