The Gunpowder Plot failed, but the English Civil War would later claim the life of a king.
Civil War and Revolution
Overview: Civil War and Revolution 1603 - 1714
Overview: Civil War and Revolution, 1603 - 1714
The Stuart dynasty spanned one of the most tumultuous periods in British history - years of civil war, assassination attempts, usurpations, national disaster and revolution. How did it all happen?
The Gunpowder Plot
Gunpowder Plot CGI
Fly through the parliament buildings of 1605 and see the planned result of the gunpowder plotters' handiwork.
- Gunpowder Plot Game Test your knowledge of the Gunpowder Plot
- The Gunpowder Plot by Bruce Robinson
- What If the Gunpowder Plot Had Succeeded? by Professor Ronald Hutton
- The Enduring Memory of the Gunpowder Plot by Alan Haynes
Civil War, Republic and Restoration
The Personality and Political Style of Charles I
A pious and strong-willed king, Charles exhibited from childhood the characteristics that would lead to his downfall. By Dr Richard Cust.
- Oliver Cromwell - John Morrill explores a pivotal figure in British history.
- Choosing Sides in the English Civil War by Dr Mike Stoyle
- The Civil War in the West by Dr John Wroughton
- Ireland and the War of the Three Kingdoms by Micheál Ó Siochrú
- Thomas Hobbes: Balancing Dominion and Liberty by Professor John Rogers
- The Levellers and the Tradition of Dissent by Tony Benn
- The Execution of Charles I by Professor Ann Hughes
- Charles II: The Masquerading Monarch by Professor Ronald Hutton
- Bonnie Prince Charlie Animation
The Great Fire of London
London's Burning: The Great Fire
Was the blaze that devastated the heart of the English capital an accident or a pernicious Papist plot? By Bruce Robinson.
- Great Fire of London: Skyline Animation - How the blaze changed the capital
- London After the Great Fire - Recovery from the blaze, by John Schofield
- Christopher Wren and St Paul's Cathedral by Dr Anthony Geraghty
Glorious Revolution and Jacobite Rebellion
William III
Perversely, it was William's indifference to matters in Britain and Ireland that ended longstanding political and religious strife. By Anthony Claydon.
- The Jacobite Cause by Louise Yeoman
- Northern Ireland: Plantation
- The Glorious Revolution by Dr Edward Vallance
- The Darien Venture by Dr Mike Ibeji
- The Cultural Impact of the Highland Clearances by Ross Noble
Daily Life in the 17th Century
Sex, Lice and Chamber Pots in Pepys' London
The ribald diaries of Samuel Pepys give an unparalleled insight into the daily life of Restoration-era Londoners. By Liza Picard, illustrations by Simon Cooper.
- Diaries of the Seventeenth Century by Dr Mark Knights
- London: Brighter Lights, Bigger City by Bruce Robinson
- The Rise of Edinburgh by Stana Nenadic
- 18th-century Glasgow by Irene Maver
British History Timeline
World War One Centenary
- Find out more about how the BBC is covering the World War One Centenary, and see the latest programmes and online content
Surviving the trenches
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