Six Queens

Kate and Cally reflect on the history-making coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla on 6 May 2023. How did it compare to coronations of the past? What elements were the same and what were modernised? And does studying history cause us to set unrealistic expectations for ritual and ceremony in the twenty-first century? To answer these questions and to see how the ceremony has changed over...

Within English history, she's known as "Anne," the queen whose lack of beauty and charm led to the hasty annulment of her marriage. But behind all of those stories is Anna, a Duchess of Cleves and member of a powerful German family. What can we learn about Anna's origins by examining her life through its German context? How was her life influenced by the politics and religion of her family? By exa...

"Honourable Mentions" is a new series that honors the lives of Tudor women who knew, aided, and impacted the lives of our six queens. Every future series of Six Queens will give an Honourable Mention based on its theme, so it seemed fitting that "Origins" should honor the original Tudor consort: Elizabeth of York. Kate and Cally introduce you to Elizabeth and her tumultuous world. How did she navi...

Henry VIII is often remembered as the "most married" monarch in British history, but his sixth queen, Katherine Parr, was the most married consort. Who were her four husbands and how did she come to marry them? How did she, like so many women in the sixteenth century, use marriage for social advancement? Series 3 concludes with a look at "the four husbands" of Katherine Parr: her life as a Norther...

Over the centuries, Katherine Howard has gained a reputation for having relationships before her queenship. What were the nature of these relationships? How did her flirtations get out of hand? And how did her mistakes threaten to follow her once she arrived at the Tudor court? Kate and Cally take on the difficult task of discussing the origin story of Katherine's reign: what happened during her e...

Even though we imagine royal weddings as huge, glittering affairs, five of our six queens married Henry in small private ceremonies. Why? What are the backstories behind every wedding? What got each queen down the aisle? What sorts of vows did they have to make? And why are some more scandalous than others? In this episode, Kate and Cally are inviting you to the weddings of Katharine of Aragon, An...

On New Years Day 1540, Anne of Cleves met her future husband for the first time...and we all know that Henry VIII wasn't pleased. What went wrong? How did the expectations of courtly love affect Henry's judgement of Anne? And is there any way to know Anne's thoughts and feelings on the matter? In this episode, Kate and Cally try to determine how history (and Henry) have misjudged the embarassing e...

After the death of Jane Seymour in 1537, Henry VIII spent two years searching for his fourth wife and queen. What can this search tell us about Henry's personal preferences? How did his less-than-stellar reputation preceed him? What were his advisors telling him to do? And what women became the objects of his affections?  In this episode, Kate and Cally discuss the personal and political situation...

How did Anne Boleyn's experiences abroad shape her? What did she learn from the refined, worldy, and sometimes dangerous court of France? How did her European education make her stand out at the English court, for better or worse? Kate and Cally discuss Anne's teenage years in Europe and how a young, precocious girl might have been influenced by humanist thinking, religious reform, early forms of...

How did Katharine of Aragon spend her earliest years in England? What were the ramifications of her widowhood? And how did financial, political, and social problems help to shape her identity? In this episode, Kate and Cally cover Katharine's final crawl to the throne of England: a white wedding, tragic death, social instability, arguing kings, and the young woman caught up in the middle of it all...

What did it take to get a future queen to England? How important were marriage alliances to European politics? Was it hard for young women to leave their homes and step into their new roles? And what happens when it doesn’t go smoothly? Kate and Cally follow the journeys of Katharine of Aragon and Anne of Cleves to England: the negotiations, travel, pageantry, and personalities. Hosted on Acast. S...

When and where did our queens come into the world? What were their circumstances at birth? Who was born to be a queen and whose birthdays weren't even recorded? The natural place to begin Series Three, "Origins," is a discussion of our queens' earliest years! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Paying tribute to the late great Dame Hilary Mantel, Kate and Cally discuss the Wolf Hall novels and their 2015 television adaptation. The series tells the story of the Tudor court through the eyes of Thomas Cromwell: his rise to power, his work for Henry VIII, and his interactions with the first four of our queens, especially Anne Boleyn. How was Mantel able to use fiction to fill gaps in the his...

Kate and Cally celebrate the first anniversary of Six Queens Podcast with this special Q&A episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kate and Cally return to discuss what they've been watching all summer: the new series "Becoming Elizabeth" on STARZ. The drama depicts the teenage years of the future Queen Elizabeth I as she navigates the politics of the Tudor court. Our sixth queen, Katherine Parr, makes a rare screen appearance, and the legacies of other queens continue to influence the lives of their surviving children.   Wha...

How were our queens remembered within the faiths they championed? Do we still remember their religious achievements today, or have they been neglected within popular imagination and culture? In the Series 2 finale, Kate and Cally discuss the religious legacies (and potential martyrdoms) of Katharine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, and Katherine Parr, all considered heroes of their faiths in the aftermath...

What happened during the respective regencies of Katharine of Aragon and Katherine Parr? How did their times as Queens Regent shape Tudor history? And how did they embrace the traditionally masculine world of politics and war?    In a quick break from talking about the English Reformation, Kate and Cally are turning their attention to war: specifically, the two French campaigns of Henry VIII's rei...

How were English Reformers inserting their theological ideas into the new Church of England? What are the origins of the Church's most important foundational texts? And how did Katherine Parr's contributions threaten her queenship and her life?   Kate and Cally explore the "intellectual Reformation" in England: the publication of the Bible in English, the pros and cons (for Henry) of accessible re...

How did the English Reformation spark the "Pilgrimage of Grace," the largest popular uprising of Henry VIII's reign? How did the violence and dissent shape the lives of two of our queens? Kate and Cally break down the causes of the 1536/1537 rebellion to see what it can tell us about the personal politics of Katherine Parr and Jane Seymour. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informati...

What happened during the early years of the English Reformation? How did Anne Boleyn use Reformation politics to solidify her queenship and further her own religious beliefs? The English Reformation continues with the introduction of two major cultural changes: the creation of the Church of England and the dissolution of the monasteries. Kate and Cally unpack these events and discuss how Anne Bole...

We all know the story of "the King's Great Matter," Henry VIII's divorce from Katharine of Aragon, but what was Henry's actual case for divorce? How was the "Great Matter" influenced by politics, in England and abroad? And how has the case affected our modern perception of Katharine?   Kate and Cally are joined by a special guest as they investigate Henry's 1529 "divorce court" at the Blackfriars,...

What was the Reformation all about? How did the English Reformation differ from the Reformation in Europe? And how do our six queens fit into it?  The first episode of Series 2 introduces the most dramatic cultural and political event of the sixteenth century and examines its impact on Europe, England, and the Tudor court. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When did our six queens receive their holiday gifts? How did the complicated politics and romance of the Tudor court influence the gifts they did (or didn't) receive?  To celebrate the holiday season, Kate and Cally take you to one of the most important days in the Tudors' Christmas celebration, New Years Day, to discuss the importance of gift-giving at court.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/priva...

Where are our six queens buried? And what do their burial sites say about their lives and legacies?  For their first Halloween special, Kate and Cally discuss the "final spaces" occupied by our queens and share some suitably spooky stories for the holiday.  Listeners should be aware that the episode includes descriptions of human remains that some may find disturbing.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.c...

Where did our queens spend time away from Henry, before and after their marriages? Did they have spaces where they could truly be themselves and live their own lives? Kate and Cally explore two family homes and three "post-Henry" residences, where queens lived away from the pressures of court and marriage. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.