Difficult Damsels

In the conclusion of Mary’s story, we discuss one of history’s most exaggerated rivalries between the Queen of Scots and the Queen of England. After the Scottish noble families turn on their queen, Mary flees Scotland for England where she hopes to find sanctuary from her cousin, Elizabeth. We discover that Mary was in fact much more difficult than we originally gave her credit for . . . much to h...

Following the death of her first husband, Mary returns home and finds a less than warm reception in Scotland. Considered a foreigner in her own native country and, worse yet, a Catholic Queen in a recently converted Protestant country, Mary had an uphill battle to fight. Fortunately for our Mary, Queen of Scots, Europe is full of eligible bachelors and she gets her pick of the lot! Unfortunately f...

Mary, Queen of Scots might be one of the most popular and well-known monarchs in Scottish history, but who was she really? Orphaned and the new Scottish Queen by the absurdly young age of six days old, Mary was marked by tragedy right from the start. From Henry VIII’s “Rough Wooing” of Scotland to Mary’s early years in France under the watchful eyes of her powerful Guise uncles and her headstrong...

Dear Listener, we present you with a special episode about a tale of morality, power and petty letters to old lovers who have vexed us. In this relaxed episode Rachel and Kat discuss one of their favorite fantasy series and the nuanced women (and men) that make up the world of The Witcher.

Jeanne refused . . . that is all. We’ve discussed the French Wars of religion through Catherine de Medici’s own story and that of the Catholics. Now let’s flip it and reverse it, taking a look at the conflict through Jeanne d’Albret Queen of Navarre’s eyes and the side of the Protestants. Trust us, you won’t be disappointed! From an 11-year-old bride kicking and screaming down the aisle to the obs...

It is said that Catherine de’ Medici had dreams that came true and there was one in particular that haunted her throughout her family’s reign over the French Kingdom. In the final episode of our four-part series, Rachel and Kat discuss the fall of the Valois dynasty, thus fulfilling the prophetic dream Catherine fought so hard to prevent. But before the fall, we have more family drama, more awkwar...

Every villain has an origin story and this is where the Wicked and Evil Italian Queen is made: Catherine de Medici’s evolution from powerless pawn and scorned wife to master manipulator and Regent of France beside her son, King Charles, has been rife with religious unrest. The French Wars of Religion between the Catholics and the Huguenots has ramped up and, even with a union of Protestant and Cat...

The saga of Catherine de Medici continues with the death of Francis I and the ascension of Henry II and Catherine to King and Queen of France. Sidelined once again while her husband’s focus remained on his mistress, Diane de Poitier and the overly ambitious Guise family her father-in-law warned him about, Catherine could do little but sit quietly and bide her time. After a series of unfortunate ev...

Orphaned at just 21 days old, Catherine de Medici’s early life was every bit the storybook damsel tale. As the pawn of a wealthy Italian merchant family, she set off from Italy to marry her young husband, the future King Henry II of France. This strictly political match was intended to tie the Papacy in Rome and the wealth of the Medici family to the noble blood of France. But, thanks to a series...

In this relaxed episode we drink champagne, eat Dill Pickle Kettle Chips and chat about our love for Dune and a new dawn of fantasy and sci-fi in film and television. Come get nerdy with us in the new year. We may just throw in some Therapy Treehouse sessions in for you free of charge as well!

In the 3rd century BCE, aggressive expansionism is the game. Rome defeats Carthage in the First Punic War, the Gauls are pushing further into new territories while actively avoiding the Greeks and the Ardiaei of Illyria are at the height of their power under the rule of their king, Agron. When King Agron dies, his wife Teuta picks up the mantel of her late husband’s expansionism. While her naval f...

Continuing with our theme of pirate queens, we take you back to the early 16th century in Northern Africa where we take a closer look at the life and reign of Sayyida al Hurra, the last woman in Islamic history to hold the title al-Hurra or Queen. After fleeing the Reconquista in Spain, Sayyida’s family would settle in Northern Africa as refugees. As they worked to unite their fellow refugees to c...

Ching Shih, who lived and pillaged in the China Sea during the Qing Dynasty, has been called the most successful pirate in history (No, seriously! Google it!). A former prostitute from a floating brothel in the city of Canton, Ching Shih wed Cheng I, a fearsome pirate by family trade, and together they worked to unify the pirate bands against the Chinese and Portuguese Navy. At the height of her p...

In a very special spooooky 2-for-1 Samhain episode, Rachel and Kat – along with a special guest – introduce two of history’s deadliest poisoners. Operating in the 17th century, Guilia Tofana and La Voisin had the men of Italy and France glancing over their shoulders and terrified of their soup (and the perfume!). Whether it was offering disenfranchised women an escape from their abusive marriages...

If ever there was a woman you did NOT want to mess with during the Medieval Ages, it was Olga of Kiev. Venerated as a saint within the Russian Orthodox Church and recalled as a vengeful and deadly Viking Princess by ancient Russian and Slavic chroniclers, the story of Olga has perplexed historians for over 1000 years. Was she a sinner or a saint? A clever strategist amidst the chessboard of Kievan...

Aries chaos faces off against Virgo scrupulousness in this “relaxed” episode. Rachel and Kat discuss their favorite goddesses from around the world and the nuance of female gods that are paradoxically nurturing and life giving one moment and then destructive and vengeful the next. Stay tuned for bloopers because recording a podcast with five cats is nothing but blue skies and smooth sailing . . ....

The middle of the third century saw unrest and upheaval across the board in the known world – long established empires dwindled into dust and the Roman Empire itself nearly suffered the same fate during a time aptly named the Crisis of the Third Century. Enter Zenobia: clever, opportunistic and proud, Zenobia capitalized on a Rome distracted by invasions from Germanic tribes and deadly infighting....

Rachel and Kat discuss their personal religious views and upbringing in a segment that didn’t quite make the final cut for the Joan of Arc episodes. Full length episodes will resume in two weeks!

In the early 1st Century, Rome was at the height of its power stretching its greedy, egotistical tendrils across the English Channel to subjugate the local tribes of ancient Britain before absorbing them into the Empire. That is, until Rome met Boudica. Following the brutal treatment of her daughters, Boudica rallied the local tribes of Britain against their would-be oppressors. Her challenge was...

In the early 1st Century on the Eastern side of the known world, the Han Dynasty faced resistance unlike anything they had ever experienced before. At the head of that resistance were sisters Trưng Trắc and Trưng Nhị. Following the unlawful murder of her husband, Trưng Trắc found herself leading the first Vietnamese uprising against the Chinese Han Dynasty. Although the rebellion itself would only...

It’s time for our very first Reversal! In our inaugural Reverse Damsel, Kat and Rachel delve into the convoluted story of the legendary 16th Century Pirate Queen of Ireland you’ve never heard of. This prominent figure in Irish folklore was a very real mariner airbrushed from history by jealous and petty men who could not cut her out in life, so they cut her out of history. But who is Grace O’Malle...

Cleopatra has been dubbed the wickedest woman in all of world history, in large part because she dared to view herself an equal among the powerful men of her age (the audacity!). But she was so much more than that. Queen. Mother. Scholar. Lover. High Priestess. Alchemist. Goddess. Cleopatra’s legacy was of her own making and she proved defiant to the very end. In the epic conclusion to our acciden...

Continuing our epic saga, Rachel and Kat delve into one of history’s most famous romances. Cleopatra finds a new Roman ally after the death of Julius Caesar in the form of drunken party boy Mark Antony (aka the “New Dionysus”). If our fickle history uncles are to be believed, Cleopatra bamboozled poor, unsuspecting Mark Antony through passion, witchery and those damned feminine wiles. It has absol...

Following the victory of the Battle of Alexandria, Cleopatra and Julius Caesar enter into one of the most famous historical romances of all time. In addition to pleasure barges and goddess statues, there are ostentatious street parties and pretentious dinner parties. Julius Caesar also gets all stabby-stabbed and Cleopatra makes an enemy of Cicero after promising to give him a cool book and then d...

Cleopatra may possibly be the most notorious woman in all of World History. But is that notoriety fair or was it the result of our favorite crazy history uncles’ misogyny? Hint: it was misogyny. In part 1 we discuss Cleopatra’s eventful childhood and the early years of her reign, concluding with the arrival of Julius Caesar and the end Alexandrian Civil War. This episode has it all. Incest, behead...