Page 62 - BBC History - September 2017

History Hot 100 2017

Marc Morris Dan Jones
“The seating plan is “What this year’s list really shows
essentially unchanged is that people remain fascinated
since 2016”
by one big idea: power”
Focusing on the top 10, the most striking
thing is the degree of stasis. Victoria and Historians recently spent a few weeks Genghis Khan was a Mongol and Martin
Alfred the Great have joined the top table, shouting at each other on social media Luther King... was Martin Luther King.
but otherwise the seating plan is essentially about the whiteness, maleness and general Behind the seemingly unmovable
unchanged since 2016. Richard III tops the conservatism of historical TV commis- Richard III in first place, it is cheering to
board for the third year, and does not want sioning and history festival line-ups. see the leading spots evenly contested
for royal company, surrounded as he is for Many in my line of work feel that the between men and women, with Eleanor of
the most part by other English monarchs. great British public is being swindled out Aquitaine, Elizabeth I and Anne Boleyn
Readers seem as determined as ever to of its chance to learn more about long- dominating the top of the list.
disprove Monty Python’s assertion that you gone figures from the margins. I do not But what this year’s list really shows is
don’t vote for kings. Further down the list, contest the righteousness of that argument that people remain fascinated by one big
the outstanding trend is the rise of the but it sails against the evidence. idea: power. I commend my fellow
fascists. Mussolini has surged 61 places, The 2017 History Hot 100 demonstrates historians who wish to make the world
almost joining Hitler in the top 10, and unequivocally that people are still other than it is, but as John Adams once
there are strong new entries from Mosley, intrigued by kings and queens, emperors said: facts are stubborn things.
Franco and Goebbels. Is this genuine and dictators, generals and prime
historical curiosity or a worrying reflection ministers. The only historical personages Dan Jones is a historian
of current political fashion?
in this year’s top 20 who do not fall into and broadcaster. His book
one of those categories are William The Templars: The Rise and
Marc Morris is a historian Shakespeare, Martin Luther and Jesus. Fall of God’s Holy Warriors
and broadcaster. His most That is not to say that the list wholly is out this month, pub-
recent book is William I lacks diversity: Jesus was an Israelite, lished by Head of Zeus
(Allen Lane, 2016)

Joanne Paul
Greg Jenner
“The cast of The “These top 10 historical icons
Tudors is fading”
are old favourites, most of whom
Whereas last year’s top five represented would have polled highly in 1957”
the standard make-up of a lecture on the
Tudors, this year’s list represents a broader
approach to history (though few non-Euro- I am currently writing a book about the Asian British history.
pean figures make the list). The widening history of celebrity, so I am keenly All of this feels very familiar. However,
of historical interest away from an exclusive aware of how star names linger in our what did shock me is that scientists,
look at the Tudors (followed closely by the cultural imagination. cultural icons and explorers (just Drake
Second World War) is refreshing, and These top 10 historical icons are old and Columbus) are poorly represented,
perhaps says something about the sources favourites, most of whom would have as are social reformers. And I’m surprised
of interest in historical figures. The casts polled highly in 1957. Indeed, while that ancient history received a meagre
of The Tudors and Wolf Hall are fading, the wider top 100 includes new entries six entries.
while those of The White Queen, The Last (hooray for Æthelflæd!), it too All considered, this poll suggests we
Kingdom and a number of films and books reflects long-standing traditions remain most interested in our own island
stake their claims to our historical in popular history. story, particularly the themes of power,
imagination. If this assumed connection Men predominate by two-thirds; of politics, royalty and war. But Britons also
is correct, then perhaps we – as the the women included, all but seven were used to be passionately interested in
generators of such historical outputs – royals. Indeed, royal identity accounts radicals, reformers, revolutionaries, and
need to embrace the opportunity to steer for about half of all entries, while around pioneers. There are a handful in this list,
interest in new directions and to more 50 per cent of the top 100 wielded direct but not nearly as many as I expected.
unexplored shores. political power. Nearly a third fought on
a battlefield. Roughly 60 per cent are Greg Jenner is author of
Joanne Paul is lecturer in people drawn from British history. More A Million Years in a Day: A
history at the University of than 90 per cent of the people in the poll Curious History of Daily Life
Sussex. Her books include were Caucasian, despite exciting recent (W&N, 2015)
Thomas More (Polity, 2016) research by historians of black and

62 BBC History Magazine Hot 100