How different would Britain be had Edward VIII hadn't abdicated for the love of his life, Wallis Simpson? What if Guy Fawkes' Gunpowder Plot had succeeded? Where would we be if William the Conqueror lost the Battle of Hastings? In this brand-new title from the makers of All About History magazine, we'll dive headfirst into the alternate reality of British history, and our experts will reveal how different life would be had pivotal moments simply not happened.
Welcome to What if… Book of Alternative British History
What if… BOUDICCA’S REVOLUTION HAD SUCCEEDED? • In 60-61 CE the queen of the Iceni tribe led a bloody rebellion that very nearly ended the Roman occupation of Britain
THE PAST
THE POSSIBILITY
What if… HAROLD WON AT HASTINGS? • Anglo-Saxon England sends the Normans packing, meaning a vastly different English language – and closer ties with Scandinavia
My Thegne is Earl
What if… RICHARD I AND SALADIN HAD INTERMARRIED? • An unusual proposition during the Third Crusade could have heralded peace in the Medieval Middle East
How would it be different?
What if… THE GLYNDŴR’ REBELLION HAD SUCCEEDED? • Owain Glyndŵr attempted to free Wales from the tyrannical grasp of the English but vanished into obscurity…
THE PAST
THE POSSIBILITY
What if… RICHARD III HAD LIVED? • After neutralising the Tudor threat, Richard III looks to cement his place on the throne through marriage
How would it be different?
What if… HENRY VII HAD BEEN OVERTHROWN? • When Henry VII became king, plots were in place and pretenders eagerly eyed England’s throne. What if one of them had succeeded?
THE PAST
THE POSSIBILITY
What if… ARTHUR TUDOR LIVED? • If Henry VIII’s elder brother had become king, England might have fought against the Protestant Reformation and allied with Spain to colonise America together
How would it be different?
What if… ANNE BOLEYN AND HENRY VIII HAD A SON? • If Anne Boleyn had given Henry VIII a male heir, the crowns of England and Scotland might never have been united
THE PAST
THE POSSIBILITY
What if… THOMAS CROMWELL WASN’T EXECUTED? • Henry VIII’s insidious advisor remains in his post and better placed than many to whisper into the ear of the impressionable young Edward VI
What of Scotland?
What if… KATHERINE PARR NEVER MARRIED HENRY VIII? • Author, intellectual and formidable queen regent, Parr’s impact as Henry VIII’s wife resonates to this day
THE PAST
THE POSSIBILITY
What if… THE SPANISH ARMADA HAD BEEN VICTORIOUS? • As the Duke of Parma and his forces make land in England, Elizabeth I faces assassination by one of her own
Attack and defence • How the invading and defending forces matched up
How would it be different?
What if… THE GUNPOWDER PLOT HAD SUCCEEDED? • In the wake of an act of terror, Protestant vigilantes seek vengeance on their Catholic counterparts
How would it be different?
What if… CHARLES I HAD WON THE ENGLISH CIVIL WAR? • How would England – and the king himself – have recovered in the wake of winning civil war?
How would it be different?
What if… ENGLAND HAD REMAINED A REPUBLIC? • With no ruling monarchy and no Christmas, what would a continuing republic have looked like?
THE PAST
THE POSSIBILITY
What if… SCOTLAND AND ENGLAND HAD NOT UNIFIED? • The Act Of Union in 1707 transformed the political landscape of the British Isles, but what if it had never occurred?
THE PAST
THE POSSIBILITY
What if… THE JACOBITE RISING HAD SUCCEEDED? • A fruitful Anglo-French alliance means a...