The Tudor Chest Podcast

The Wars of the Roses produced some of England’s most ruthless and intriguing figures, but few have left behind a darker mystery than Sir James Tyrell. A trusted servant of Richard III, Tyrell rose through the ranks to become a powerful and influential figure at the Yorkist court. Yet his name, thanks to the writings of Sir Thomas More, would become forever associated with one of English history’s...

Governess, confidante and fiercely loyal companion, Kate Ashley was an almost constant presence throughout the life of Queen Elizabeth I, from her early days as a princess, to the most dangerous years, to the very height of her powers but who was the woman behind this extraordinary reign and friendship, who actually was Kate Ashley, who were her court relations, what links did she possess to royal...

What happens when two of the most powerful women of sixteenth-century Europe meet across the political and religious divides of their age? Elizabeth I of England and Catherine de Medici, Queen Mother of France, never had a simple relationship. Separated by borders, faith, and competing political interests. In this episode, I’m joined by historian Dr Estelle Paranque to explore the fascinating rela...

Today, I am delighted to be joined by Sarah Gristwood to explore Blood Sisters: the women behind the wars of the roses. Seven women who were fundamental to the successes and losses across this huge period of English civil conflict, and at its core, the relationships between them, and what their interconnected lives can tell us about the late medieval and early Tudor world. We will move chronologic...

Across nearly five centuries, Richard Rich has acquired a reputation as the consummate opportunist: a man who appeared to possess few genuine principles beyond his own advancement, who accumulated immense wealth through the destruction of the monasteries, and who played pivotal roles in sending two of England's most revered martyrs—Bishop John Fisher and Sir Thomas More—to the scaffold. To many hi...

What was life really like for women in the Middle Ages? From princesses and queens, to noblewomen all the way down to peasants, their lives were shaped by work, family, faith, law and the communities around them. But how much do we actually know about their experiences, and what can medieval sources tell us about the choices, challenges and opportunities they faced? Well to discuss just that, I am...

What if Henry VIII’s two most famous wives had put aside their differences and joined forces against the man who destroyed both their lives? Imagine Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn — two women who, in real life, became bitter rivals — forming the most unlikely alliance in Tudor history. Well to answer that question, I am joined by author Jillian Laine, whose novel Henry Tudor Must Die brings C...

Among Henry VIII’s many significant ministers and members of his inner circle, William Paget is woefully overlooked. In many ways the successor to Thomas Cromwell, he was instrumental in defining the last years of King Henry VIII’s life, playing a fundamental role in the destruction of the Earl of Surrey and in establishing how Henrys planned succession would take shape. To discuss Paget with me,...

What if almost everything we think we know about Jane Seymour is far from true? In her fascinating new book, Jane Seymour: Patronage, Material Culture and Image Making, Dr Elizabeth Norton takes a fresh look at the woman behind the familiar portrait — and in doing so, completely upturns some of the long-held assumptions about Jane. From Jane's age, to her passion for fashion, her intense political...

Desiderius Erasmus was one of the greatest intellectuals of the Renaissance—a brilliant scholar, prolific writer and tireless traveller whose ideas shaped the course of European history. Living at a time of immense religious and political change, he became famous across the continent for his humanist learning, his bestselling works and his calls for reform within the Church, while carefully avoidi...

With house of the dragon season 3 nearing its conclusion, I thought the time was right to explore the real life story behind it! Following the death of King Henry I in 1135, a disputed succession plunged the kingdom into nearly two decades of civil war, shifting alliances, and bitter rivalry between King Stephen and the Empress Matilda. It was a conflict that tested loyalties, reshaped castles and...

In 1503, Princess Margaret Tudor journeyed from the comfort of her family home in London up to Scotland where she would be married to a man twice her age, King James IV. Her progress stopped at many key sites in northern England and into Scotland, and so Sarah Morris and I, my co-director on our tour company Simply Tudor Tours, decided to introduce a brand new tour, retracing that very trip, so jo...

Few monarchs in English history have been as carefully constructed through art as Queen Elizabeth I. More than four centuries after her death in 1603, her image remains instantly recognisable: the elaborately embroidered gowns glittering with pearls and precious stones, the flame-red hair crowned with jewels, the unnaturally smooth white complexion, and the unwavering gaze that projects confidence...

Perhaps naively, or maybe through blissful ignorance, many take it for granted that English expansion into the Americas during the 16th century ensured that a great deal of English culture then influenced how the Americas developed, but what if this idea were flipped? When one digs deep, is there plenty of evidence to suggest that in fact, the Americas also changed England in return, from changes...

Hello, it’s Adam here from the Tudor Chest. This weeks episode is going to be a bit different, as this week, prepare to get to know me a bit better as I discuss my life, my love of history and of course, some of my opinions......

Easily one of the most fascinating and complex relationships in Tudor history is that between the daughters of King Henry VIII, Mary and Elizabeth. Bound by blood yet divided by religion, politics, and circumstance, the two half-sisters navigated rivalry, suspicion, and survival in a turbulent age. To discuss their relationship with me, I am pleased to welcome back historian Dr Peter Stiffell, who...

Today, I'm delighted to be joined by one of Britain's most acclaimed historians, indeed I would say she’s my biggest guest yet, Professor Kate Williams. A bestselling author, broadcaster, and expert on royal history, Kate has spent years bringing the lives of monarchs to vivid life for readers and audiences alike. Her latest book, Regina, A New History of Women and Power takes us on a fascinating...

She was a queen, a political player, and one of the most controversial women of the Wars of the Roses. Admired by some and mistrusted by others, Elizabeth Woodville became a central figure in a royal dynasty marked by ambition, intrigue, and conflict. Her story touches on questions of power, family, survival, and the enduring mystery surrounding the Princes in the Tower. To help me untangle the my...

From the chaos of the Norman Conquest to the power struggles of the Plantagenets, the princesses of medieval England lived lives shaped by politics, ambition, and survival. In this episode, I am pleased to welcome historian Sharon Bennett Connolly onto the podcast for the first time, as we explore the women born into royal households between 1066 and the reign of King John: daughters promised in m...

Anne Boleyn's final moments on the scaffold have been portrayed countless times, but do any of these depictions actually show the execution in an accurate light? Do any get it completely right, and which are way off the mark? Is the actress playing Anne wearing the clothing described in the contemporary sources, does the speech from the scaffold match what we know she said? Is the manner of death...

Tudor artefacts are sadly very rare, which is why new discoveries are always so exciting! Recently, a chair came to light which very likely belonged, or more accurately, was created for, Anne Boleyn. Historian Sandra Vasoli has been really involved in the discovery of this chair, working alongside Paul Fitzsimmons to piece together its story. Sandi joins me today to discuss what they have discover...

A sketch of a woman, erroneously identified as Amalia of Cleves, could, according to todays guests, actually be a contemporary sketch of Anne Boleyn, while another sketch, long believed to be Anne, may in fact be another Boleyn altogether. Historian Karen L Davies and Professor Hassan Ugail of Bradford University have co-authored a paper which applies technology to helping identify these sitters,...

Robert Cecil, the younger but highly prodigious son of William Cecil, chief advisor to Elizabeth I, was one of the most complex but intriguing figures of the late 16th and early 17th century. Bookish, awkward and at times rather cold, he was nonetheless a supremely skilled politician who would play a huge role in the succession from the world of the Tudors to the Stuarts. To discuss Robert Cecil w...

I think we’d all love for Anne Boleyn to have been given the chance to get her revenge on King Henry VIII, which is why I was really excited to read The Beheading Game, the delightfully bonkers new piece of historical fiction in which Anne Boleyn wakes up in that famous arrow chest, her head resting at her waist. What follows is a journey in which Anne manages to reattach her head, before going ou...

She is known around the world as the Other Boleyn Girl, but what do we really know about the sister of Anne Boleyn? Characterised as either a dull, less educated version of Anne or a whore who slept her way through much of the French court, in reality what we do know of Mary’s story paints an entirely different woman. To discuss her with me, I am pleased to welcome back historian Sylvia Barbara So...