Latest Content
Featured Definition
Definition
Jan van Eyck
Jan van Eyck (c. 1390-1441 CE) was a Netherlandish Renaissance painter who was famous in his own lifetime for his mastery of oil painting, colouring...
Featured Image
Image
Tomb of the Lion of Kuza, Hegra
The Tomb of the Lion of Kuza (Qasr al-Farid) is a 1st-century CE Nabatean unfinished tomb carved into a single huge rock in Hegra (Madain Saleh) in...
Free for the World, Supported by You
World History Encyclopedia is a non-profit organization. For only $5 per month you can become a member and support our mission to engage people with cultural heritage and to improve history education worldwide.
World History Encyclopedia is a non-profit organization. Please support free history education for millions of learners worldwide for only $5 per month by becoming a member. Thank you!
Become a Member Donate
Definition
Quran
The Quran (also written Qur’an or Koran), written down in the 7th century, is the sacred book of Islam, following in the tradition of the Abrahamic...
Article
Battle of the Thames
The Battle of the Thames (5 October 1813), or the Battle of Moraviantown, was a decisive engagement in the War of 1812, in which a US army under General...
Image Gallery
A Gallery of Children of the Ancient World
Children in the ancient world are, generally speaking, underrepresented in art, literature, and archaeological evidence when compared with the larger...
Definition
Phoney War
The Phoney War was the period from the start of the Second World War (1939-45) when Britain and France declared war against Germany on 3 September until...
Collection
The Steps to World War Two
The causes of WWII (1939-45) were many and varied, but there was a chain of international crises in Europe, which finally degenerated into a conflict...
Collection
A Gallery of Ancient, Medieval, & Modern Warrior Women
The first female warrior attested to historically is Queen Ahhotep I of Egypt (l. c. 1570-1530 BCE) who put down a rebellion by the Hyksos when her...
Image Gallery
Gods & Goddesses of Rebirth & Renewal Around the World
Deities representing the concepts of rebirth and renewal have been a vital aspect of the human condition for thousands of years. Early animistic belief...
Article
Battle of Lake Erie
The Battle of Lake Erie (10 September 1813), also known as the Battle of Put-in-Bay, was a decisive naval engagement in the War of 1812. It saw a squadron...
Article
Interview: Medieval Christian Art in the Levant
Medievalists retain misconceptions and myths about Oriental Christians. Indeed, the fact that the Middle East is the birthplace of Christianity is an...
Article
Paul's Journeys and the Mediterranean Trade
Mediterranean trade increased exponentially at the turn of the first millennium. During Rome's zenith, goods of all sorts began to move in all directions...
Article
How Christmas Was Shaped by 19th-Century Literature
How we celebrate Christmas today is largely shaped by a small group of authors who recorded festive traditions in the 19th century. These authors include...
Article
Siege of Fort Meigs
The Siege of Fort Meigs (28 April to 9 May 1813) was a major engagement on the northwestern frontier of the War of 1812. It saw a US army under Major...
Definition
Reinhard Heydrich
Reinhard Heydrich (1904-1942) was a lieutenant-general in the Nazi SS organisation, Gestapo chief, and head of Reich security. A favourite of Adolf...
Definition
Washington Irving
Washington Irving (1783-1859) was an American author, essayist, and diplomat best known for his short stories The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van...
Collection
The History of Christmas Celebrations
In this collection of resources we look at the origins of Christmas and the story of the Nativity, the pagan traditions that have influenced how the...
Image Gallery
A Gallery of Norse Gods & Yule Traditions
The Norse tradition of celebrating Yule (Yuletide=Yule Time) influenced many of the later traditions now associated with Christmas. "Yuletide" appears...