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Historia Magazine

The magazine of the Historical Writers Association

  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Books
    • TV, Film and Theatre
    • One From The Vaults
  • New books
  • Columns
    • Doctor Darwin’s Writing Tips
    • Watching History
    • Desert Island Books
  • Advertising
  • About
  • Contact
  • Historia in your inbox

The Stolen Crown by Carol McGrath

18 May 2023 By Editor

When Princess Matilda is 18 years old, tragedy strikes the royal family, and she becomes the only child of the king of England — the de facto heir to the throne. As her dying father persuades the barons to pledge allegiance to her, Matilda returns to England — but the lords and clergy do not […]

The Empress Matilda and the stolen crown

15 May 2023 By Carol McGrath

Carol McGrath’s novel The Stolen Crown retells the extraordinary story of the Empress Matilda and her fight to gain the throne of England during the 12th-century civil war known as the Anarchy. It’s a period, as she says, of “thrills, jeopardy and unforgettable characters”. When I began to write Empress Matilda’s story I wondered if […]

Matilda: Empress, Queen, Warrior by Catherine Hanley

11 February 2020 By Editor

A life of Matilda: empress, skilled military leader, and one of the greatest figures of the English Middle Ages. Matilda was a daughter, wife, and mother. But she was also empress, heir to the English crown – the first woman ever to hold the position – and an able military general. This new biography explores […]

Matilda: Empress, Queen, Warrior by Catherine Hanley

12 March 2019 By Editor

A life of Matilda – empress, skilled military leader, and one of the greatest figures of the English Middle Ages. By Catherine Hanley

Matilda: The greatest king England never had

7 March 2019 By Catherine Hanley

Armoured queen fighting helmeted men in battle

Catherine Hanley writes for Historia about Empress Matilda, the greatest king England never had.

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New books by HWA members

The Emperor of Seville by Matthew Carr

11 December 2025

Deadly Dancing at the Seaview Hotel by Glenda Young

4 December 2025

Bloody Assaye by Griff Hosker

27 November 2025

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Editor’s picks

Show, don’t tell, Write what you know: do they work for historical fiction?

28 June 2025

True love (why the greatest love stories are the ones that actually happened)

18 December 2023

Re-examining the history of Empire in fact and fiction

2 December 2021

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The Historical Writers’ Association

Historia Magazine is published by the Historical Writers’ Association. We are authors, publishers and agents of historical writing, both fiction and non-fiction. For information about membership and profiles of our member authors, please visit our website.

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ISSN 2515-2254

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