Well, first, why do you want a PhD in history? You should really only pursue a PhD if you want a job that requires it, or strongly recommends it. There’s really only a handful of jobs that do - chief among them history professor, but also public historian (like at government agencies or the like) or museum curator. All three of those jobs are very competitive. Academia, particularly, is competitive to the point that the majority of people who get a PhD in history will not get tenure-track professor jobs in the field, and you essentially have to go to a top 20 or so program in order to be successful (or at least competitive) in the market. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go, but at least go in with eyes wide open knowing that chances are you’ll end up doing something else. But spending 6-8 years studying something you’re really passionate about and then coming out with research skills isn’t a bad way to spend the 20s.
So you’re going to want to try to aim for top programs, particularly in your subfield/area of interest.
From your research you know that most history PhD programs have a language requirement of reading proficiency in two languages. What those languages are is going to be dependent upon your research area, but French and/or German are common requirements especially for those in American and British history. I have heard from friends in the field that you’re more competitive for PhD programs if you are already pretty advanced in at least one language before applying - it makes it more likely that you will actually succeed in passing the language exams, since starting two languages from scratch at the beginning of a doctoral program and getting to reading proficiency in both by your second or third year is very difficult. So if you aren’t already taking a language, you should consider starting one that makes sense for your area of interest.
You should also try to do some research/scholarship with a professor as an advisor. Most students in the humanities accomplish this by means of an independent study. Once you’ve taken a class or two with a professor you really like, and whose interests overlap with yours, you can approach them about the possibility of doing an independent study. You need to get research experience - first of all to see if you actually like it (PhDs are all about research, and studying at the grad level is quite different from undergrad) and second of all because grad programs want to see it.
Talk to your professors. Like was already mentioned, you will need three letters of recommendation, so you need some people who know your work and can comment favorably on it (hence doing the independent study and working with a professor). But also, your history professors will know best what doctoral programs are looking for in history students and will be able to answer your questions way better than most of us can. Go to office hours and ask - most professors are delighted to answer these kinds of questions, as they get asked so infrequently. If you go to a university with graduate students, talk to them too.
Also, be flexible about the MA thing. It would be nice if you didn’t have to get one, but in the humanities it’s pretty common for people to need an MA first before a PhD, so keep an open mind about it. Humanities MA programs are less likely to be funded but there are a few out there.