Not Just the Tudors
Episodes
How to Kill a Scottish Witch
19 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
**This episode contains some descriptions of torture and executions**If you lived in Scotland in the 1500s, it was highly likely that you, or someone ...
Shakespeare's First Playhouse
15 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr. Daniel Swift to delve into the formative years of William Shakespeare's career. They explore the vital ro...
Young Elizabeth I
12 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Before she became Queen Elizabeth I, Elizabeth Tudor was surrounded by scandal, suspicion and deadly intrigue. Born to Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII, Eli...
The Maya and the Inquisition
08 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
**This episode includes graphic descriptions of torture**When Franciscan friar Diego de Landa arrived in Yucatán (now in Mexico), his fascination wit...
The Elizabethans and Islam
05 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Elizabeth I's excommunication by the Pope in 1570 marked the beginning of an extraordinary - and little-known - English alignment with Muslim powers t...
The Dark Side of Sir Francis Drake
01 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
For centuries, Sir Francis Drake has been celebrated as a national hero - the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe. But behind the Drake legen...
Tudors & Their Dogs
28 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What was life like for man's best friend in the court of Henry VIII? Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is led by the pawprints of history by Mike Loades thr...
The Caribbean, Colonisers & Christianity
24 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What - and who - did Christopher Columbus find when he landed in the Caribbean?Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and Dr. Alice Samson explore the dynamic an...
Cardinal Wolsey
21 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
No advisor was more important to King Henry VIII than Cardinal Thomas Wolsey. He captured Henry's attention with his brilliance and became his most t...
Cortés and the Aztecs
17 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When Hernán Cortés and his men first laid eyes on the gleaming white pyramids of Tenochtitlan, they thought they were mountains of silver. How did t...
Succession 1625: James I to Charles I
14 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
March 2025 marks the 400th anniversary of the death of King James VI and I, and the succession of his son Charles I. Crowned King of Scotland at just ...
Christopher Columbus
10 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Christopher Columbus was a man of contradictions: he professed God spoke to him to direct his travels, yet after four voyages he still could not recog...
Henry VIII's Conscience and Contradictions
07 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Professor Suzannah Lipscomb delves into the tumultuous and nuanced religious policies of Henry VIII's reign. She examines how Henry VIII utilised reli...
Conquest of the Americas
03 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
You may think you know about the daring exploits of Columbus, the ruthless ambition of Cortés, but beyond the accepted histories lies a world of indi...
What did Henry VIII Believe?
31 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The execution of six martyrs—three Catholics and three Protestants—on the same day, was unprecedented in Henry VIII's England. What led to this tr...
Aphra Behn: Revolutionary, Author, Spy
27 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Aphra Behn was a true original. Not only was she the first woman to earn a living by writing, she was also a spy, a political propagandist and a revo...
Dr Faustus: Pacts with the Devil
24 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Professor Suzannah Lipscomb steps into the electrifying world of Elizabethan theatre to unravel the dark allure of Christopher Marlowe's Dr. Faustus, ...
Henry VIII & his Rabbis
20 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Henry VIII's desire to divorce Catherine of Aragon changed England; it could be justified by a biblical law that prohibited a man from marrying his br...
Murderous Women
17 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
**This podcast contains graphic descriptions of murders and the punishments of those convicted**Gruesome murders carried out by women captivated the p...
The Birth of New York City
13 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Exactly 400 years ago, the Dutch West India Company built Fort Amsterdam on the southern tip of Manhattan island, a beacon of power and resilience aga...
Ireland's Witchcraft Trials
10 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In 1711, a wave of terror gripped the Islandmagee peninsula in County Antrim. First there was the haunting and supernatural murder of a local clergyma...
Robert Dudley: Elizabeth I's Forbidden Love
06 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Passion, scandal, and power collided in the tumultuous relationship between Elizabeth I and Robert Dudley. Rumours of secret trysts between them set ...
Shakespeare's Daughter, Judith
03 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The brief life of William Shakespeare's son Hamnet is now quite well known, thanks to Maggie O'Farrell's novel, but Hamnet also had a twin sister Judi...
The Great Siege of Malta
27 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What happens when a small island faces the might of the Ottoman Empire?In 1565, Malta was the setting for a brutal clash between the forces of the Ott...
How to Run a Stuart Household
24 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Professor Suzannah Lipscomb delves into the world of Stuart-era recipe books, in which medicine, cookery and women's roles combine in fascinating ways...
Giordano Bruno: Mystic, Heretic, Spy
20 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Giordano Bruno was burned at the stake 425 years ago this month. His crime? Radical thinking which clashed with the ideas of the Roman Catholic chur...
German Peasants' War
17 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The German Peasants' War - which happened exactly 500 years ago - saw peasants across Germany, Switzerland and Austria rise up against oppressive lord...
Versailles: Science & Splendour
13 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The opulent halls of 17th and 18th-century Versailles were not just filled with dazzlingly dressed courtiers and royal intrigue. They also positively ...
Nell Gwyn: Actress and Royal Mistress
10 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How did a lowly orange seller become the most famous actress of her time and mistress of King Charles II?In 1660, King Charles II ruled that female st...
Rene Descartes
06 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The famous saying "I think, therefore I am" was the cornerstone of the philosophy of Rene Descartes, who died 375 years ago this month at the age of 5...
When Europeans reached Australia
03 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Professor Suzannah Lipscomb delves into the dramatic story of the first European encounters with the indigenous people of Australia. She's joined by P...
Lucrezia Borgia
30 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
For our final foray into the shadowy Renaissance world of the Borgia Dynasty, we explore the enigma that was Lucrezia Borgia, whose life navigating a ...
Little Ice Age
27 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Professor Suzannah Lipscomb discusses the impact of the Little Ice Age, a period of significant cooling from the 15th to early 19th centuries that cau...
Mysterious Murder of Juan Borgia
23 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In June 1497, Juan - or Giovanni - Borgia, favoured son of Pope Alexander VI, was found brutally murdered in the River Tiber. Who committed this heino...
Wolf Hall: Who's Who?
20 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Professor Suzannah Lipscomb explores the lives of the cast of Tudor courtiers who appear in Wolf Hall, including Thomas Cromwell, Richard Rich, Thomas...
Cesare Borgia
16 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Cesare Borgia, one of history's most controversial figures, was known for his ruthless ambition and political cunning. From his dramatic rise to power...
Dissolution of the Monasteries
13 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Professor Suzannah Lipscomb explores the dissolution of some 800 monasteries and nunneries by King Henry VIII, a campaign that dramatically reshaped E...
Rise of the Borgias
09 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the 15th and early 16th centuries, one Spanish family rose to exert its influence over Renaissance Italy - the Borgias. Deploying diplomacy, marria...
Machiavelli
06 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Niccolo Machiavelli’s name has become synonymous with cunning, deceit and a lack of morality to achieve one's goals in politics or business. He was ...
Six Wives: Katherine Howard & Kateryn Parr
02 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Across the holiday season, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb has been diving deep into the captivating stories of the six wives of Henry VIII with three spe...
Sir Christopher Wren
30 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Celebrate the 350th anniversary of Sir Christopher Wren's masterworks with Professor Suzannah Lipscomb as she and Professor Adrian Tinniswood OBE dive...
Six Wives: Jane Seymour & Anne of Cleves
26 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this second special Christmas edition, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb offers another chance to hear the fascinating series from earlier this year in w...
Six Wives: Katherine of Aragon & Anne Boleyn
23 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In the first of three special Christmas editions, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb offers another chance to hear the series from earlier this year in which...
The Bible
19 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How did the Bible transform from a guarded manuscript read in secret to a book accessible to millions?Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Profess...
Pirates of the Pacific & the Spanish Empire
16 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Pirates weren’t just a menace on the high seas - they were a direct threat to Spain’s empire-building ambitions in the Pacific. Professor Suzannah...
Marie Antoinette
12 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In 1770, 14-year-old Archduchess Maria Antonia of Austria arrived in France to marry Louis XVI. As Marie Antoinette, she became the ultimate diva of h...
Elizabeth I & the Sultan of Morocco
09 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Elizabeth I and Sultan Ahmad al-Mansur of Morocco shared a common goal of empire building, despite their cultural, political and religious differences...
William III & the Persecution of Sodomites
05 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
**Warning: This episode contains explicit descriptions of sexual acts and the use of historic terminology that does not align with current usage**The ...
Majestic Mughals: From Akbar to Shah Jahan
02 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Beginning with the reign of Emperor Akbar and continuing through to Shah Jahan, India's Mughal Empire enjoyed fabulous wealth and stable governance, r...
The Witches of Lorraine
28 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
**This episode contains brief descriptions of tortures**Between 1570 and 1630 there was intense persecution as thousands of people were accused of bei...
The Women who Painted the Tudors
25 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We probably think that the only artists working in the Tudor court were men, like Holbein and Hilliard. But new research is revealing that women were ...
Practical Magic: Spells, Prayers & Cunning Folk
21 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Long before witch trials, magic was the domain of ‘cunning folk’ who were part of the fabric of medieval and early modern life. Their charms,...
Leonardo da Vinci with Ken Burns
18 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Leonardo da Vinci was a man like no other. A restless visionary and polymath, his paintings are some of the best known of all works of art.To talk abo...
Witchfinder General
14 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In the aftermath of the Civil War, a remote corner of Essex witnessed the most brutally devastating witch-hunt in English history. A dangerous maveric...
Invisible Activists of the Reformation
11 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The names that spring first to mind in the Reformation of Christianity tend always to be male. But women were central to these extraordinary transfor...
The Witch
07 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Join Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and Professor Ronald Hutton as they explore the evolving definitions of witches, the global spread of witch beliefs, ...
Fireworks: From the Tudors to Guy Fawkes
04 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A pyrotechnic dragon roared flames into the river Thames during the coronation week of Elizabeth of York in 1487. These explosive displays were e...
The Brutal Basque Witch Hunt
31 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In 1609, some 80 people were executed for witchcraft in France's Basque region. It inspired a final push to eradicate witches by the Spanish Inquisit...
Africans in 17th Century England
28 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In the 1640s, Black communities existed in London and in most of England's port cities, communities from which men would fight and die throughout the ...
The Tudor World at Hampton Court
24 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The oldest surviving part of Hampton Court Palace is a series of chambers and closets built in the 1520s for Henry VIII's chief advisor and Lord Chanc...
The Spanish Armada
21 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In July 1588 the Spanish Armada set sail to conquer England. Three weeks later a fierce naval battle foiled the planned invasion. Many myths surroun...
Henry VIII's Brothers in Armour
17 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Henry VIII loved the spectacle of a tournament to show off. In addition to jousting displays with François I of France, Henry and the Holy Roman Emp...
Oliver Cromwell: Massacres & Manoeuvres
14 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How did Oliver Cromwell navigate the many forces ranged against him and rise to the pinnacle of his power? From the execution of Charles I, thro...
Elizabeth I's Conjuror: John Dee
10 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A trusted advisor to Queen Elizabeth I, Dr. John Dee was an astronomer, mathematician, astrologer, and navigator with ties to the occult.But what role...
Floral Messages in the Tudor Court
07 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Tudor Rose was a well-known symbol which dominated the national identity of England. But for both the Tudors and Stuarts, flower imagery flou...
The Rise and Fall of Jane Boleyn
03 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In 1542 Jane Boleyn was executed for having aided and abetted Henry VIII's fifth wife Catherine Howard to commit adultery. It was the second time...
William and Mary's Glorious Revolution
30 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The events that led to the joint monarchy of William and Mary in 1689 have long been known as the Glorious Revolution, in which King James II was over...
Mystic Visionary: Teresa of Avila
26 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Born in 1515, St. Teresa of Avila continues to inspire countless people today with her mystical writings and spiritual insights. Yet, despite facing s...
Rosy Royals: Tudor & Stuart Gardens
23 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
One subtle but powerful way that the Tudor and Stuart monarchs tried to show off their magnificence was through the creation of gardens that conveyed ...
Oliver Cromwell: Protector & Dictator
19 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Four years into Britain's experiment as a republic, Oliver Cromwell staged a coup, violently dissolving parliament. His “Bare Bones Parliament” w...
When Britain was a Republic
16 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The 1650s were the only years in history when Britain was a republic. Charles I had been executed, the monarchy was abolished and the House of L...
Kateryn Parr on Film: Firebrand
12 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In the last year of Henry VIII's life, his sixth wife Queen Kateryn Parr was accused of heresy and it looked as if her life could be on the line. ...
How to Survive the Plague
09 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A feature of outbreaks of plague between the 14th and 18th centuries was the publication of books and pamphlets, known as ‘plague tracts’, that sp...
Elizabeth I Slept Here: Longleat House
05 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Queen Elizabeth I’s travels round England - known as ‘progresses’ - were never a quick day-trip or city break. They involved scores of attendan...
Omens, Signs and False Prophets
02 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In the autumn of 1621, hundreds of starlings were seen fighting in the sky above Cork. The following May, the city was ravaged by fire. The ple...
Catherine de' Medici, Serpent Queen
29 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Queen Consort of France and mother to three successive Kings, Catherine de’ Medici's legacy could have been one of intelligence, fortitude, artistic...
The Tragic Travels of Fynes Moryson
26 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In July 1596, Fynes Moryson - a Lincolnshire gentleman and travel writer - was struck down with grief when his younger brother died as they crossed th...
Medici Popes: Power over Piety
22 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Fueled by ambition and the desire to extend their influence, the House of Medici saw the papacy not only as a religious post but a political one. Fou...
How Indigenous Americans Discovered Europe
19 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We have long been taught that modern global history began when the 'Old World' encountered the 'New', when Christopher Columbus 'discovered' America i...
Lorenzo de' Medici, the Magnificent
15 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
All this month, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is taking a deep dive into the complex and controversial House of Medici, which left an indelible mark on ...
China's First Tourists: Travel Writers in the Ming Dynasty
12 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Around the same time as the Mayflower was landing at Cape Cod, on the other side of the world tourism was thriving in China, giving rise to a fascinat...
Rise of the Medici
08 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The House of Medici ruthlessly wielded control of Florence for nearly 300 years. Through financial and political machinations, they transformed the c...
Magellan: The First Man to Sail the World
05 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Just over 500 years ago, a small band of sailors completed the first ever circumnavigation of the globe, launched by Ferdinand Magellan. From the...
Henry VII: Rise of the Medieval Tudors
01 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Henry VII was descended from some of the greatest Welsh princes. When word spread that he had a chance of taking the English throne, Welsh prophecies...
Vivaldi’s Greatest Protegé
29 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In early 18th century Venice, the Ospedale della Pietà took in abandoned baby girls through a tiny gap in the wall. In addition to ensuring the...
Charles II's Most Infamous Mistress: Barbara Villiers
25 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The tempestuous and passionate Barbara Villiers captured the hearts of many in Stuart-era Britain, including King Charles II. But she had a dark side,...
The Mighty Ashanti: Rival to the British Empire
22 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
At the end of the 17th century, a small clan - the Akan - in West Africa began growing into what would later become the powerful Ashanti Empire. ...
Spycraft: From the Elizabethans to the Restoration
18 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The 16th and 17th centuries were a crucial time for spycraft, full of political intrigue and diplomatic subterfuge. Walsingham was known as a 'Spy Mas...
The Death of Henry VIII
15 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On 28 January 1547, King Henry VIII died at the age of 55. Just hours before his passing, his last will and testament had been read, stamped, and...
The First Japanese Visitor to Elizabethan England
11 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In November 1588, a 21-year-old Japanese man called Christopher met Queen Elizabeth I. On the way, he had already become the first recorded Japan...
Charles II's Lost Queen: Catherine de Braganza
08 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Despite Catherine of Braganza's crucial place in British history, she has always been overshadowed by stories of Charles II’s many mistresses and fo...
Ultimate Tudor Spy-Master: Robert Cecil
04 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Robert Cecil, statesman and spymaster, stood at the heart of the Tudor and then Stuart state, a vital figure in managing the succession from Elizabeth...
Six Wives: Kateryn Parr
01 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Six wives - six lives that we think we know everything about. But beyond their mostly doomed marriages to Henry VIII and, in most cases, tragic ends,...
Women Pirates of the Caribbean
26 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Anne Bonny and Mary Read were pirates who sailed the Caribbean in the early 18th century. For both of them, piracy offered a chance at a freedom other...
Six Wives: Katherine Howard
24 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Six wives - six lives that we think we know everything about. But beyond their mostly doomed marriages to Henry VIII and, in most cases, tragic ...
Legendary Woman Samurai: Hosokawa Gracia
20 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Toda Mariko, or Mariko-san, one of the main characters from the new TV series Shogun - adapted from James Clavell's epic novel - is based on a real wo...
Six Wives: Anne of Cleves
17 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Six wives - six lives that we think we know everything about. But beyond their mostly doomed marriages to Henry VIII and, in most cases, tragic e...
Shakespeare's Players: Burbage and Kempe
13 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Among the male players who performed thousands of new plays in the Elizabethan repertory, the most famous were Richard Burbage and Will Kempe, members...
Six Wives: Jane Seymour
10 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Six wives - six lives that we think we know everything about. But beyond their mostly doomed marriages to Henry VIII and, in most cases, tragic ...
A Tudor Mystery: The Girl Who Could Be Queen
06 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This episode solves the 400-year old mystery of a previously unknown portrait of a young woman, dressed to look just like Queen Elizabeth herself.When...