Lady Arbella Stuart (1575-1615) is one of the lesser-known figures from Tudor and Stuart history. She was Mary Queen of Scots's niece and granddaughter to both Margaret Douglas and Bess of Hardwick. This genealogy meant she was both a threat to Queen Elizabeth and James I/VI (her cousin), but also that she was used as a figurehead by people who wanted to promote their own interests. Her life was like Grey Gardens meets Rapunzel, and all our girl wanted to do was run off and get secret sexy married like her ancestor/role model Katherine Grey had done. And when she finally took her fate into her own hands, it all got WILDLY scandilicious. Recommend history podcast: Telling Our Twisted Histories Recommended history reading: Arbella: England's Lost Queen by Sarah Gristwood Recommended books on Bookshop.org Support Vulgar History on Patreon Vulgar History Merch Vulgar History is an affiliate of Bookshop.org, which means that a small percentage of any books you click through and purchase will come back to Vulgar History as a commission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ask this episode

“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

Transcript

Related