Talking Tudors

In this episode of Talking Tudors, host Natalie Grueninger speaks with historian Dr Natalie Donnell about the life and career of Margaret of Austria. Born in Burgundy and raised at several European courts, Margaret was the long-serving regent of the Netherlands. The conversation covers Margaret’s education under powerful women, her role raising and supporting Charles V, her diplomatic success in t...

Host Natalie Grueninger interviews Mexican author Sofia Robleda about her new novel, The Other Moctezuma Girls. They explore the life and legacy of Isabel Moctezuma, the identity of her daughters, and the complex world of 16th‑century Mexica society before and after Spanish contact. The conversation covers conquest, cultural exchange, women’s roles, Robleda’s research and personal connection to th...

In this episode Natalie Grueninger interviews manuscript specialist Sienna Wells about illuminated medieval and Renaissance manuscripts. They discuss how manuscripts were made, who produced and owned them (including women), how the printing press changed book culture, and what physical traces of use reveal about past readers' lives and emotions. The conversation highlights personal stories like bi...

Join Natalie Grueninger and Dr Owen Emmerson as they explore Hever Castle's new exhibition, 'Capturing a Queen', examining portraiture, miniatures, manuscripts, and objects that shaped Anne Boleyn’s public and private image. The episode discusses scientific analyses, iconography, myths versus evidence, and the ways Anne and later generations constructed her likeness. SIGN UP FOR NATALIE GRUENINGER...

Host Natalie Grueninger interviews Rosemary Goring about Mary Queen of Scots, tracing her life from Scotland to years of captivity in England and the historic places that shaped her story. The episode covers Mary’s relationships, imprisonment at sites like Tutbury Castle, the 2023 discovery of coded letters revealing plots and health concerns, and how culture and espionage influenced her downfall....

In this episode of Talking Tudors, host Natalie Grueninger welcomes Dr James Taff to discuss his book 'Accounting for Anne' and how Anne of Cleves' household accounts reveal the daily workings of her short queenship. They examine the blended German and English household, Anne's wardrobe and rewards, myths about her appearance, the aftermath of the annulment, and the research challenges that bring...

In this episode, Natalie Grueninger speaks with historian Lauren Johnson about Margaret Beaufort — a child bride turned survivor whose political skill, marriages, and networks helped secure Henry VII’s rise. They trace her early life, complex role during the Wars of the Roses, and her close but often-misunderstood relationship with her son and Elizabeth of York. The conversation also busts long-st...

In this episode, host Natalie Grueninger speaks with Dr Mary Hollingsworth about the life of Catherine de' Medici. They explore her Italian roots and convent upbringing, her marriage to Henry II, regency for her sons, and efforts to navigate the Wars of Religion. They discuss Catherine's cultural patronage, her complex relationships with contemporaries like Elizabeth I, and the origins of her noto...

Host Natalie Grueninger speaks with historian Ella Brook Muir about how queenly clothing in 16th‑century England and France acted as political communication, conveying magnificence, legitimacy, loyalty and cosmopolitan identity through fabrics, colours and emblems. The episode examines case studies (Katherine of Aragon, Claude of France, Anne Boleyn, and Eleanor of Austria), the makers and househo...

Host Natalie Grueninger speaks with Dr Melissa Shiels about New Year's gift-giving across 16th-century England and Ireland, and how material gifts expressed political messages at the Tudor court. They discuss typical gifts (money, clothing, jewellery, horses, hawks), differences across reigns, examples of gifts that reveal diplomacy or tension, and the distinction between public gift exchange and...

Host Natalie Grueninger speaks with Dr Michelle Seah about the economic lives of medieval and late 15th-century English queens, focusing on Margaret of Anjou, Elizabeth Woodville, and Elizabeth of York. They explore how queens raised and managed income—through lands, cash allowances, port customs and the tradition of “queen’s gold”—how their households were organised, and how financial resources s...

Host Natalie Grueninger speaks with Kate McCaffrey of Hever Castle about Anne Boleyn’s books of hours, the hidden inscriptions they contain, and the Kentish women who preserved Anne’s memory after her fall. The episode explores female networks, the material life of devotional books, and how these discoveries challenge the lonely, male-focused myth of Anne Boleyn, plus a preview of Hever Castle’s u...

Host Natalie Grueninger speaks with Professor Stephen Gunn about his research using 16th-century coroner's inquests to reveal how accidental deaths illuminate everyday Tudor life—covering hazards like animals, open water, mills, house collapses, seasonal work, and risky pastimes such as early football. They discuss patterns by age, gender and social status, surprising and bizarre cases, research c...

Host Natalie Grueninger speaks with Dr Christina Faraday about her new book, 'The Story of Tudor Art', a first-of-its-kind survey of 16th-century English art. They explore how Tudor art functioned as communication and status—covering portraits, miniatures, tapestries, household objects, royal effigies, patrons from kings to middling professionals, and artists such as Holbein, Hilliard, and lesser-...

Host Natalie Grueninger interviews Dr Stephen Campbell about Leonardo da Vinci’s life, work, and the myths that surround him. They explore his early years in Florence, his Milanese network, anatomical studies, and his later years in France. The conversation examines common misconceptions, highlights key works such as 'The Last Supper' and the 'Sala delle Asse', and considers why Leonardo’s fragmen...

Host Natalie Grueninger welcomes Dr Alanna Skuse to Talking Tudors to explore medicine in Renaissance England. They discuss humoral theory, the medical hierarchy of physicians, surgeons, apothecaries and midwives, and the lively marketplace of practitioners including itinerant bone-setters and domestic healers. The episode highlights women’s roles in care, real patient cases, early regulation of m...

In this episode of Talking Tudors, host Natalie Grueninger is joined by Professor Anne Larson and Professor Steve Maiullo to explore the life, works, and legacy of Anna Maria van Schurman — a multilingual scholar, poet, and theological thinker famed across 17th‑century Europe. The conversation covers her exceptional education, advocacy for women’s learning, influential correspondence with leading...

Host Natalie Grueninger speaks with Emma Rutherford and Dr Elizabeth Goldring about the freshly authenticated Nicholas Hilliard portrait miniature, likely depicting Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton. The episode covers stylistic and technical evidence, costume comparisons, family provenance, and the discovery of a defaced playing card on the reverse. Guests discuss the miniature’s emotion...

Host Natalie Grueninger interviews Dr Erica Canela about her new book, 'Zealous: A Darker Side of the Early Quakers'. They explore how the English Civil Wars and the rise of print culture spawned a radical, disruptive Quaker movement led by George Fox, its beliefs in direct revelation and social equality, and the often violent reactions it provoked. The episode traces the movement’s early urgency—...

Join Natalie Grueninger and expert guide Sarah Slater for a tour of Hampton Court Palace: its Tudor history, the spectacular Great Hall stained glass, and the spine-tingling ghost stories tied to Jane Seymour, Catherine Howard, Anne Boleyn and the Grey Lady, Dame Sybil Penn. They discuss eyewitness accounts, a mysterious CCTV figure, EMF readings in the Haunted Gallery, and the palace’s long socia...

Host Natalie Greninger speaks with historian Sophie Bacchus-Waterman about her new biography, exploring Elizabeth Boleyn’s early life, marriage to Thomas Boleyn, and her long court career within the Howard and Boleyn networks. The episode highlights Elizabeth’s political astuteness, her close relationship with Anne Boleyn, fresh archival finds (including pay-books and household records), and how t...

In this episode Natalie Grueninger interviews Dr Elizabeth Goldring about her new biography 'Holbein: Renaissance Master'. They trace Hans Holbein’s journey from Augsburg and Basel to Tudor England, his key patrons including Erasmus and Thomas More, his role at Henry VIII’s court, and his lasting impact on portraiture and Tudor culture. The conversation also highlights archival discoveries, Holbei...

In this episode of Talking Tudors, Natalie Grueninger talks with Leigh Wakefield about the infamous Pendle Witch Trials of 1612 and their legacy. They explore the rival families at the centre of the accusations, the role of witness testimony—especially that of children—the trial records by Thomas Potts, and the later 1634 case that questioned earlier verdicts. The conversation also considers how s...

Host Natalie Grueninger interviews Dr Tabitha Stanmore about cunning folk in Tudor and early modern England — the everyday practitioners of practical magic who offered healing, fortune-telling, love spells and buried-treasure rituals. They discuss how cunning folk differed from accused witches, the rituals and sources used to study them, surprising historical cases, and the Seven-County Witch Hunt...

Host Natalie Grueninger interviews Dr James Freeman about the Curious Cures exhibition at Cambridge University Library, exploring medieval and early Tudor medical manuscripts, household remedies and charms, and how knowledge moved from ancient texts to everyday practice. Highlights include the digitisation project, the role of physicians, surgeons and domestic healers, manuscripts linked to Elizab...