World History Encyclopedia

Latest Content

Free for the World, Supported by You

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!

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  
Roman Women in Business
Article

Roman Women in Business

Roman women faced legal, ideological, and cultural limitations in several areas of their lives; deep-rooted traditions regarding the role of women in...
Causes of War in History
Collection

Causes of War in History

This collection of resources examines the causes of various conflicts in the last millennium, from religious and civil wars to revolutions and global...
John Fletcher
Definition

John Fletcher - Father of the English Tragicomedy

John Fletcher (1579-1625) was a playwright of the English Renaissance who flourished during the Jacobean Era (1603-1625). The author of over 50 plays...
Italian Colonialism in Libya
Article

Italian Colonialism in Libya

One of the most coveted projects of Italian colonial policy was to secure an African colony in the Mediterranean. For this reason, Italy fought and...
Thomas Middleton
Definition

Thomas Middleton - Master of Jacobean Comedy and Tragedy

Thomas Middleton (1580-1627) was a poet and playwright of the English Renaissance, who flourished during the Jacobean Era (1603-1625). One of the most...
The Causes of WWI
Article

The Causes of WWI

The origins of the First World War (1914-18) are many and varied, with some even dating back several decades, but a political assassination in the Balkans...
William Still
Definition

William Still - Father of the Underground Railroad

William Still (1819-1902) was an African American abolitionist known as the "Father of the Underground Railroad" for his efforts in helping to free...
Clarissa Davis & Woman Escaping in a Box
Article

Clarissa Davis & Woman Escaping in a Box - No Happy Slaves and Two Great Escapes

Slaveholders in the United States frequently claimed that Blacks were 'happy' to be slaves and could, in no way, function as free people as they would...
Ben Jonson
Definition

Ben Jonson - The Second Greatest Playwright of Jacobean Theatre

Ben Jonson (1572-1637) was an English poet, playwright, and literary critic, whose influence on English Renaissance literature during the Jacobean Era...
Wallace Turnage
Article

Wallace Turnage - The Slave Who Freed Himself

Many enslaved African Americans in the United States escaped bondage with the help of the Underground Railroad, but many others took it upon themselves...
Anna Maria Weems
Definition

Anna Maria Weems - The Girl Who Became a Boy to Escape Slavery

Anna Maria Weems (circa 1840 to circa 1863) was an enslaved African American woman in Rockville, Maryland, who escaped by posing as a young Black livery...
As You Like It
Definition

As You Like It - Learning to Love in Shakespeare's Forest of Arden

As You Like It is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare (1564-1616), written in 1599 and likely first performed that same year. Indeed, it is thought...
Slave Hunters in Boston
Article

Slave Hunters in Boston - The Failed Attempt to Capture Ellen & William Craft

In 1848, Ellen and William Craft escaped from slavery in Georgia by Ellen posing as a Southern gentleman and William as 'his' slave (since women were...
The Tragedy of Richard III
Definition

The Tragedy of Richard III - Shakespeare's First Great Villain

The Tragedy of Richard III, often referred to as simply Richard III, is a history play by William Shakespeare (1564-1616), probably written around 1592-94...
Solomon Northup
Definition

Solomon Northup - 12 Years a Slave

Solomon Northup (circa 1807/1808 to circa 1857/1864) was a free-born African American living in New York State when he was kidnapped in 1841 and sold...
The Immortal Ten
Article

The Immortal Ten - The Daring Rescue of John Doy

The Immortal Ten were a group of abolitionists from Kansas Territory (where slavery was hotly contested) who slipped across the Missouri River into...
Membership