If It Ain't Baroque...

It is the 30th December 1460, the Battle of Wakefield is about to unfold...  This is one of the lesser known conflicts of the Wars of the Roses, yet its legacy is immense. Let’s talk to Jackson van Uden and find out why… Find Jackson here: https://historywithjackson.co.uk/ https://www.instagram.com/historywithjackson/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxXh8pNeS7gdE377kgrNOIw Dictators by Jacks...

For this #StuartSunday , Let’s talk about the habits of the Stuarts, what did they wear, what did they believe? How does the pomp and piety go together? And what makes the 17th century so great and unique?  Today we chat to Ben Norman, who’s written a book Pomp and Piety: Everyday Life of the Aristocracy in Stuart England , published by Amberley . Get Pomp & Piety : https://www.amber...

Let’s talk about Kateryn Parr - the last wife of Henry VIII. Who were her first two husbands? Was she indeed the one who survived? What was her relationship like with her step-children? She must have been quite a woman for Henry to leave her as regent when he went to fight the French. To chat all things Kateryn, we have Laura Adkins, who recently published a biography of this queen with Pen &...

It is my absolute pleasure to announce today’s guest - please welcome Elisabeth Basford to the pod, and we talk about HRH Princess Mary Windsor, the paternal aunt to the late Queen, sister to the Duke of Windsor and daughter of George V and Queen Mary. Elisabeth has published her book Princess Mary: First Modern Princess with The History Press . Get the Book : https://thehistorypress.co.uk/publica...

Ever seen medieval knights with guns?  The English Civil War of the 17th century had some of their warriors dressed in medieval armour, as they were sporting the latest gun technology… these knights were under the command of Sir Arthur Hesilrige, one of the underrated figures of this conflict. Today we’re talking to Myke Cole, as Sir Arthur and his medieval-dressed knights are the subject of...

It is 16th December 1535. Katharine of Aragon is dying at Kimbolton Castle, she just turned 50 years old, she knows she will never see her only child again, and her husband has utterly abandoned her. She would die three weeks later. The story of Katharine is one of courage, determination and stoicism.  One can only admire her. ...Today we’re talking to Jackson van Uden about Catherine’s life...

On the 16th December 1485, a little girl was born to the reigning Catholic monarchs of Castile and Aragon - the little girl was named Catalina. She grew up to be one of the most famous women in English history. Not only was she the youngest daughter of Isabel of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon, she was sister to Juana la Loca, she was also mother to Mary I and the first wife of Henry VIII… Let’s t...

Right trusty and well beloved, we greet you well! Welcome to the 100th Episode of our podcast, If It Ain’t Baroque… I am absolutely delighted to introduce today’s guest - Dr Joanne Paul. She is a professor at University of Sussex; She was the historical advisor on the brilliant Amazon Prime show My Lady Jane (2024); She has also written one of the best history books of the last few years...

Let’s talk about ...Saints! Please give a massive round of applause for Amy Jeffs , author of a new book Saints : a New Legendary of Heroes, Humans and Magic. Published by Riverrun . This chat has it all, a cult of Edward the Confessor, a definition of what a saint actually is and was, a mention of a man covered in pricks (yes, those) and why Henry VIII is to be blamed for everything yet again......

Today we’re talking about Margaret Whigham, the it-girl of 1930’s, who became Mrs Sweeny with her first marriage - Cole Porter mentioned her in a song - and Duchess of Argyll with her second.  She is remembered today for a sex scandal initiated by the 11th Duke of Argyll during their divorce proceedings. She is also responsible for restoring Inveraray Castle in Scotland; and one can...

Let's talk Vikings... What is true, what is false? What myths persist about this ...group (?) of people and what makes them so fascinating? Tune in and find out... Get Forgotten Vikings: https://www.amberley-books.com/forgotten-vikings.html Alex' First Book Riddles of the Isle : https://www.amazon.co.uk/Riddles-Isle-History-Axholme-Normans/dp/1739191641 Find Alex here: https://x.com/AlexHarvv on X...

Right trusty and well beloved, we greet you well! On the 6th December 1421 a baby boy is born in Windsor Castle…his parents are Catherine of Valois and Henry V ..this boy would be a crowned king of England as well a crowned king of France, the only one to ever achieve this honour. Sadly, he would come to lose both his crowns and his life.  Henry VI, as he became, is often blamed to be the cau...

This time we talk to the historian Sharon Bennett Connolly, who's back on the podcast to talk about her new book Women of the Anarchy released by Amberley Publishing . Let's talk about all the Matildas that were involved in the conflict, following the White Ship Disaster in 1120; let's talk about all the Henrys and just one King Stephen, because one was enough... Find Sharon here: @sharonbennettco...

On the 19th November in the year 1600, a boy was born in Scotland at Dunfermline Palace - he was the second son and the third child of the King of Scotland, James VI. Few could have predicted he would one day be king, not just of Scotland, but also of England and Ireland. No one could have foretold this boy would die on the scaffold for treason… This boy was of course, Charles James Stuart, who wo...

It is our absolute pleasure to introduce today’s guest, Elizabeth Fremantle, and we’ll be talking about her novel Queen’s Gambit, which has recently been made into a film Firebrand starring Alicia Vikander as Katherine Parr and Jude Law as Henry VIII.  (The novel has been updated under the new name as well.) Please welcome, Elizabeth! Find Firebrand (a.k.a Queen's Gambit) Book : https://www.p...

Today we bring to you our interview with Callum Watson, and we’ll be discussing the Battle of Flodden Field, wherein the Scottish King James IV was massively defeated by the English army which is ironic since the King of England Henry VIII was in France fighting the French. What’s even more ironic, is the fact that the Scottish King was married to Henry’s sister Margaret, from whom our King Charle...

Right trusty and well beloved, we greet you well! On the 16th November 1272 Henry III died after a 56 year reign. His rule spanned the better part of the 13th century, and took England from the disaster that was King John to the conquering macho that was Edward I.  Neatly sandwiched in between these two vastly different kingships is Henry III, the man who gave us Westminster Abbey , peace wit...

Right trusty and well beloved, we greet you well! Today we present to you our chat with historian and author Steven Veerapen, and we talk about several murders set at the courts of Mary Queen of Scots and her son, James VI and I.  Get Steven's Books : https://www.waterstones.com/author/steven-veerapen/4403209 https://www.stevenveerapen.com/ https://www.bookseriesinorder.com/steven-veerapen/ I...

Right trusty and well beloved, we greet you well! It is my absolute pleasure to announce today’s guest - please welcome Helen Castor to the pod, and we talk about her new book The Eagle and the Hart - the Tragedy of Richard II and Henry IV. Who were these kings? Who was Richard II and Henry IV? Let's see what was their story beyond what Shakespeare told us. Why were their lives so intertwined? Did...

Right trusty and well beloved, we greet you well! Welcome to Season 5 of If It Ain’t Baroque …your independent history podcast! Today is Guy Fawkes Night, a.k.a. Bonfire Night… Let’s talk about the history of it with James Travers, who has published three books on the topic. His last book, published with Amberley in 2019, also makes evident the connections of the Gunpowder Plot to Shakespeare... L...

Right trusty and well beloved, we greet you well! Welcome to Season 5 of If It Ain’t Baroque …your independent history podcast! We continue a new mini series - SCARY HISTORY, wherein we’ll explore the many stories of humans mistreating other humans, and the lessons we can draw upon these examinations.   Today we have a short bonus episode for you and our guest is Chris Wood, the author o...

Right trusty and well beloved, we greet you well! Welcome to Season 5 of If It Ain’t Baroque …your independent history podcast! Today we continue a new mini series - SCARY HISTORY, wherein we’ll explore the many stories of humans mistreating other humans, and the lessons we can draw upon these examinations.   Please welcome back to the podcast, Ben Norman, who this time will be talking a...

Right trusty and well beloved, we greet you well! Welcome to Season 5 of If It Ain’t Baroque …your independent history podcast! Today we continue a new mini series - SCARY HISTORY, wherein we’ll explore the many stories of humans mistreating other humans, and the lessons we can draw upon these examinations.   Please welcome to the podcast, the Stuart Anderson Harris, who has a very popul...

Right trusty and well beloved, we greet you well! Welcome to Season 5 of If It Ain’t Baroque …your independent history podcast! Today we start a new mini series - SCARY HISTORY, wherein we’ll explore the many stories of humans mistreating other humans, and the lessons we can draw upon these examinations.   Please welcome to the podcast, the author Erin Fetterly, a.k.a. The Canadian Londo...

Our great friend Chris Riley is back, this time to tell us all about the Battle of Agincourt of 1415, the one Shakespeare made famous with speeches like ‘Once More unto the Breech, dear friends, once more’ and ‘we few, we happy few, we band of brothers’... Welcome back, Chris! You can find Chris on @chrisrileyhistory on IG Our favourite books on The The Battle of Agincourt: https://www.bloomsbury....