Vulgar History: Regency Era

TRAILER: NeferTV with Ann Foster and Gina Berry

22 Jun 2026

Contributed by Lukas

NeferTV is a new TV recap podcast by Ann Foster and Gina Berry, where we talk about shows set in the ancient world. This season, we're going through e...

Queen Zenobia vs The Roman Empire

17 Jun 2026

Contributed by Lukas

We're joined by return guest Gina Berry (previously heard on our Cleopatra, Nefertiti, Hatshepsut, and Livia episodes) to talk about Syrian icon Queen...

What Accent Did People Really Have in Shakespeare's Time?

10 Jun 2026

Contributed by Lukas

English accents have been evolving ever since the first people started speaking this very strange language. People in historic films often speak with ...

Wallis Simpson vs Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon

03 Jun 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Wallis Simpson was an American divorcee who won the heart of Prince Edward. In 1935, Edward abdicated as King so that he could marry Wallis. Meanwhile...

Did Doctors Really Prescribe Vibrators To Victorian Women? And Other Sexual Myths (with Kate Lister)

27 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Vulgar History x Betwixt The Sheets: the collab you never knew you needed! I was so excited to chat with Dr. Kate Lister of Betwixt the Sheets about h...

Why Is Jane Austen Still Popular Today? (with June Hur)

20 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Jane Austen remains the most famous person who lived during the Regency Era. As a finale of our Regency Era podcast series, we look at why her books (...

ArtMuse: Mary Robinson, part one

15 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

ArtMuse is a podcast about the women who inspired great works of art: the muses, whose names often go unknown. This episode about Mary Robinson fits ...

How Ada Lovelace Predicted The Rise of AI

13 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Ada Lovelace was born during the Regency Era, the daughter of Annabella Milbanke and (trigger warning) Lord Byron. Her story brings us from the Georgi...

Lady Caroline Lamb: Regency Era Hot Mess (with Alexandra Vasti)

06 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Lady Caroline Lamb was an author, party hostess, and occasional hot mess. Best known for her short affair with (trigger warning!) Lord Byron, she powe...

Regency Era Trans Icon Chevalière d'Éon (revisited)

29 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Chevalière d'Éon was a French spy, championship fencer, soldier, and absolute icon. No wonder the Ton of Regency England became obsessed when she mo...

Regency Era Grifter "Princess Caraboo"

22 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The mysterious woman known as Princess Caraboo took Regency Era England by storm. Speaking a language no one understood, she captivated the Ton... unt...

Regency Era It Girl Emma Hamilton (part two)

15 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Watch this episode as a video. Emma Hamilton was the ultimate artist's muse, posing for more portraits during her life than anyone before or after. S...

Regency Era It Girl: Emma Hamilton (part one)

08 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Click here to watch this episode as a video. Emma Hamilton was born as Amy Lyon, a poor girl with a murky background. Through a mixture of ambition a...

Regency Era Witch Mary Bateman

01 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Click here to watch this episode as a video. The Regency Era is known for its gowns, balls, and Bridgerton-style love stories. But England at this ti...

What If Anne Boleyn Sewed Her Head Back On?

25 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Rebecca Lehmann's new book The Beheading Game begins with Anne Boleyn, post-execution, waking up and reattaching her head. From there, she explores li...

Was the Real Queen Charlotte Black? (Revisited)

18 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Queen Charlotte on Bridgerton is inspired by the real-life Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Queen Consort of the United Kingdom. On Bridgerton, Char...

Margaret Beaufort, The Original Tudor Icon

11 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Margaret Beaufort was one of the most important women in Medieval England. Her story has been twisted to make her a villain, even a murderer, but who ...

Disabled Regency Era Artist Sarah Biffen

04 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Watch this as a video Sarah Biffen was one of the most sought-after portrait artists of the Regency Era, painting members of the royal family, includ...

Regency Era Spy Grace Dalrymple Elliott

25 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Grace Dalrymple Elliott was a courtesan in London, a spy in French Revolutionary Paris, the lover of two of history's most annoying Princes, and final...

Elizabeth Bathory: Serial Killer?

18 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Elizabeth Bathory is currently in the Guinness Book of World Records as the most prolific female serial killer. But was she? Author Shelley Puhak's n...

The Brontë Sisters: Anne, Charlotte, and Emily Brontë

11 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Anne, Charlotte, and Emily Brontë were all accomplished novelists. Charlotte's famous work is Jane Eyre, and Emily's is Wuthering Heights. But how di...

Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire (part two)

03 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Last time, we discussed the first part of Georgiana's life. This time, we get into all the illegitimate children of it all, with bonus visits to Revol...

Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire (part one)

28 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire is a key person connecting the French Revolution era to the Regency Era, because she was besties with Marie Antoinett...

A Regency Era Sapphic Schoolteacher Scandal

21 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In the Regency Era, reputation was all many working-class women had. When Edinburgh schoolteachers Marianne Woods and Jane Pirie were accused of sapph...

Queen Marie-Louise Christophe: A Black Regency Era Queen

14 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

It's our Regency Era, which means we had to get Vanessa Riley (current Queen of Regency era fiction) on the podcast. This week we're revisiting out co...

Jacquotte Delahaye: The Real Pirate of the Caribbean

07 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The real Pirates of the Caribbean were Black, and women! And Jacquotte Delahaye was the most famous of them all. Author Vanessa Riley's new novel, ...

Regency Era Sex Ed: Round Two

31 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

To round out this year on Vulgar History, I want to revisit this instant classic episode with Regency Era romance author Alexandra Vasti, all about Re...

Hortense Mancini: It Girl of Restoration England

24 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Hortense Mancini was the It Girl of 17th-century France, then put on a pair of pants and ran away from her awful husband. She then became It Girl in e...

Rachel: The One-Named Jewish Actress And Her Many, Many Lovers (revisited)

17 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For this year's Hanukkah special, we're revisiting the timeless saga of RACHEL, the Jewish actress so iconic she needed only one name. It's so interes...

Mary Shelley's Scandalous Sister, Claire Clairmont (Revisited)

10 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We're in our Regency Era and just finished Mary Shelley Month, and Claire Clairmont REFUSES TO BE IGNORED. We're revisiting the story of this iconic w...

The Regency Era and Consent

03 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ever since the novel was invented, women have used it as a platform for sharing ideas about sexual consent. In her new book Courting Disaster: Reading...

Thomas Jefferson, Monticello, and America's 250th Anniversary

27 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It's (American) Thanksgiving, so here's a special American History episode! In this, you can hear my discussion with Dr. Jane Kamensky, President and ...

Regency Era Cottagecore Lesbians: The Ladies of Llangollen

26 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Click here to watch this episode as a video! The Ladies of Llangollen, Eleanor Butler and Sarah Ponsonby, were Regency-era Irish women who ran off to...

Regency Era Heiresses and the History of Enslavement

19 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Regency Era heiresses are a part of most Jane Austen novels, as women with fortunes men want to marry into. Some of these fortunes were from old famil...

Anne Lister: Regency-Era Power Lesbian

12 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Join our Patreon to enjoy this as a video episode! Anne Lister was many things: secret sex diarist, land-owner, mountain climber, womanizer, power le...

Jane Austen: The Life of a Regency Era Literary Icon

05 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It is a truth universally acknowledged that Jane Austen is one of England's best-loved and most-read authors. This year is the 250th anniversary of he...

Vulgar History: Regency Era trailer

02 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mary Shelley Month: Lord Byron, The Original F***boi of Literature

29 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Mary Shelley famously wrote Frankenstein while on a summer-long sleepover party with her husband, sister, and her husband's friend, Lord Byron. To cl...

Mary Shelley Month: Why Frankenstein Still Matters

24 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Mary Shelley is still most famous for writing FRANKENSTEIN, and with good reason! Her story was adapted into a play shortly after it was first publish...

The Wild Life of Mary Shelley, Author of Frankenstein

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It's Mary Shelley Month, which requires us to revisit this classic Vulgar History episode about Mary Shelley: Goth Queen, Mom Friend. And honestly, it...

Mary Shelley's mother, Mary Wollstonecraft (part two)

15 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In last week's episode, Mary Wollstonecraft decided to head over to Paris as the French Revolution was turning into The Terror, just for the vibes. Th...

Mary Shelley Month: Slashed Beauties, with Allison Rushby

10 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Mary Shelley's influence can be felt in countless feminist body horror novels written in the past two hundred years. But how many of those books are a...

Mary Shelley's mother, Mary Wollstonecraft (part one)

08 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It's Mary Shelley Month on Vulgar History! For Halloween season, we're looking at goth icon Mary Shelley and her friends and family. And we'e starting...

Why do we still care about Marie Antoinette?

06 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Marie Antoinette feels as present today as she was in her life, with a new V&A exhibit, a TV series, the recent five-episode podcast series of Vulgar ...

How Benjamin Franklin Tried (And Failed) To Conquer Canada

03 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Throughout his long and illustrious career, Benjamin Franklin nursed a not-so-secret desire to annex Canada and make it American. But he failed, over ...

Marie Antoinette (part five): It's Brutal Out Here

01 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It's the epic conclusion to the season! In this season finale, Marie Antoinette moves into her final era, and makes a final major fashion statement. ...

Marie Antoinette (part four): The Escape Plan

26 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Last time on HOW DO YOU SOLVE A PROBLEM LIKE MARIE ANTOINETTE: The mob forced Marie Antoinette, Berry, and their family to leave Versailles. Marie Ant...

Marie Antoinette (part three): Reputation's Never Been Worse

24 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Last time on HOW DO YOU SOLVE A PROBLEM LIKE MARIE ANTOINETTE: the Affair of the Necklace trial made Marie Antoinette realize her reputation's never b...

Marie Antoinette and the Affair of the Necklace (rerelease)

19 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The last Marie Antoinette episode ended with how Marie Antoinette herself experienced the weird drama of The Affair of the Necklace. It makes sense to...

Marie Antoinette (part two): Teenage Drama Queen

17 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When we left off last time, Marie Antoinette became Queen of France at age eighteen. Hater Nation lost their minds as she could now set up her favouri...

Marie Antoinette (part one): Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman

10 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We've been building up to this all season. Time to begin our discussion of the iconic French Queen, Marie Antoinette! Before she was Marie Antoinette,...

Marie Antoinette's BFF, La Princesse de Lamballe

03 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It's Marie Antoinette Month on Vulgar History! This week, we're talking about her BFF La Princesse de Lamballe. This basic bitch (complimentary) was a...

Marie Antoinette's Best Friend, the Duchess of Polignac

27 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Marie Antoinette Month continues with a discussion of Marie Antoinette's bestie, Gabrielle de Polastron, Duchess of Polignac. The Elizabeth Taylor of ...

Marie Antoinette's Mother, Empress Maria Theresa

20 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We're in our Marie Antoinette era, and you can't understand her story without knowing about her mother, Empress Maria Theresa! Because Maria Theresa i...

Marie Antoinette's Favorite Painter, Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun

12 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We're getting into the Marie Antoinette of it all! From today and until we're done, every week will be a Marie Antoinette event! Marie Antoinette's a...

The Vice President's Black Wife

06 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

You may not have heard of America's ninth Vice President, Richard Mentor Johnson (he served one term under Martin Van Buren). And you almost certainly...

Fulvia: The Woman Who Broke All the Rules in Ancient Rome

30 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Now that we've learned about expectations for Ancient Roman women, time to learn about a woman who broke all the rules! You may not have heard of Ful...

Livia Drusilla, Ancient Rome's (Allegedly) Murderous Empress

25 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Our friend Gina Berry is back for part two of our Ancient Rome discussion! Last time, we discussed women's roles in the era. Now, it's time to learn h...

What Was The Roman Empire Like For Women?

23 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Roman Empire inspired the (male) leaders of the American, French, and Haitian Revolutions. But what was that era like for women? Classical histor...

How One Woman Survived the French Revolution (By Getting Out Of Town)

15 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Germaine de Staël was a wealthy woman in Paris during the French Revolution. But unlike so many others, she made it through alive! Because she was sm...

French Revolution: The Messy Bitches Who Brought Down the Monarchy

09 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We've reached a point in our French Revolution discussion where we can no longer tell the story through the lives of women, because women were exclude...

The Sex Lives of Regency England

02 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Did people in the 18th century know about contraception? How did young women learn the facts of life before their wedding nights? How accurate is Brid...

Canadian History: Who Was Laura Secord?

01 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Laura Secord was a 19th-century Canadian woman known mostly for a) the chocolate store named after her now and b) her iconic Canadian Heritage Minute,...

Connecting the French Revolution and the Haitian Revolution

26 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The American and French Revolutions inspired people in Haiti to rise up. Yet the Haitian Revolution is not always included in discussions of the revol...

Haitian Revolution: The Complex Legacy of Jean-Jacques Dessalines

25 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Jean-Jacques Dessalines was one of the major figures in the Haitian Revolution. He was vilified and demonized during his life and afterwards. Julia Ga...

Trans History: The Teenage Roman Emperor

20 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Last year, we dropped this bonus episode talking with Kit Heyam about the horny teen trans Roman Emperor Elagabalus. It fits so well in this month's P...

Sex Scandals of an American Founding Father

17 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Gouvernour Morris is a lesser-known American Founding Father (that was his name btw, not his job title). He was so full of BDE that he headed over to ...

Trans History: From Ancient Times to the Present Day

13 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Diversity in human sex and gender is not a modern phenomenon. People have been living beyond the binary since the earliest recorded human civilization...

Women and Genderqueer People Who Ruled Over Africa

11 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

From warriors to tyrants and everything in between, the lives and reigns of Africa’s female and genderqueer rulers have long been shrouded in myster...

Trans History: The Lieutenant Nun

06 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Antonio de Erauso* was a trans man from Spain who went to South America in the 17th century, looking for adventure. The story of his life is full of m...

Giving Credit To History's Disregarded Women

04 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Women's accomplishments across history are often dismissed as exceptions. But why are most scientists, reporters, sports stars, politicians, and busin...

Canadian History: Thanadelthur, the Peacemaker

03 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Because of wildfires affecting northern Saskatchewan and Manitoba, I'm re-releasing this episode about a woman who lived in these areas: Thanadelthur....

Movie Discussion: Dangerous Liaisons (1988)

28 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Dangerous Liaisons (1988) is a movie based on a play based on Pierre Choderlos de Laclos's novel from 1782. What does this have to do with the French ...

French Revolution: Radicals (part 6): The Secret Female Journalist

21 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Manon Roland was a super-smart bookworm who amazed those around her from an early age with her intelligence (and strong opinions). When the French Rev...

French Revolution: Radicals (part 5): The Triple Agent

14 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Etta Palm d'Aelders was a Dutch woman so sexy that she got hired as a spy for three different countries (simultaneously). One of these countries was F...

Movie Discussion: Conclave (2024)

09 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

To celebrate Pope Leo XIV, I pulled this out of the Patreon vault so everybody can enjoy our spoiler-filled discussion. Last year when the movie Conc...

French Revolution: Radicals (part 4): She Killed Him In The Bathtub

07 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Charlotte Corday is a notorious figure from the French Revolution, best known for assassinating Jean-Paul Marat. Who was she, why did she do this, wha...

French Revolution: Radicals (part 3): A Toxic Bisexual Love Story

30 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Let’s go girls! Claire Lacombe and Pauline Léon came from different backgrounds: Claire was an actress from the countryside, and Pauline grew up in...

French Revolution: Radicals (part 2): The Actress With A Sword

23 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Anne-Josèphe Théroigne de Méricourt was one of the most notorious people in the French Revolution. She arrived in Paris ready for revolution, used ...

French Revolution: Radicals (part 1): The Feminist Writer

16 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For the next seven weeks, we'll be looking at women who were actively involved on the Revolution side of the French Revolution in a miniseries we'll ...

Canadian History (part 5): The First Jew In Canada Was Trans

11 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Esther Brandeau was a Jewish teen from France who (in true Catalina/Antonio de Erauso style) dressed in boy's clothes, chose a very fun pseudonym, and...

Author Interview: Hallie Rubenhold (Story of a Murder)

09 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Belle Elmore was born in a Brooklyn tenement and became a star on London's music hall scene. She devoted herself to fundraising for the Music Hall Lad...

Canadian History (part 4): Acadian Martyr Madame La Tour

05 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Françoise-Marie Jacquelin, Madame La Tour, was a French woman in the 17th century remembered for her heroic deeds after she moved to the French colon...

Women Leaders, part 9: The Murderous Medieval Queen (Rerelease)

02 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Joanna of Naples (1326-1382) was Queen of Naples, Jerusalem, and Sicily for thirty action-packed and highly scandilicious years. This story has it all...

Canadian History (part 3): Anahareo Married A Liar

28 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Anahareo, also known as Gertrude Bernard, was a Canadian writer, animal rights activist and conservationist of Algonquin and Mohawk ancestry. She also...

Women Leaders, part 8: Queen Anne: Bisexual Icon (Rerelease)

26 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Anne I (1665 – 1714), best known as the main character of the movie The Favourite, was Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland and then of Great Brit...

Canadian History (part 2): WWII Resistance Fighter, Mona Parsons

21 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

I'm back and as Canadian as ever, ready to share the nonstop twists and turns of the story of Mona Parsons! Featuring: my hometown, and maybe my ances...

Eugénie of France, the Rebel Empress (with Nancy Goldstone)

19 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Eugénie of France was one of the most influential and glamorous women in nineteenth-century Europe. Nancy Goldstone's new book Rebel Empresses explor...

Canadian History (part 1): Civil Rights Icon, Viola Desmond

13 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Time to learn about Canadian history! In this first Canadian Heritage Minute(s) we learn about: Why Canada has united in rage-patriotism What "elbo...

Author Interview: Veronica Chapa (Malinalli)

12 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A real-life historical figure, the woman known as Malinalli, Malintzin, La Malinche and Doña Marina is best known as the Nahua interpreter who helped...

Fagin the Thief: Live from Minneapolis with Allison Epstein!

10 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Here's a recording of the event that I did last week in Minneapolis at Magers & Quinn booksellers with Allison Epstein! You may recognize a familiar ...

Women Leaders, part 7: The Madness of Juana La Loca (Rerelease)

05 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Juana I of Castile (1479-1555) was the third child of Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon. She's remembered now for being "Juana La Loca/Juana...

Introducing: Fear Daily

28 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Greetings Vulgar History listeners! We're thrilled to bring you an episode of another show we hope you'll enjoy: Fear Daily! Fear Daily takes you int...

Women Leaders, part 6: Genocidal Warrior Queen, Isabella I (Rerelease)

26 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Isabella I of Castile was one of the most significant figures in world history in some of the worst possible ways. in this throwback episode from 2020...

The Jewish Lady Gangster Who Ran New York City

19 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Fredericka "Marm" Mandelbaum was a Jewish mother of four, a gracious society hostess, a beloved member of her community—and the first widely renowne...

Women Leaders, part 5: Almost-Queen Matilda (Rerelease)

12 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Empress Matilda (1102 - 1167) was the daughter, wife, and mother of Kings. She also should have been England's first crowned female monarch, but the p...

The Beyoncé of the Antebellum, Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield

05 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Before the American Civil War, Black opera singer Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield reigned supreme on Northern stages—even performing at Buckingham Palac...

Author Interview: Surekha Davies (Humans: A Monstrous History)

29 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In an age when corporations increasingly see people as obstacles to profits, Surekha Davies's book Humans: A Monstrous History traces the long, volati...

Author Interview: Helen King (Immaculate Forms: A History of the Female Body in Four Parts)

22 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Breasts, clitoris, hymen, and womb. Across history, these body parts have told women who they are and what they should do. Although knowledge of each ...

Author Interview: Elle Machray (Remember, Remember)

15 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Black British history reaches all the way back to the Roman age, so why do many people assume it began with the 20th-century Windrush generation? Auth...