There’s more to history than Tudors and Nazis
SIR – Alexander Stafford, the Conservative MP, is quite right (“Teach medieval history in schools or we will ‘lose our past’”, report, July 4). History teaching has become too narrow, with its focus on the Tudors and the Nazis.
Modern society seems obsessed with “inclusive history”, rather than the roots of our kingdom and culture, which lie in the Anglosaxon period. As Mr Stafford points out, few people today have heard of Athelstan – nor is the date 927 celebrated, even though it was the year he added Northumbria to his southern lands, thus creating the kingdom of England.
When I taught medieval history at A-level, on many occasions pupils chose this over the modern period. It was not difficult to interest them in the Vikings, the Crusades and the Norman Conquest, or in more esoteric topics such as Charlemagne’s coronation as Holy Roman Emperor in 800.
When Michael Gove was education secretary he insisted that exam boards offer more medieval history. I suspect that few schools took advantage of this, however, given that today’s history graduates often know little or nothing about the period. Schools also lack the money to buy new books.
It will require a political initiative to revive the teaching of medieval history in schools, and hopefully Mr Stafford is lighting the touch paper. Robin Nonhebel
Swanage, Dorset