English philosopher Thomas Hobbes believed that life would be "nasty, brutish and short" without a strong government. IDEAS explores how a new take on Hobbes offers a surprising perspective on the ...

What was it like living in the 17th century? A family in late 17th-century England led a simple, not to mention laborious, life. A majority of the population lived in a one- or two-room house, which ...

A witchcraft trial in England, 17th century. A suspected witch is lowered into the water to find out whether she would survive. If she did, she would be regarded as a witch. Witchcraft was a ...

They introduced laws to enforce, what they believed to be, an appropriate Christian lifestyle: In the 16th century, most people believed in magic and the supernatural. People might have turned to ...

the number of slaves transported on English ships would increase dramatically -- to an average of over 20,000 a year. By the end of the 17th century, England led the world in the trafficking of ...

When 'The Great Plague' struck 17th Century England, one rural community took decisive action that was unusual for the time, but still fascinates centuries later. Video by the BBC's Howard ...

A 17th century cottage in a sleepy village has gone ... The cottage was 'likely to have been built when Henry VIII created the Church of England' and includes four bedrooms, two reception rooms ...

In a volume entitled "New England's First Fruits", published in London in 1643, an article on Harvard College, the College being evidently numbered among New England's "first fruits", a brief ...