Royal society: Did you mean...?

In this gallery, we look at the history of the last five royal houses of Britain through their family trees. From the Wars of the Roses to the current House of Windsor, we see an evolution from absolute rule to a constitutional monarchy...

Fontevraud Abbey in the Pays de la Loire region of France was founded in 1101 by Robert D'Arbrissel. This area of France was then controlled by the English Crown. Eleanor of Aquitaine (l. c. 1122-1204) retired to the abbey in 1200, and she...

The Stuart royal line (originally spelt Stewart) was founded in Scotland when Robert II took the throne in 1371. James VI of Scotland (in England known as James I) then unified the Scottish and English crowns following the death of Elizabeth...

This infographic illustrates the complexity and layered dynamics of Ancient Roman society. Structured by wealth, citizenship, ancestry, political privilege, and freedom, Roman social order was rigid yet fluid. Although status was sharply...

This depiction of medieval Western Europe (c. 10th–13th century) illustrates the feudal hierarchy of king, nobles, lords, and peasants, and emphasizes the parallel power and influence of the Church. Land was divided into units known as “fiefs,”...

Broadside condemning the sale and keeping of slaves in the District of Columbia, issued during the 1835-36 petition campaign by the American Anti-Slavery Society, 1836. Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

The Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society was formed in London in 1887 to promote the exhibition of decorative arts alongside fine arts. The Society's exhibitions, which were held annually at the New Gallery from 1888 to 1890, and roughly every...

Rome began as a small city on the banks of the Tiber River in Italy. The Latin tribes (also known as the Latini or Latians) inhabited the region c. 1000 BCE but the founding of the city is dated to 753 BCE. The family was the center and foundation...

The state of nature is an idea which became especially popular with certain philosophers during the Enlightenment, notably Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679), John Locke (1632-1704), and Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778). It refers to a state of existence...

A trade union scroll for the Amalgamated Society of Engineers, created in January 1851. The scroll shows illustrations of important engineers and inventions during the Industrial Revolution. (Science Museum, London)