Heretic History Podcast

This month's episode is a release from my Patreon vault! Pocahontas is a name many recognize, but her story has been mostly shaped by legend. Some portray her as the romantic heroine, others as a stolen victim. However, modern historians and anthropologists are beginning to paint a more complex and nuanced image than she has been previously afforded. She lived a life that defies simple labels. In...

The history of women in the American presidential election dates back to before the Civil War, and in the 177 years since scores of women from across the political spectrum have stepped forward to seek the highest office. It has been an uphill battle every step of the way, yet the momentum continues to build. In this episode, I am choosing to celebrate those brilliant women who have helped forge t...

The conclusion of this four part series... We know how the story of Joan of Arc ends, but her path to martyrdom is not as straightforward as you might expect. After rising as a cherished symbol of the Armagnac cause, she finds herself captured in May 1430. Abandoned by her King, Joan is thrust into the harrowing reality of imprisonment. As she stands trial before a panel of learned men, they seek...

Picking up from where we left off... It is the summer of 1429 and Charles Valois, the dauphine and would-be king, is finally marching north to claim his birthright, the crown of France. His campaign, once viewed to be nearly hopeless, has been revived and supporters are flocking to join his army or, at the very least, catch a glimpse of his triumphant procession. However, it is not only him that t...

In the late winter of 1429, France is a land divided. The 'rightful' heir to the French throne, Prince Charles, is on the brink of despair, his claim weakened and his forces dwindling. As he contemplates the grim possibility of fleeing into exile, he has turned to prayer, seeking divine intervention. Into this moment of crisis steps an unexpected figure: a young peasant girl from the remote villag...

She is arguably one of the most well known figures of history. The young peasant girl who, supposedly following the commandment of god, cut her hair, donned a suit of armor, and led a nation into battle. The story of her life, brief as it was, has inspired countless recreations, in art, film, music and theater. Since the days she walked the earth and in the centuries since her death, Joan of Arc h...

Before the glam of the 1980s, the funk of the 1970s, the counterculture of the 1960s, and the birth of rock & roll in the 1950s, a group of rag tag blues performers were revolutionizing the music industry. Genre blending and gender bending, they introduced a new kind of style and performance that would inspire American culture for decades to come. Their contributions have long been overlooked and...

This month we're (I'm) doing something a little different. Due to my graduate studies, I've been somewhat limited on time to dedicate to historical research. So instead, I'm sharing a bit of my own, personal history. I want to talk about that time I got an IUD. In this episode, I'll be sharing my journey of getting an intrauterine device. From the research and conversations I had with my friends a...

In 1878 archeologists were conducting expansive excavations on the island of Björkö in Sweden. A millennia before, this quiet spot had been a bustling port of international trade and one of the last bastions of Norse paganism in Viking culture. As they worked, the researchers soon uncovered a massive tomb, filled with weaponry. It was the final resting place of a great warrior and military leader,...

The Tudors may be one of Western history's most well-known families. Their real-life traumas, dramas, and intrigues still inspire plot lines in popular media today. One of the often overlooked members of this family is Mary Tudor, the youngest daughter of Henry VII. Although her story has been the inspiration for many a romance novel (she famously married for love rather than power) these fanciful...

Another release from the Patreon vault! At its height, the Roman Empire stretched across the regions of what today makes up most of Western Europe, portions of Eastern Europe and West Asia, down into the Middle East, and across northern Africa. And at the farthest western reach of that great Empire was the island of Britannia. But in 60/61 CE, the unquestionable might of Rome was nearly upended by...

Something a little different for you this month... I'm releasing what was originally my first Patreon-exclusive episode, Rosa Parks P3. If you need a refresher on Parts 1 and 2, just scroll back to 2022 and give those episodes a listen. Otherwise, let's dive into the conclusion of this incredible story: The name Rosa Parks will be forever linked to the early years of the American Civil Rights Move...

Part 2 and conclusion of my Nur Jahan series. We pick up right where we left off: The year is 1608 and 31-year-old Mihr-un-Nissa has arrived in the capital of Agra. Recently widowed, she and her daughter will join the royal harem of Emperor Jahangir. But her place here is far from certain. Her late husband died a suspected traitor, her brother was also executed for treason, and her father has been...

In the winter of 1577 a great comet lit up the skies across the globe. Scholars of the age from every kingdom, pondered what omen this celestial body might portend. Meanwhile, in a caravan camp along the road outside of Kandahar, a young refugee couple would welcome their fourth child. A daughter, whom they named Mihr-un-Nisa, meaning Sun of Women. The family was making their way to the Mughal-rul...

In 1931 Hattie McDaniel arrived in Los Angeles with only a few dollars in her pocket. After over a decade of singing in jazz clubs and touring the vaudeville circuit, she was ready to try her hand in the booming film industry. Already familiar with the prejudices and limitations placed on black entertainers, McDaniel was well-equipped to navigate the expectations of white Hollywood, and quickly fo...

Before MGM, the Oscars, and fame, Hattie McDaniel was a struggling stage actress and singer.  The daughter of a Union soldier, her family endeavored to find a better way of life in the aftermath of the Civil War. But injustice, poverty, and discrimination hindered them at every turn. Amid the strife and uncertainty of their youth, the McDaniel children would find salvation through performance. As...

Since its founding, the city of Alexandria had been the pinnacle of wisdom in the ancient world. A beacon of knowledge and research, it boasted the largest library the world had ever seen and attracted the greatest scholars of every generation. But in the spring of 415 CE, a brutal slaying would irrevocably shatter this pristine image, when the city's leading philosopher was dragged through the st...

The third and final chapter of my Caterina Sforza series! We follow our heroine through the final trials and tribulations of her life:  After nearly losing herself to vengeance in the aftermath of her second husband's murder, she will find redemption through acts of service. Eventually, she will learn to love and learn to grieve all over again. With unflinching nerve, she will withstand continued...

We pick up right where we left off... Caterina, after holding the Vatican hostage, is forced to relinquish her post and follow her hapless husband north to Florì. Although now far removed from the intrigues of the Roman court, political plots and vendettas follow them, threatening retribution at every turn. As the next ten years unfold, the Countess will face horrors and triumphs: wars, shifting a...

Italy in the 1400's was a land of contradictions. The cradle of the Renaissance was encapsulated with bloody warfare and nefarious plots; beautiful and deadly. Only a backdrop such as this could produce a woman like Caterina Sfroza. Born the illegitimate daughter to one of the wealthiest men in Romagna, her upbringing was on par with any prince of Europe. She was trained to observe, calculate, hun...

The Iranian or Isalmic Revolution of 1979 is now synonymous with far-right/religious extremism, but it was almost something completely different. Many revolutionaries were progressives, marching for democracy. Cheifly amoung these were Iranian women, who had made great advances over the previous five decades. By 1978 they had gained the right to vote and joined the workforce in droves. They were r...

New Orleans is a city of history and myth, and often the two become intertwined. No where is this more apparent than in the legend of the most notorious female figure in the city's history... Marie Laveau, the "Voodoo Queen" of New Orleans. In her lifetime she was both haled as a spiritual leader and condemned as vial sinner (depending on who you asked). In the century or so since her death her my...

A sneak peak at my latest Patreon Exclusive episode! At its height, the Roman Empire stretched across the regions of what today make up most of western Europe, portions of eastern Europe and west Asia, down into the Middle East and across northern Africa. And at the farthest western reach of that great Empire was the island of Britannia. But in the 60/61 CE the unquestionable might of the Rome was...

As a special holiday treat we are taking a look back at my first two episodes Elizabeth Tudor Part 1 & 2 (Royal Bastard). Examining the tumultuous background and early years of her life before she became the powerful figure we remember her as today. Way back in 2018 I started this podcast with little idea what I was doing; a lot of heart without much technical know-how. We have done our best to br...

Anne of Cleves was not born to be a queen... but by chance or fate she found herself married at the age of 24 to Henry VIII of England, arguably the most infamous ruler of his day.   Anne's arrival in England should have been the start of a real-life fairy tale, instead it was the beginning of a nightmare. Separated from her family in a strange new land and unhappily married to a King with a feroc...