If It Ain't Baroque...

Right trusty and well beloved, we greet you well! It is our great pleasure to announce our next guest, the legendary Dan Jones . We’re going to talk about his new book - Castles: A Fortified History of the World , published by Head of Zeus in the UK and Viking Books in the USA. Get Castles (UK): https://www.waterstones.com/author/dan-jones/51141 Get Castles (USA): https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/...

Welcome to our STEW/ART HISTORY FORTNIGHT ! Last time we spoke about the Quaker movement in the 17th century, this time our attention goes towards Mary of Modena - one of our more underrated queens. What was it like to marry James, Duke of York, who was many years her senior? What was life like in Charles II's court? What did Mary do when she had to flee Britain after the Glorious Revolution?...

Welcome to our STEW/ART HISTORY FORTNIGHT ! Let's talk about the Quakers - the religious movement which started in the 17th century. We're sitting down with Erica Canela , author of the book Zealous: A Darker Side of the Early Quakers , published by Pen & Sword . Welcome, Erica! Our new music is brought to you courtesy of jimmy cheeseburgah . Get Zealous: https://www.pen-and-sword.co.u...

Welcome to our STEW/ART HISTORY FORTNIGHT ! Last time we talked about Henrietta Anne, Charles I's youngest child, now let's turn our attention to her elder brother - James VII of Scotland, II of England . What was his journey to the throne like? What was his relationship with his children? How did he cope with exile? What's his legacy, in the old world and the new? We sit down with Justine Brown ,...

Welcome to our STEW/ART HISTORY FORTNIGHT ! This is also an anniversary of our podcast being on the airwaves for THREE YEARS! Thank you all for your continuing support! We continue our mini history festival with another lesser known Stuart - the youngest daughter of Charles I and his formidable wife Henrietta Maria - Henrietta Anne , the young princess destined to be forever linked to the House of...

Welcome to our STEW/ART HISTORY FORTNIGHT ! Let's talk about one of the lesser known Stuarts - Henry Frederick , the eldest surviving son of James VI/I. Why did he never become king? What was he like as a person? Would the history be different had he died later? We're sitting down with Tonya Ulynn Brown , who has written a novel with this Prince at the centre - the book is called Prince's Darling...

Welcome to our STEW/ART HISTORY FORTNIGHT ! Let's start with one of the first Stewarts - James I of Scotland (none of England) . What makes him stand out among the other Royal Jameses of this land? Why did he spend so much time in England? What kind of king was he? And why was his death so... grim? With us we have Callum Watson , author of the upcoming book Murder, Intrigue & Conspiracy in Med...

Today we sit down with Seb Harding and talk about three Georgian Houses that you can visit in London: Spencer House, Strawberry Hill House and Dennis Severs' House. All three have fascinating stories. Let's dig in! Welcome, Seb! Visit Spencer House: https://www.spencerhouse.co.uk/ Visit Strawberry Hill House: https://www.strawberryhillhouse.org.uk/ Visit Denis Severs' House: https://www.dennisseve...

How well do we know Jane Seymour, the third queen of Henry VIII? Dr Elizabeth Norton presents new findings, 17 years after publishing her first solo bio of Jane. Welcome back, Dr Elizabeth! Please find Dr Elizabeth Norton's books : Jane Seymour: Patronage, Material Culture and Image Crafting (2026): https://www.routledge.com/Jane-Seymour-Patronage-Material-Culture-and-Image-Crafting/Norton/p/b...

Today we have a special treat: we sit down with KATE WILLIAMS to talk about her new book REGINA: A NEW HISTORY OF ROYAL WOMEN AND POWER, recently published by Weidenfeld and Nicolson in the UK and soon to be published by Pegasus in the USA . Let's talk queens, queens regnant, queens consort, queens regent and what is the unifying quotient of their regal journey? Welcome to the podcast,Kate! Get RE...

Today we're sitting down with Erin Fetterly and getting a glimpse into her upcoming PHD - and in particular, we will become acquainted with Mary Temple, Mrs Palmerston, mother of a Prime Minister. Welcome back, Erin! Find Women Who Kill : https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Women-Who-Kill-A-History-of-Britains-Most-Dangerous-Women-Hardback/p/50912/aid/1238 Find and Follow Erin: https://www.instagram.c...

What happened in England between the Roman and the Saxon period? Let's ask Nicholas J Higham, the author of the recently published tome by Yale University Press : HOW ENGLAND BEGAN: FROM ROMAN BRITAIN TO THE ANGLO-SAXONS. Welcome, Nicholas! Get How England Began: https://yalebooks.co.uk/book/9780300254921/how-england-began/ Find Nicholas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N._J._Higham https://manchest...

Ever wondered about the origins of the British Working classes and their party? We're sitting down with Labour historian Geoff Andrews and getting a glimpse into his latest book on the Making of Modern Britain. The book RADICALS is published by Yale University Press London . Welcome, Geoff! Get RADICALs: https://yalebooks.co.uk/book/9780300265897/radicals/ Find and Follow Geoffrey : https://geoffa...

Let's travel back to the 8th century England, to the kingdom of Mercia to be precise. Rory Naismith has just published a book with Yale on KING OFFA - the King of Mercia who also might be crowned the king of puns... Welcome, Rory! Get this great OFFA: https://yalebooks.co.uk/book/9780300257465/offa/ Find and Follow RORY: https://x.com/Rory_Naismith https://bsky.app/profile/rorynaismith.bsky.social...

Today we sit down with IAN BRADLEY to talk about his new book THE LAST ENCHANTED PLACES: SPA TOWNS OF EUROPE, recently published by Icon Books . Let's talk what and where are these OG spas in UK and Europe, what is their history and what are their secrets... Welcome, Ian! Get The Last Enchanted Places: https://www.iconbooks.com/ib-title/the-last-enchanted-places-2/ Find Baroque: https://www.instag...

Today we sit down with DR AMY BOYINGTON to talk about her new book THE COUNTRY HOUSE DINING ROOM: A HISTORY OF GEORGIAN FEASTING, recently published by Yale University Press London . Let's talk why this era is infamous for its parties, to what excess did the Georgians gorge themselves to, and most importantly, at what expense? Welcome, Amy! Get A History of Georgian Feasting: https://yalebooks.co....

Today we sit down with Dr Helen Fry , a WW2 historian, whose account of Howard Triest at the trial in Nuremberg is getting a new edition with Yale University Press London . Let's dive into the story of Howard Triest, a German-Jewish interpreter of the Nazi War Criminals, present at one of the most important trials in human history. Warning - as this involves WW2, the Holocaust and religion-based c...

Today we sit down with GUY CUTHBERTSON to talk all things Lady Chatterley's Lover. Why was this book written, what was the journey to get it printed? What afterlife did this novel have, and most importantly, what impact? Lady C: The Long and Sensational Life of Lady Chatterley's Lover is published by Yale University Press London . Welcome, Guy! Get Lady C: https://yalebooks.co.uk/book/978030026637...

Today we have a special treat: a glimpse into the highly anticipated new book by STEVEN VEERAPEN , wherein he explores Henry VIII's reign on the subject of empire-building... What was Henry's relationship like with Wales, Scotland and Ireland? How was he planning to annex territories to England and was he successful in any way? Let's find out. Steven's new book OVERLORD is available for pre-order...

Please welcome back Dr Thomas W Smith and we’re going to talk about his latest book The Fifth Crusade: A History of the Epic Campaign to Conquer Egypt , published by Yale University Press London . Welcome back, Tom! Find Tom: https://thomaswsmith.co.uk/ https://www.instagram.com/medieval_tom/ https://linktr.ee/twsmith The Fifth Crusade : https://yalebooks.co.uk/book/9780300283952/the-fifth-crusade...

Let's play... TRUE OR FALSE... about Anne Boleyn. ..on the day of her execution... Tune in, relax and get some Tudor closure. Welcome back, Heather R Darsie ! Get The Judicial Murder of Anne Boleyn (...Henry VIII definitely did that...) https://www.amberley-books.com/if-any-person-will-meddle-of-my-cause.html Find Heather: https://maidensandmanuscripts.com/ https://www.instagram.com/hdarsiehistory...

Let's talk all things Masquerade and how it became the IT event in the 18th century. Who was attending them? What was special about the Georgian period that made it happen? What are the modern day parallels? Tune in and find out. Today we're talking to Meghan Kobza about her newly launched book Masquerade: A History of Extravagance and Intrigue , published by Yale University Press London . Welcome...

Today we’re talking to Sophie Bacchus Waterman about her solo biography of Elizabeth Boleyn , nee Howard - mother to the queen and one-time mother-in-law of Henry VIII. What was Elizabeth and Anne’s relationship like? Why was Elizabeth asking Wolsey for tuna at one point? And what is unique about this 16th century noblewoman? Let’s find out… Sophie’s book is published by The History Press . Welcom...

On our last episode we discussed Tracy Borman's new novel, The House of Boleyn , set at Hever Castle. Published by Hodder & Stoughton Books . This time we're delving into the history of this magnificent building with Dr Owen Emmerson . Welcome, Owen! At present, there is a new exhibition at Hever Castle called Capturing a Queen: The Image of Anne Boleyn . See the link below to get your tickets...

Today we’re talking to Tracy Borman and her highly anticipated novel The House of Boleyn , published by Hodder and Stoughton . Let’s cast our minds back to the 16th century and picture ourselves at Hever Castle with The Boleyn family in residence.  Welcome, Tracy! Get The House of Boleyn: https://www.hodder.co.uk/titles/tracy-borman/the-house-of-boleyn/9781399709477/ (UK) https://groveatlanti...