[2024] 200+ Free Courses to Learn About History
From ancient to modern: a comprehensive guide to history courses, spanning continents, cultures, and eras.
Have you ever watched a historical documentary and wished it had been… longer? That you could have spent tens of hours learning about the topic instead of one? If so, a history course might be for you!
You may think that there is nothing new to be said about some subjects, such as the Renaissance or WWI. But there are reasons why many subjects are worth revisiting:
- New documentary sources and evidence are continually turning up
- Our understanding of human behavior (via psychology, sociology, economics, etc.) is advancing, allowing better insights
- Each new contemporary context causes us to see different things in historical events and draw different lessons.
Thus, studying history is ever new. As important as computer science, finance, and big data are, history will never go out of style (we hope). Take a look through this list and get your history on!
Subjects
For your convenience, we’ve broken down the list into different subjects. Click on a subject to jump to the corresponding section:
- General History (126)
- Ancient History (18)
- Roman History (8)
- Greek History (2)
- Chinese History (10)
- Japanese History (7)
- Korean History (1)
- Indian History (1)
- Historiography (1)
- Modern History (7)
- Military History (8)
- Art History (16)
- Medieval History (5)
- European History (13)
- American History (9)
- Black History (3)
- British History (3)
- World History (3)
- Industrial Revolution (2)
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General History (126)
- A Scuola con Raffaello from University of Urbino ★★★★★(37)
- The Emergence of the Modern Middle East – Part I from Tel Aviv University ★★★★★(25)
- Arab-Islamic History: From Tribes to Empires from Tel Aviv University ★★★★★(24)
- The French Revolution from University of Melbourne ★★★★★(23)
- The Modern and the Postmodern (Part 1) from Wesleyan University ★★★★★(21)
- La costruzione dell’Italia from University of Naples Federico II ★★★★★(17)
- Patrick Henry: Forgotten Founder from University of Virginia ★★★★★(16)
- Magic in the Middle Ages from University of Barcelona ★★★★☆(16)
- Constitutional Struggles in the Muslim World from University of Copenhagen ★★★★★(11)
- The Emergence of the Modern Middle East – Part II from Tel Aviv University ★★★★★(11)
- The Kennedy Half Century from University of Virginia ★★★★☆(11)
- The Spain of Don Quixote from Universidad Autónoma de Madrid ★★★★☆(11)
- Age of Jefferson from University of Virginia ★★★★★(10)
- The Fall and Rise of Jerusalem from Tel Aviv University ★★★★☆(9)
- The Holocaust – An Introduction (I): Nazi Germany: Ideology, The Jews and the World from Yad Vashem – The World Holocaust Remembrance Center ★★★★★(7)
- The Holocaust – An Introduction (II): The Final Solution from Yad Vashem – The World Holocaust Remembrance Center ★★★★★(6)
- Journey of the Universe: The Unfolding of Life from Yale University ★★★★☆(4)
- The Mediterranean, a Space of Exchange (from the Renaissance to Enlightenment) from University of Barcelona ★☆☆☆☆(4)
- Smithsonian’s Objects That Define America from Smithsonian Institution ★★★★★(2)
- The Modern and the Postmodern (Part 2) from Wesleyan University ★★★★☆(2)
- The Holocaust: The Destruction of European Jewry from University of California, Santa Cruz ★★★★★(2)
- Russian History: from Lenin to Putin from University of California, Santa Cruz ★★★★★(2)
- Understanding 9/11: Why 9/11 Happened & How Terrorism Affects Our World Today from Duke University ★★★☆☆(2)
- Big History – From the Big Bang until Today from University of Amsterdam ★★★☆☆(2)
- The Tudors from University of Roehampton ★★★★☆(2)
- The Scottish Highland Clans: Origins, Decline and Transformation from University of Glasgow ★★★★★(2)
- Women Making History: Ten Objects, Many Stories from Harvard University ★★★★★(1)
- Seeking Women’s Rights: Colonial Period to the Civil War from Columbia University ★★★★★(1)
- Democratic to Authoritarian Rule from University of Michigan ★★★★★(1)
- Wage Work for Women Citizens: 1870-1920 from Columbia University ★★★★★(1)
- PredictionX: Lost Without Longitude from Harvard University ★★★★★(1)
- Great South Land: Introducing Australian History from University of Newcastle ★★★★☆(1)
- History of Roman Law from University of Naples Federico II ★★☆☆☆(1)
- Storia d’Italia from University of Naples Federico II ★★★★★(1)
- Antes de Noé: El diluvio en la Antigua Babilonia from Universidad Nacional de Córdoba ★★★★☆(1)
- Historia de las reglas del fútbol en Inglaterra y en Argentina from Universidad Austral ★★★☆☆(1)
- Cruzadas y Órdenes militares en el mundo medieval from Universidad de Navarra ★★☆☆☆(1)
- What do historians do? ★★★★☆(1)
- La percepción del paisaje from Universidad Autónoma de Madrid ★★★★★(1)
- Fighting for Equality: 1950–2018 from Columbia University
- Negotiating a Changing World: 1920-1950 from Columbia University
- American Prophet: The Inner Life and Global Vision of Martin Luther King, Jr. from Stanford University
- Learning from the Past: A Guide for the Curious Researcher from The University of Nottingham
- Early Modern Scottish Palaeography: Reading Scotland’s Records from University of Glasgow
- The Rooseveltian Century from Leiden University
- Luther and the West from Northwestern University
- Magna Carta and its Legacies: Freedom and protest from University of London International Programmes
- The History of Medicine: Philosophy, Science, and Psychology from University of California, Santa Cruz
- Introduction to American History: From Reconstruction to World War, 1865-1919 from University of Newcastle
- Visualizing Imperialism & the Philippines, 1898-1913 from Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Lancaster Castle and Northern English History: The View from the Stronghold from Lancaster University
- Travelling Books: History in Europe and Japan from Keio University
- Railway History: The Rise of the Railway Station from University of Strathclyde
- The Holocaust through the Perspective of Primary Sources from Yad Vashem – The World Holocaust Remembrance Center
- English Electronic Music: Delve into the Digital Archives from University of Huddersfield
- History of Slavery in the British Caribbean from University of Glasgow
- Chosen Issues in Holocaust History from Yad Vashem – The World Holocaust Remembrance Center
- Applied Public History: Places, People, Stories from University of London International Programmes
- Egypt before and after pharaohs. from Sapienza University of Rome
- The Final Solution to the Jewish Question from Yad Vashem – The World Holocaust Remembrance Center
- The History and Culture of Chinese Silk from University for the Creative Arts
- Photographing the Holocaust from The University of Nottingham
- Paesaggi di Roma Antica. Archeologia e storia del Palatino. from Sapienza University of Rome
- History of reading: An introduction to reading in the past from The Open University
- Better Days Course 1
- New Zealand History, Culture and Conflict: A Museum Perspective from The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
- From Waterloo to the Rhine: The British Army 1815-1945 from University of Kent
- Peterloo to the Pankhursts: Radicalism and Reform in the 19th Century from Royal Holloway, University of London
- Remembering Empire
- Historia del Arte: Del Arte Prehistórico al Renacimiento from Universidad de Palermo
- The history of female protest and suffrage in the UK from The Open University
- The History of Protest in Aotearoa New Zealand from The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
- Anarchy in the UK: A History of Punk from 1976-78 from University of Reading
- Better Days Course 2
- Teaching the Holocaust: Innovative Approaches to the Challenges We Face from University College London
- International Relations 1815-1914
- Sr.Secondary : History (315) from NIOS
- A History of Tudor Entertainment from Historic Royal Palaces
- History of reading tutorial 1: Finding evidence of reading in the past from The Open University
- MGP-001 Gandhi: The Man and His Times from IGNOU
- Welsh history and its sources from The Open University
- History of Game Design: 2010 to present from LCI Education
- Germany 1919-1947
- History of reading tutorial 2: The reading and reception of literary texts – a case study of Robinson Crusoe from The Open University
- How do empires work? from The Open University
- La storia, le storie from University of Foggia
- MGP-003 Gandhi’s Social Thought from IGNOU
- Introducción a la caligrafía y paleografía en archivos hispanos medievales y modernos from Universidad Carlos iii de Madrid
- Elixir: A History of Water and Humans
- The USA 1930-2000
- Introducción a Historia I from Elbio Fernández Institute
- Odesa: Jews in the Modern World from University of California, Santa Cruz
- Qatari History and Heritage from Qatar University
- Introducción a Historia II from Elbio Fernández Institute
- Country Houses and the British Empire: How Imperialism Transformed Britain’s Colonial Countryside from University of Leicester
- Navarra: Historia y cultura from Universidad de Navarra
- Historia latinoamericana a través de objetos de arte, diseño y artesanía from Universidad del Rosario
- Hernando Cortes and the Aztec Civilization
- Historical perspectives on race from The Open University
- Storia del Diritto Romano from University of Naples Federico II
- Unión Europea: Historia, Instituciones y Políticas from Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Autonomous University of Barcelona)
- Brazil for Beginners
- Tay Bridge disaster from The Open University
- I. Missões jesuíticas nos territórios guaranis: história from Universidade de São Paulo
- Big History from CrashCourse
- The History of MIT from Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Voyage musical dans la France du 17e siècle from Sorbonne Universités
- The RMS Lusitania
- History of reading tutorial 3: Famous writers and their reading – Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Vernon Lee
- Latino: forme e circolazione nella pars Orientis dell’Impero from University of Naples Federico II
- II. Missões Jesuíticas nos territórios guaranis: o cotidiano from Universidade de São Paulo
- Ukrainian Culture : Understanding the Country and Its People
- Robert Owen and New Lanark from The Open University
- Del trazo caligráfico al método paleográfico: experimentando la materialidad de los manuscritos históricos from Universidad Carlos iii de Madrid
- HistoireS de Belgique from Université de Liège
- The Spanish Conquistadors in La Florida
- Victory or Death: General Washington at Trenton & Princeton
- Aberdulais Falls: a case study in Welsh heritage from The Open University
- Tarih Mitoloji
- The Battle of the Crater
- À la découverte de la civilisation hittite chapitre 1 from Sorbonne Universités
- World history in hindi
- 出土文献的新发现 from Tsinghua University
- อาเซียนศึกษา | ASEAN Studies
- Cultura Maya en Yucatán
- Cultura Maya en Yucatán
Ancient History (18)
- Introduction to Ancient Egypt and Its Civilization from University of Pennsylvania ★★★★☆(6)
- Wonders of Ancient Egypt from University of Pennsylvania ★★★★★(5)
- Health and Wellbeing in the Ancient World from The Open University ★★★★★(4)
- Organising an Empire: The Assyrian Way from Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München ★★★★★(3)
- El Valle de los Reyes from Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Autonomous University of Barcelona) ★★★★★(2)
- The History of Ancient Environments, Climate, and Life from Massachusetts Institute of Technology ★★★★★(1)
- Ancient Egypt: a history in six objects ★★★★☆(1)
- Alle origini della civiltà mediterranea: archeologia della città dal Levante all’Occidente – III-I millennio a.C. from Sapienza University of Rome ★★★★★(1)
- Western Civilization I: Ancient Near East to 1648 from State University of New York
- Art and life in ancient Egypt from The Open University
- Health and wellbeing in the ancient world from The Open University
- Introducing the Classical world from The Open University
- Library of Alexandria from The Open University
- BLUE: a symposium exploring aspects of life in ancient Egypt
- L’Egitto prima e dopo i faraoni. Dalla nascita dello Stato (3000 a.C. ca.) alle prime comunità cristiane (IV secolo d.C.) from Sapienza University of Rome
- The body in antiquity from The Open University
- The Ancient Olympics: bridging past and present from The Open University
- Les hiéroglyphes égyptiens from Université de Liège
Roman History (8)
- Rome: A Virtual Tour of the Ancient City from University of Reading ★★★★★(41)
- Arch of Titus: Rome and the Menorah from Yeshiva University ★★★★★(3)
- The Roman Empire: introducing some key terms from The Open University ★★★★★(2)
- Introducing Virgil’s Aeneid from The Open University ★★★★★(1)
- Hadrian’s Rome from The Open University
- Exploring a Romano-African city: Thugga from The Open University
- The repute and reality of being a Roman emperor from The Open University
- The many guises of the emperor Augustus from The Open University
Greek History (2)
- The Ancient Greeks from Wesleyan University ★★★★★(30)
- Herodotus and the invention of history from The Open University
Chinese History (10)
- Understanding China, 1700-2000: A Data Analytic Approach, Part 1 from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology ★★★★★(17)
- 史記 (Shi Ji) from National Taiwan University ★★★★★(4)
- Jewish Diaspora in Modern China from Nanjing University ★★★★★(3)
- Understanding China, 1700-2000: A Data Analytic Approach, Part 2 from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology ★★★★★(3)
- 中國古代歷史與人物:秦始皇(Qin Shi Huang) from National Taiwan University ★★★★☆(3)
- Chinese History From Warring States to the Tang Dynasty | 资治通鉴 from Tsinghua University ★★★★★(1)
- Chinese Culture and Contemporary China from Nanjing University ★★★★★(1)
- Intellectual Change in Early China: Warring States and Han from The Chinese University of Hong Kong ★★★★★(1)
- China’s Ancient Ritual Civilization | 中国古代礼义文明 from Tsinghua University
- 中日文化交流史 from Peking University
Japanese History (7)
- Visualizing Japan (1850s-1930s): Westernization, Protest, Modernity from Harvard University ★★★★★(10)
- Visualizing Postwar Tokyo, Part 1 from University of Tokyo ★★★★☆(2)
- Visualizing Postwar Tokyo, Part 2 from University of Tokyo ★★★★☆(2)
- Visualizing the Birth of Modern Tokyo from Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- The Meiji Restoration and the Modernisation of Japan: The Dynamism of Yukichi Fukuzawa from Keio University
- 古書から読み解く日本の文化: 和本を彩る和紙の世界 from Keio University
- 日本の近代化: 福澤諭吉の格闘 from Keio University
Korean History (1)
- Science and Technology in the Silla Cultural Heritage from Pohang University of Science and Technology
Indian History (1)
- History of India – VI (C.1750-1857) from CEC
Historiography (1)
- Asia Oriental en el s. XX: introducción desde la Historia from Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Autonomous University of Barcelona)
Modern History (7)
- The Modern World, Part One: Global History from 1760 to 1910 from University of Virginia ★★★★★(25)
- The History of Modern Israel – Part I: From an Idea to a State from Tel Aviv University ★★★★☆(7)
- The Modern World, Part Two: Global History since 1910 from University of Virginia ★★★★★(6)
- The History of Modern Israel – Part II: Challenges of Israel as a sovereign state from Tel Aviv University ★★★★★(2)
- The History of the Book in the Early Modern Period: 1450 to 1800 from Trinity College Dublin ★★★★★(2)
- The World History of Modern Wine from Trinity College
- HIST362: Modern Revolutions
Military History (8)
- World War 1: Trauma, Memory, Controversy from The Open University ★★★★★(9)
- The Civil War and Reconstruction – 1861 – 1865: A New Birth of Freedom from Columbia University ★★★★★(6)
- The Civil War and Reconstruction – 1850-1861: A House Divided from Columbia University ★★★★★(4)
- From World War to White Heat: the RAF in the Cold War from Royal Holloway, University of London ★★★★☆(1)
- The First World War: trauma and memory from The Open University
- Unearthing the Trojan War: The Life of Heinrich Schliemann
- Operation Drumbeat: The U-boat War Off America’s Coast, 1942
- Depression, War and Recovery; Britain 1931-1951
Art History (16)
- European Paintings: From Leonardo to Rembrandt to Goya from Universidad Carlos iii de Madrid ★★★★☆(7)
- Making sense of art history from The Open University ★★★★★(1)
- Pintura europea: Leonardo, Rembrandt, Goya from Universidad Carlos iii de Madrid ★★★★☆(1)
- Modern Sculpture: An Introduction to Art History from University of York
- Art and visual culture: medieval to modern from The Open University
- Art in Renaissance Venice from The Open University
- Delacroix from The Open University
- Dutch painting of the Golden Age from The Open University
- Goya from The Open University
- Artists and authorship: the case of Raphael from The Open University
- Napoleonic paintings from The Open University
- Helen Langdon’s ‘Caravaggio’ from The Open University
- ARTH101: Art Appreciation
- Travelling for culture: the Grand Tour
- Museología: los principios básicos tras el quehacer expositivo from Universidad del Rosario
- Arte Medieval from Universidad de Palermo
Medieval History (5)
- Deciphering Secrets: Unlocking the Manuscripts of Medieval Toledo (Spain) from Universidad Carlos iii de Madrid ★★★★★(12)
- The History of Medieval Medicine Through Jewish Manuscripts from University of Pennsylvania ★★★★★(2)
- Coexistence in Medieval Spain: Jews, Christians, and Muslims from University of Colorado System ★★★☆☆(2)
- The Cosmopolitan Medieval Arabic World from Leiden University ★★★★★(1)
- Deciphering Secrets: Unlocking the Manuscripts of Medieval Burgos (Spain) from Universidad Carlos iii de Madrid ★★★☆☆(1)
European History (13)
- European Empires: An Introduction, 1400–1522 from University of Newcastle ★★★★☆(1)
- European History, Society and Culture from KU Leuven University
- History of Italy from University of Naples Federico II
- Ukraine: History, Culture and Identities from University of Washington
- The Enlightenment from The Open University
- Early modern Europe: an introduction from The Open University
- National identity in Britain and Ireland, 1780–1840 from The Open University
- Health, disease and society: Scottish influence in the 19th century from The Open University
- What is Europe?
- Roaring Twenties? Europe in the interwar period from The Open University
- Становлення сучасної України from Yale University
- Становление современной Украины from Yale University
- ประวัติศาสตร์ยุโรป | European History
American History (9)
- The Civil War and Reconstruction – 1865-1890: The Unfinished Revolution from Columbia University ★★★★★(7)
- Race, Gender, and Culture from University of Colorado Boulder
- Moneyball and Globalization from University of Colorado Boulder
- Benjamin Franklin and His World from University of Pennsylvania
- The American Civil Rights Movement from The Open University
- Baseball into the Millennium from University of Colorado Boulder
- Baseball and Americanism from University of Colorado Boulder
- Asian American History and Identity: An Anti-Racism Toolkit from University of Colorado Boulder
- Reconstructing America’s Story from University of Pennsylvania
Black History (3)
- Black Performance as Social Protest from University of Michigan
- Black Tudors: The Untold Story
- Teaching Black British History: A Teacher Training Guide from The Black Curriculum
British History (3)
- Discover the Hidden History of York from University of York
- British Germanophobia During WW1: ‘The Enemy at Home’ from University of Hull
- Wilberforce from The Open University
World History (3)
- World History 2 from CrashCourse
- HIST103: World History in the Early Modern and Modern Eras (1600–Present)
- El Holocausto: el abismo de la humanidad from Yad Vashem – The World Holocaust Remembrance Center
Industrial Revolution (2)
- Introduzione alla Storia del Design from Politecnico di Milano
- HIST363: Global Perspectives on Industrialization
Nicolas
A major big history MOOC that has disappeared from Coursera is “Sapiens: a brief history of humankind”.
However, it is still available on YouTube here : https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIHhu6JIlvVOWGmKy8l5Jy3gunjARf52Y
Christopher Johnston
I would love to see something offered regarding nobility or peerage structure, lineage, titles in place before the Norman Invasion of 1066. I have yet to see any research in this area.