Witchcraft was something which expanded greatly during the medieval period, particularly from the onset of the fifteenth century. It had been developed from a long tradition of ecclesiastical and secular persecution of the practice of illicit magic, an act deemed wildly heretical. However, by the 1400s a much more extreme and sinister conception of witchcraft […]
On a quest for self-definition, African Americans in post-WWI America sought a new collective identity for themselves through political mobilisation, social commentary, and a mastery of the arts. The Harlem Renaissance was 1920s Harlem’s artistic and intellectual contribution to this quest, known at the time as the ‘New Negro Movement’. This movement was, in many […]
On the 16th of August1819, the area around what is now St Peter’s Square in Manchesterhosted an attack on 60,000 peaceful protesters in what became known as thePeterloo Massacre.It took place against the international backdrop of the American Revolution, French wars and famine and unrest in Ireland; and reflected the political, social and economic discontentin […]
From all of us here at the Manchester Historian we hope all our contributors and readers have a wonderful summer break. We’ll be back in September bringing you all the history you’ve been missing. Good luck to everyone leaving us this summer and the biggest thank you to our editorial team, Laura, Jamie and Thomas.
HS2 phase 2 is the high-speed train line that will connect Manchester and Leeds to Birmingham and on to London. Promoted as an attempt to bring ‘the UK’s Victorian railway infrastructure dramatically into the 21st Century,’ the Government expects to spend billions in a plan set to transform North-South transport infrastructure, encourage business, boost employment […]
The Wars of the Roses were a series of wars fought in 15th century England between two rival factions of the royal Plantagenet house until the ascension of the Tudor house with Henry VII in 1485. It was during the Wars of the Roses that the bloodiest and biggest battle on English soil was fought: […]
At the beginning of the 5th century BCE, a hodgepodge of political strife, imperialistic occupation, and territorial conflict spurred the Ionian Revolt, a bloody rebellion on the coast of Asia Minor, now modern-day Turkey. The revolt lasted six years, during which the powers of Ionia and Persia both sustained significant losses. By its end, however, […]
In the West, and indeed most other places, we often perceive rebellion as an act which aims to overthrow or change the ruling system. However, this conception may be altogether unhelpful, or at least misleading, when analysing Chinese history. For most of Chinese history, the act of rebellion was internalised in the overarching dynastic system. […]
Photo via @Wikipedia William Shakespeare is widely regarded as the greatest writer of all time. Shakespeare was a poet and an actor, but is undoubtedly most famous as a playwright. The ‘Bard of Avon’ wrote 38 plays, which include 16 comedies, 12 tragedies and 10 histories. These have been translated into every major language, and […]
In the wake of Salvador Allende’s victory in the 1970 Chilean presidential election, an enraged President Nixon called CIA director Richard Helms to the Oval Office. Having seen his attempts to influence the results of the election fail, Nixon ordered Helms to take a new approach in Chile – to ‘make the economy scream’. Three […]
What do a bloody battle outside the gates of an impregnable imperial city, the destruction of the city that once led an Empire and the abdication of a sixteen-year-old Emperor all have in common? These events aligned to produce the downfall of the Western Roman Empire, in tandem with centuries of political disputes and chaos. […]
In 2025, Los Angeles, the ‘City of Angels’ in California fell victim to one of the worst wildfires on record. The four major fires: Palisades, Eaton, Hurst, and Auto, burned more than 12,000 homes, businesses, schools, and other structures. These devastations received unprecedented coverage, revealing the media’s reluctance to acknowledge climate change, and their bias […]
What do Björk, Massive Attack and Neil Young have in common? Despite the temptation to reply, people I’ve cried to in the car (looking at you middle-aged men still stuck in the hacienda), it might surprise you that each act has been part of a larger global effort to fight climate change with music. In […]
As you sit at a desk trying to recall a mountain of information learnt in three hours each week for the last few months, it’s tempting to dream about pastures sunny. In this issue, we’ve provided you with the perfect fodder for those forgetful exam moments, though we’d recommend saving it for after you’ve walked […]