Not Just the Tudors

Anne Boleyn is usually considered in the context of her marriage to - and demise at the hands of - King Henry VIII. But ultimately, the memory of Anne eventually triumphed, and her death was avenged, through the reign of the daughter she barely knew, Queen Elizabeth I. Piecing together evidence from original documents and artefacts, historian Tracy Borman - in her new book Anne Boleyn & Eliza...

The truth about Henry VIII may surprise you. This second episode of Not Just the Tudors' Tudor Dynasty mini-series provides you, in a nutshell, with everything you really need to know about Henry: his upbringing as a second son, his marriage to Catherine of Aragon, his exploits on the battlefield and tilt yard, his dependence on Cardinal Wolsey, his romance with Anne Boleyn, the break with Ro...

In this episode of Not Just the Tudors, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb pays a visit to historians Dr. Anthony Delaney and Dr. Maddy Pelling, who are the hosts of History Hit’s new podcast, After Dark. Myths, Misdeeds, and the Paranormal . Twice a week, Anthony and Maddy are taking listeners to the shadiest corners of the past, unpicking history's spookiest, strangest and most sinister stories. For th...

Professor Suzannah Lipscomb kicks off four special episodes about the Tudor Dynasty with a look at its founding father King Henry VII. Seen as an exile and outsider with barely a claim to the throne, there was little to suggest that the obscure Henry would last any longer than his predecessor Richard III who Henry defeated at the battle of Bosworth Field. To maintain his grip on power and to convi...

The Gunpowder Plot is one of the hinge events of British history - an act of terror the roots of which stretch back to the Tudor period and Henry VIII's break with Rome. It's a story of Holy War, divided loyalties and religious hatred. And it has never been more timely.  In this edition of Not Just the Tudors , first released in September 2021, Suzannah Lipscomb talks gunpowder, treason and p...

In the 1640s, Matthew Hopkins gave himself the grandiose title of Witchfinder General and set himself the task of purging England of witches. But where did his obsession come from and why did he adopt this monstrous role?  In this episode of Not Just the Tudors , Professor Suzannah Lipscomb talks to playwright Joanna Carrick, whose new work The Ungodly at the Avenue Theatre in Ipswich, explor...

The most famous Black African in Tudor England is John Blanke, a musician in the courts of Henry VII and Henry VIII. The discovery of Blanke, originally by Professor Sydney Anglo, was made famous by Dr. Miranda Kaufmann’s 2017 book Black Tudors, The Untold Story .  A year earlier Michael Ohajuru started the John Blanke Project, an art and archive venture inviting historians and artists to res...

We are all familiar with great Tudor palaces and country houses but what were the homes of ordinary people like during that time? How were they built, and how did designs change with the use of new materials and construction methods? What did people do in their various rooms? How did they cook, clean and sleep? And, very importantly, did they keep pets?  In this edition of Not Just the T...

There are countless ways to understand and analyse the Tudors but a new book takes a unique look at the dynasty through its statistics. And there’s a lot more to discover than just the famous six wives. In this episode of Not Just the Tudors , Professor Suzannah Lipscomb talks to Carol Ann Lloyd, author of The Tudors by Numbers , about the novel approach she has taken to looking at the T...

When it comes to Shakespeare's biography and his inner life, there's a certain lack of evidence. But what if Shakespeare actually signposted us to an event that radically metamorphosed his world? What if he named his most famous, most acclaimed play Hamlet after his son, Hamnet, who died at the age of 11? In this edition of Not Just the Tudors , Professor Suzannah Lipscomb talks to author Mag...

What encouraged a young man who had spent most of his formative years being raised by Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, to bite the hand that feeds him and become one of the Empire's greatest enemies? Why risk his life spending most of his adult years leading a revolt when he could have enjoyed the pomp and pleasures of being a prince? And when did the revolt he led become the foundations of an e...

Most of our knowledge of witchcraft accusations and executions comes from the proceedings of high profile and significant trials. Professor Marion Gibson’s new book traces the history of witchcraft through 13 such trials. In today’s episode of Not Just the Tudors , Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and Professor Gibson explore four trials between the 1480s and the 1620s - from Austria, Scotland, No...

Did women really do nothing to shape England’s culture and traditions through centuries of turmoil, plague, famine and religious reform? In her new non-fiction book, best-selling author Philippa Gregory questions the male version of history by recounting the stories of normal women: those who left records and those who were ‘hidden from history.’ By spotlighting their presence, she puts...

In the same way that Shakespeare’s women characters were performed by boys in female costume, African, Middle Eastern, Hispanic and Jewish roles in his plays were taken by white men, deploying a series of racial symbols, stereotypes and, to modern ears, troubling racial language. But how did Shakespeare's original audiences view race and racial difference? And how has this understanding chang...

Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, is often vilified as one of the Tudor century's most unpleasant characters. His was a family marked by treason, beheadings and incarceration - a dynasty whose pride and ambition secured only their downfall. But can this uncle to two wives of Henry VIII be rescued at all from infamy? To unpick this complex man, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Robert...

Henry VIII's sixth wife Kateryn Parr was a scholar and a writer in her own right. She was one of the first English women to have works published under her own name, creating a new role as both queen and author, translating politically sensitive texts in collaboration with Henry and Thomas Cranmer. In this episode of Not Just the Tudors , Prof. Suzannah Lipscomb meets Dr. Micheline White. Her...

What did the Tudor age understand about digestion? How did this affect what foods people prepared and ate? Was there such a thing as healthy eating? How did they manage seasonal food changes and seasons of scarcity? And what role did food play in establishing class, belonging and status? In this episode of Not Just the Tudors , Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Brigitte Webster, a culi...

In some portraits of Henry VIII there appears another, striking figure. This is Will Somer, the king’s fool, a celebrated wit who could raise Henry’s spirits and spent many hours alone with him. But was Somer an “artificial fool” - a comedian who spoke truth to power - or a “natural fool,” someone with intellectual disabilities? In this episode of Not Just the Tudors , Professor Suzannah Lipscomb...

In an age when literature was dominated by men, Margaret Cavendish wrote passionately about gender, science and philosophy. She published under her own name, and advocated for women in work. Her 1666 novel The Blazing World was one of the earliest works of science fiction. In this episode of Not Just the Tudors , Professor Suzannah Lipscomb talks to Francesca Peacock, author of Pure Wit: The Revol...

One of Early Modern Europe’s most powerful families, the Hapsburgs shared a physical trait so distinctive that it came to be regarded as a badge of honour - the large, jutting jaw that was a result of family inbreeding. But that was only part of their physiological challenges. In this episode of Not Just the Tudors , Professor Suzannah Lipscomb talks genetics, inbreeding and the sad fate of the Ha...

At 31, Michelangelo was considered the finest artist in Italy, perhaps the world. Long before he died at almost 90, he was widely believed to be the greatest sculptor or painter who had ever lived. Few of his works - including the Sistine Chapel Ceiling, David  and  The Last Judgment - were  small or easy to accomplish. Like a hero of classical mythology, Michelangelo was...

The Safawid Dynasty, which ruled Iran from 1501 to 1736, marked the beginning of modern Iranian history. At its height, it controlled all of what is now Iran, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Armenia, eastern Georgia, parts of the North Caucasus including Russia, Iraq, Kuwait, and Afghanistan, as well as parts of Turkey, Syria, Pakista...

On the morning of 12 October 1654, in the Dutch city of Delft, a sudden explosion was followed by a thunderclap that could be heard more than 70 miles away. Carel Fabritius - now known across the world for his exquisite painting ’The Goldfinch’ - had been at work in his studio. He, along with many others, would not survive the day. In this episode of Not Just the Tudors , Professor Suzannah Lipsco...

Henry VIII was described as the 'best dressed sovereign in the world' by the Venetian ambassador Sebastian Giustinian. The Tudor King spent the equivalent of £2 million a year on clothes.   In this episode of Not Just the Tudors , first released in April 2021, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Professor Maria Hayward to get to grips with the sumptuous garments, the fabrics — and exagge...

Contrary to the idea that the early modern stage was male-dominated, girls actually played an active part in religious dramas, civic pageants, Elizabethan country house entertainments, and Stuart court and household masques. Girls also excelled as singers, translators and authors whose power was evoked in the plays of Shakespeare.  In this episode of Not Just the Tudors , Professor Suzannah L...