HistFest

There are a range of concessions. These include discounts for British Library Members, half-price tickets for students and under 26s, free entry for carers as well as a number of other concessions such as day and weekend passes.

This event will take place in the British Library Knowledge Centre and is also available to watch online. Tickets may be booked to attend in person, or to watch on our platform either live or during the next 7 days on catch up. If you book an online ticket, you will receive the viewing link on the morning of the event. 

If you’re attending in person, please arrive no later than 15 minutes before the start time of this event. If you have specific access requirements please email customer@bl.uk

Saturday 26 April, 11.00–12.15

Dr Nicola Tallis’s book Young Elizabeth uncovers the turbulent and troubled early life of Elizabeth I, the ‘virgin queen’ whose ascent to the throne was far from guaranteed. After the brutal execution of her mother Anne Boleyn, the young Elizabeth suffered the loss of several stepmothers and her father, as well as enduring the unwanted advances of her guardian Thomas Seymour. Implicated in a plot to overthrow her half-sister Mary, she found herself imprisoned in the Tower of London, where she was relentlessly interrogated. In this fascinating opening event, Nicola examines how the stormy waters Elizabeth navigated in her youth helped shape her into the formidable monarch she would later become. Chaired by Dr Wanda Wyporska.

This event is kindly supported by PLB Ltd

Saturday 26 April, 13.00–14.15

Ghanaian-born historian and anthropologist Luke Pepera shares stories from his debut book Motherland: A Journey through 500,000 Years of African Culture and Identity. From the fourteenth-century pilgrimage of Mansa Musa, reportedly the richest man who ever lived, to the death of Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman seven-hundred years later, Pepera touches on surprising and illuminating moments in African history that shine a light on the culture and identity of a continent. In conversation with historian Dr Mai Musié, public engagement specialist at the University of Swansea.

Saturday 26 April, 15.00–16.15

After more than a century at the bottom of the Atlantic, the RMS Titanic continues to exert a hefty pull on our collective imagination. Why has this particular maritime tragedy inspired so many works of art, spawned so many conspiracy theories and become the object of such fascination, even obsession? And as the wreck lies rusting on the seabed, how has the story we tell about it changed over the years? Chair Duncan Barrett, writer and producer of landmark new podcast series Titanic: Ship of Dreams, is joined by Professor Stephanie Barczewski, author of Titanic: A Night Remembered – plus very special guest Stephen McGann (Call The Midwife), whose great uncle Jimmy McGann worked in the boat’s engine room.

This event is kindly supported by Noiser

Saturday 26 April, 17.00–18.15

Ancient Mesopotamia is known as the ‘cradle of civilisation’: a region that gave us the first cities, the first system of writing, the foundations of mathematics and astronomy, and numerous myths and legends that were later absorbed by the Greeks and Romans. Yet compared to other ancient civilisations, its culture and contributions are not widely known or celebrated. Join Dr Moudhy Al-Rashid, author of Between Two Rivers: Ancient Mesopotamia and the Birth of History, and Dr Selena Wisnom, author of The Library of Ancient Wisdom: Mesopotamia and the Making of History, as they take us on a tour of this surprisingly rich, sophisticated and complex society. Chaired by Iranian-born British comedian and author Shaparak Khorsandi.

Sunday 27 April, 11.00–12.15

Renowned for their witty social commentary and clear-eyed depictions of love and marriage, Jane Austen’s novels continue to be read, studied, adapted, imitated and worshiped all over the world. To mark the 250th anniversary of the writer’s birth, this special event celebrates her life and legacy, as well as the iconic Regency fashions of her day. With writer and actor Cariad Lloyd (Austentatious) fashion historian Amber Butchart and Austen scholar Professor John Mullan.

Sunday 27 April, 13.00–14.15

Award-winning historian Anne Sebba’s new book tells the remarkable true story of a group of women whose musical talent saved them from the gas chambers of Auschwitz II-Birkenau. As members of the notorious concentration camp’s only female orchestra, conductor Alma Rosé and her ‘girls’ received preferential treatment in return for giving concerts to Nazi officers and playing marching music for the forced labourers as they set off for work. Anne discusses the role music played in this most unlikely of settings, as well as the moral and psychological struggles faced by those who were forced to perform for the enemy. Chaired by historian, author and broadcaster, Kate Williams.

Sunday 27 April, 15.00–16.15

Humans have a long and shameful history of making monsters out of one another, whether as a projection of our own deepest fears and prejudices or as a means of gaining political or financial advantage. In her new book, science historian Dr Surekha Davies charts the history of monster-making, weaving together stories of those who have been dehumanized through time and asking how we can create a better, less polarised future. Chaired by author and presenter Dr Kate Lister.

Sunday 27 April, 17.00–18.15

Historian and royal expert Professor Kate Williams closes this year’s festival with some deliciously salacious tales from her new book, The Royal Palaces: Secrets and Scandals. Hear about Charles II’s secret laboratory at Whitehall Palace, where he tried to create an elixir of youth using human skulls; the horrifying bloodstains in the queen’s chamber at Holyroodhouse, where staff once ran a lucrative side hustle charging visitors to visit the side of a grisly murder; and how the Prince of Wales, George IV, scandalised guests at St James’s Palace by turning up to his own wedding drunk and secretly already married.