<h2 class=" eplus-wrapper" id="crosshead">Mr Worldwide</h2>

"Divorced, beheaded, died. Divorced, beheaded, survived." The dreary chant of generations of British schoolchildren forced to learn by roteA memorisation technique based on repetition. what became of all Henry VIIIThe King of England from 1509 to 1547, best known for his six wives. 's six wives.

The TudorsA royal house that held the English throne from 1485 to 1603. remain one of the most popular subjects for History students up and down the country. 

And it is easy to see why. Tudor history is full of compelling characters: the hateful Henries, cunning Thomas CromwellEnglish lawyer and statesman (1485-1540). During the reign of Henry VIII, he began the English Reformation., and two of the strongest queens in history, Elizabeth and Mary.

But for some time, historians have been worried that British pupils are leaving school with a limited understanding of history.

Now one historian is calling for that to change. Simon Sebag Montefiore thinks the history we teach is too narrow. 

He has written a monumental 1,300-page book on the history of the world, that roars through time from ancient China through to the modern Middle East. 

Rather than focus on the detail, he has brought out what connects us with all other human beings across time and space. 

Historical figures can often seem very distant, especially when they belonged to very different cultures. Montefiore wants us to see that all human beings are really the same: often nasty, greedy and foolish, but also kind, wise and good.

He thinks schools should do the same. Drop the same old English history, and learn about the wider world.

This could draw much-needed attention to events that are still taking place around us. Almost no-one in Britain, he argues, has ever heard of the Great African War, which started in 1990 and carries on today. Yet with 5.4 million casualties, it has been the deadliest war since World War Two.¹

But others say this is not what we learn history for. They think the point is really to understand who we are as a nation, not how the world works.

Yes: British pupils are being let down. History could give them the tools to understand the increasingly unstable world they live in. Instead, they get force-fed boring facts about long-dead kings.

No: History teachers do not have enough time to teach the history of the whole world. Instead, they should teach pupils enough about their own history that they will be inspired to go and learn more about the world.

Or... There can be no history of Britain without a history of the world. We should not study Britain in isolation or the world at large, but rather Britain's historic place in the world.

By rote - A memorisation technique based on repetition.

Henry VIII - The King of England from 1509 to 1547, best known for his six wives.

Tudors - A royal house that held the English throne from 1485 to 1603.

Thomas Cromwell - English lawyer and statesman (1485-1540). During the reign of Henry VIII, he began the English Reformation.