History Tea Time

For millennia, royals have claimed that their right to rule over the unwashed masses was granted to them by God. But a few have been associated with powers originating far south of heaven. Tonight I’ll share with you the spooky and salacious tales of the demon countess who spawned the bloodthirsty Plantagenet dynasty, an unholy canine who ferociously defended his master on the battlefield; A holy...

From sex-crazed libertines, to noble courtesans, to innocent Empresses; syphilis was a devastating disease which ravaged many, and sometimes changed the course of history. Let’s meet 10 royal and noble victims of this sexually transmitted infection. Lorenzo de’Medici, Duke of Urbino 1492 – 1519 Maria Salviati de’ Medici 1499 – 1543 Abbas II of Persia, Shah of Iran 1632 – 1666 John Wilmot, Earl of...

In 1700 the Stuart Dynasty was out of heirs, save one, Princess Anne. Parliament studied the royal family tree to determine who was next in line. The problem was they were all catholic. The succession skipped over 41 closer relations until they got to the nearest living Protestant, Sophia, Electress of Hanover. The Act of Settlement of 1701 declared that all future British monarchs must be her des...

Queen Anne was the younger sister of Mary II, half of England’s only joint monarchy, William and Mary. When they died, Anne had no interest in sharing the throne with her husband. She was the first married Queen of England to rule on her own. Anne was a strong political player and oversaw the creation of the new nation of Great Britain. She had a long term, possibly romantic relationship with Sara...

This week, we're bringing you a special teaser of You're Dead To Me, the BBC's hit comedy podcast that takes history seriously – on a topic close to our hearts, Tea! In this episode, host Greg Jenner is joined by historian Professor Yangwen Zheng and comedian Hugh Dennis to trace the story of tea back to its roots in ancient China. Expect hidden history, myth-busting and a lot of laughs. If you en...

Queen Mary II was 1/2 of England’s only joint monarchy, and half of a pair of powerful sister Queens. She betrayed her father and took his throne with the support of her Dutch husband, William of Orange. She preferred to take a back seat but ended up doing most of the governing while William was away at war. There is evidence that both she and her sister Anne had romantic relationships with women....

As the great pestilence burned across central Asia, north Africa and Europe, roughly 100 million people lost their lives in the worst pandemic in human history. More than half of the populations of Florence, Paris and London fell victim. We will never know the names of most of the poor souls who met their end in mass graves. But perhaps the best way to put a human face on this apocalyptic event is...

“How many valiant men, how many fair ladies, how many sprightly youths, … breakfasted in the morning with their kinsfolk, comrades and friends, and that same night supped with their ancestors in the other world.” Giovanni Boccaccio, The Decameron Between 1346 and 1353 a horrifying pestilence burned across Central Asia, North Africa and Europe. The infected, covered in bubos and burning with fever,...

Lovers of folklore and Chocolate will have heard of the famous Lady Godiva, who rode her horse naked through the streets of Coventry with only her golden hair to preserve her modesty. And of peeping Tom, the only man in the town who dared to gaze upon her birthday suit and was struck blind for his sin. But did Lady Godiva actually exist? And did she really take her famed bare-back canter? Let’s tr...

Anne Boleyn is one of the most famous women in history. Her meteoric rise from minor noble to Queen of England, and even swifter downfall to the block in the tower of London is the stuff of legend and the focus of too many novels and dramas to count. But there are two important characters in Anne’s story who don’t get as much attention. Her older sister Mary was King Henry’s mistress first, and bo...

What’s more British than the British royal family? More Spanish than the Spanish Monarchs? More Norse than the King of Norway? Well, a lot of things actually. In fact, nearly all of the 10 remaining hereditary monarchs of Europe have more German DNA than they do local. For centuries, royals almost exclusively married other, foreign royals. They rarely mixed their blue blood with people native to t...

What’s more British than the British royal family? More Spanish than the Spanish Monarchs? More Norse than the King of Norway? Well, a lot of things actually. In fact, nearly all of the 10 remaining hereditary monarchs of Europe have more German DNA than they do local. For centuries, royals almost exclusively married other, foreign royals. They rarely mixed their blue blood with people native to t...

Genghis Khan is famous for launching the conquest of the largest contiguous empire the world has ever seen. And for fathering enough children that today nearly every person of Asian decent carries his DNA. But he might not have done any of it if not for the love he bore one incredible woman, his Empress, Borte. The couple started their story as a great romance. As it evolved into a saga of war, co...

If you want to be a monarch, you need three things: ultimate power over your domain, a brilliant gold crown to impress the peasantry, and the best seat in the palace. The idea of giving the most important person in a given space a special place to sit is near-universal. Many ancient civilizations placed their rulers, priests and gods on thrones. They became so synonymous with royalty that “the thr...

The Crown. The very symbols of power, wealth, majesty and royalty. It was a shining signal to the mud-caked peasantry that here was a person who was above them and blessed from above. You can’t be the King without the Bling. Let’s take a closer look at 10 incredible crowns from history. I’ve selected this list based on their fame, historic importance, beauty, and their fascinating stories, like th...

In the final episode, we’ll find out what happened with the Kings of Scotland inherited the throne of England. And learn what the Scots thought of the English chopping off one King’s head, exiled another, and finally invited a German to take the throne. James VI of Scotland & I of England Charles I Charles II James VII of Scotland & II of England Mary II & William II Anne Music: "Angevin - Thatche...

Join me on a historic tour of Scotland, May 15th-21st, 2024: https://trovatrip.com/trip/europe/united-kingdom/united-kingdom-with-lindsay-holiday-may-2024 You can see the whole series now at: https://www.patreon.com/LindsayHoliday In this episode we’ll met more Stuarts monarchs, one who inspired the Red wedding Scene in Game of Thrones, another who’s vendetta against his uncle, Henry VIII cost him...

In this episode we’ll see Scotland go through it’s most tumultuous century, beginning with it’s first, tragic Queen Regnant; though the Wars of independence, where we’ll learn what Braveheart and Outlaw King got right and wrong about William Wallace and Robert the Bruce, ending up with the accession of the Stewart Dynasty, who would rule Scotland for 300 years. Margaret “Maid of Norway” John Balli...

In this episode we’ll continue the bitter rivalry between branches of the royal family, learn how the Scots took advantage of the Norman invasion of 1066, meet the nation’s most famous Saint-Queen and find out what really happened to MacBeth. Part 2: House of Dunkeld Duncan I Macbeth Lulach Malcolm III Donald III Duncan II Edgar “the Valiant” Alexander I “the Fierce” David I “the Saint” Malcolm IV...

You can see the whole series now at: https://www.patreon.com/LindsayHoliday Magnificent and roughed, Scotland has long been a country of fierce independence and brutal power struggles. From ancient warrior kings who fought off battering waves of Vikings raids, to royal cousins who murdered each other for the throne. From the medieval monarchs who alternately sold out and fought to preserve their n...

Throughout history, across cultures and in every walk of life, there have always been people with varied sexual attractions, or lack there of. Asexuality, in particular, has only been identified and studied since the early 20th century. People in the past did not have the concepts, terminology or relative freedom we have today. So those who might now identify as asexual had a limited understanding...

The United Kingdom has a new Queen Consort, Camilla. She is the first Queen of England to have been born a commoner since Catherine Parr (1547). Since the Norman conquest in 1066, English and British Royals have almost exclusively married other royals, usually as part of treaties with powerful neighboring nations. Of the 42 royal consorts, 13 have been French, 8 German, 5 Spanish, 4 Danish, 1 Dutc...

I answer your questions on ruling Queens through the ages: 5 Types of Queens (Queen Regnant, Queen Consort, Dowager Queen, Queen Mother, Queen Regent) Who was the first ever Queen Regnant? What was the most common Regnal name for a Queen Regnant? Have there been Queens Regnant who have been canonized? Who were the youngest and oldest Queens Regnant? Which Queens Regnant have had the longest and sh...

One of the most anticipated, and ceremonially significant parts of the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla was what the royals would wear. And everyone wanted to know if Catherine, Princess of Wales would be wearing a Tiara. From real fur to faux tiaras, and some surprising and creative robe choices, the royal family were all dressed to impress. Now that the ensembles they sel...

They say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. And in the case of the six most famous wives in history, it’s true. Catherine, Anne, Jane, Anne, Catherine and Catherine again all had mothers who greatly influenced them and played important roles in their dramatic lives. Some of them weren’t too fond of their murderous son-in-law, King Henry VIII. Let’s meet the 6 Mamas of the 6 wives of Henry V...