Presenting...This is History: A Dynasty to Die For
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I'm Jake Brennan, and on the Disgraceland podcast, I explore the wild lives of rock stars and unbelievable true crime stories from music history. These are the stories you haven't heard, the kind you'll end up telling someone else. Like the time Paul McCartney spent in a notorious prison, or the bizarre crime Lady Gaga is accused of, or that time Blondie's Debbie Harry escaped Ted Bundy. Listen to Disgraceland on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On August 4th, 1962, Marilyn Monroe died. Then the rumors started and she died again. And now we're going to set the record straight and learn about the way Marilyn Monroe actually died, the third way. Pushkin.
the Middle Ages were full of disasters. The sinking of a ship, which caused a 20-year civil war, a plague which wiped out almost half of Europe's population, and the infamous Battle of Crecy, which, of course, we've covered here on Cautionary Tales. You can hear all about these catastrophes and how they've shaped the world we live in today on a podcast I think you'll love. It's called This Is History, A Dynasty To Die For. Across the series, host Dan Jones tells the story of the Plantagenets, Britain's bloodiest dynasty. If you haven't heard of them, they're the family whose infighting and warmongering inspired George R.R. Martin. Think Richard the Lionheart, the Hundred Years' War, Thomas Beckett and Red Hot Pokers.
They've just launched their tenth season, which tells the story of a brilliant young warrior king, undone by his heart, the Shakespearean icon Richard III, and the very unlikely rise of the mighty Tudor dynasty. If you want to listen ad-free, This Is History are offering our Cautionary Club members a month's free trial of their Patreon. Look out for the gift link. Here is the first episode of the new season. Enjoy.
Pembroke Castle is a grey, forbidding fortress which sits by the water on the south-west tip of Wales, whipped by the gales that blow in from the Atlantic Ocean. In late January 1457, it's as bleak as it gets. Not only is this the coldest time of the year, today the castle is also taut with the tension of a young woman giving birth. She's a very young woman. Margaret Beaufort is 13 and a half. That's perilously young to be labouring a child in any age. And Margaret isn't just young, she's also physically tiny. The rooms she's lodged in at the castle have been comfortably set up for childbirth, the fires stoked and the windows and doors sealed to prevent dangerous vapours from getting in. There's a full staff of female midwives and attendants on hand to help Margaret through her ordeal.
But there's no ignoring the fact that her body and even her life are in real danger. Not that Margaret's panicking. She's a determined girl and she's putting on a brave face. Others may worry about her safety, but she's only concerned for one thing, her child. In the nine months that she's been carrying this baby, plague has been sweeping around South West Wales. It killed her husband, Edmund Tudor, striking him down last November at the age of 26. If plague gets into the birthing chamber, all Margaret's toil is going to be in vain. She can't let that happen. Why not? Well, as well as the fierce maternal instinct that's alive in young Margaret, this baby will have royal blood in its veins. Margaret is a granddaughter of John of Gaunt, legendary prince of the Plantagenet dynasty.
That means she's a member of the Lancastrian clan, headed by the useless, shambling king, Henry VI. The child's late father, Edmund Tudor, was also part of the royal family. So the child about to be born will join the small inner circle of the Lancastrian royal house.
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