Not Just the Tudors

In 16th and 17th century England, the plague and pox, disease and injury were a daily presence. At at time when medicine was a complex interplay of tradition, faith and observation, survival depended not only on doctors and their remedies but also on resilience and community support. Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr. Alanna Skuse to explore how ordinary people navigated the perils of si...

Songs have always carried stories of love, loss, rebellion and hope. Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by author Amy Jeffs, illustrator Gwen Burns and composer Natalie Brice to explore the magical, mythical, and mysterious world of traditional ballads from the Early Modern period. Together, they uncover how centuries-old songs captured human experience, challenged authority and gave voice to u...

In 17th-century England, women weren’t asked what they believed, they were generally told to obey. But amid civil war, revolution, and religious upheaval, a remarkable group of women risked everything to speak out. They preached, prophesied and published their defiance, surviving imprisonment, and even the Inquisition. Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr. Naomi Baker to reveal how radical...

King Henry VIII is best known for his tempestuous marriages and his penchant for cutting off people’s heads. But where does fiction meet fact? In this special episode, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by a panel of experts to discuss Henry on screen and what those portrayals got right or wrong. Who gave the most convincing performance? Was it Damien Lewis in Wolf Hall , Robert Shaw in A Man f...

Direct descendants of the Plantagenets were once at the very heart of Tudor politics, yet their story is often overlooked. From Margaret Pole, niece of Edward IV and Richard III, to her son Cardinal Reginald Pole, the family’s fortunes mirrored the turbulent shift from Plantagenet to Tudor rule. Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Adam Pennington to uncover the dynasty’s dramatic journey from...

Have you ever wandered through a museum and thought: Why is the Virgin Mary always dressed in blue? Did they really use eggs in egg tempera—and did it make those paintings smell weird? And why, for some reason, does baby Jesus sometimes look like a tiny grumpy old man? Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Verity Babbs, art historian and comedian, who is on a mission to shake the dust off art h...

In the final episode of her short series on the Habsburg dynasty, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb turns to one of the most fascinating and misunderstood rulers of early modern Europe: Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor. Often remembered—if at all—as the "mad emperor" who withdrew from politics and lost his grip on power, Rudolf’s story is far richer than the stereotype. Instead of governing from Vienna or...

Professor Suzannah Lipscomb engages in a captivating conversation with award-winning dramatist Liz Duffy Adams about the new Royal Shakespeare production of her play Born With Teeth , which imagines a thrilling collaboration between William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe. Suzannah and Liz delve into the fiery dynamics of the two men's relationship and the influence of politics on their works....

When we think of the Habsburgs, the spotlight usually falls on emperors, kings, and archdukes—powerful men who dominated Europe. But behind the scenes, across five generations, an extraordinary line of Habsburg women quietly wielded immense influence in the Netherlands. Their names are often overlooked, yet their impact was profound. In this third episode of our special series on the Habsburg dyna...

With six wives, Henry VIII must have had something going for him, right? Was he handsome? Charming? Intelligent? Just plain powerful? In this episode, the tables are turned on Professor Suzannah Lipscomb as she becomes the guest of Dr. Kate Lister on our sister podcast, Betwixt the Sheets . Together they discuss the vanity of Henry VIII, his sporting prowess, and his injuries. Listen to discover j...

In the second episode of our special Habsburg dynasty series, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by renowned historian Professor Geoffrey Parker to uncover the extraordinary life of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor—once hailed as the “Monarch of the World.” By the time he abdicated in 1556, Charles presided over the first truly global empire, stretching from the Netherlands and Spain to Austria, N...

Could a long-hidden miniature painting unlock the mystery of Shakespeare’s most intimate poetry? Unearthed after 400 years in a private collection, a portrait depicts a strikingly androgynous youth—jewelled and enigmatic . But this is no ordinary likeness. Concealed within its layers lies a coded message of love, betrayal, and secrecy. Could it depict Henry Wriothesley, the 3rd Earl of Southampton...

In the first of a special four-part series on the Habsburgs, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb traces the unlikely rise of Europe’s most enduring imperial family. Emerging from a modest Swiss noble house in the 10th century, the House of Habsburg would go on to dominate the political, cultural, and religious life of Europe for nearly 400 years. Through strategic marriages, dynastic inheritances, and shr...

On 30 January 1649, the unthinkable happened: for the first time in history, a reigning monarch was tried and condemned by his own people. But how did a kingdom that once believed in the divine right of kings arrive at this unprecedented moment? In this second special explainer episode, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb guides us through the final and most dramatic years of the English Civil Wars. With...

What sparks a nation to turn against its own king? Professor Suzannah Lipscomb dives into the turbulent and transformative decade that witnessed the English Civil Wars — a bloody clash that claimed nearly 185,000 lives and reshaped the very soul of Britain. From the power struggle between King Charles I and Parliament, to the fiery religious conflicts and political rivalries that engulfed England,...

The rich and powerful Guise family was one of the most treacherous and bloodthirsty in sixteenth-century France. They whipped up religious bigotry, overthrowing the king. They ruled Scotland for nearly 20 years through Mary Queen of Scots, plotting to invade England and overthrow Elizabeth I. And they unleashed the bloody Wars of Religion, playing a crucial role in the murder of 4,000 Protestants...

The public fascination with true crime is nothing new.  Four centuries ago, the sensational story of the death in the Tower of London of Thomas Overbury, a lawyer in the court of King James I, led to a scandal that rocked the monarchy to its core.  In this third episode of Not Just The Tudors ' Tudor True Crime series, first released in January 2024, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb finds out...

**WARNING: This episode contains descriptions of suicide** On 6 September 1560, Amy Robsart Dudley died after falling down a staircase at Cumnor Place in Oxfordshire. But did she fall? Was she pushed? Or did she throw herself down the stairs? These questions exercised Tudor courtiers and foreign ambassadors at the time. The truth mattered because Amy was the wife of Queen Elizabeth I’s leadin...

Who stabbed the famed playwright? And who planned it? We're stepping out of the sun and into the shadows on Not Just the Tudors , as Professor Suzannah Lipscomb investigates Tudor True Crime; a selection of history’s most notorious murders and murderers. Today Suzannah is joined by Charles Nicholl to dig deeper into the mystery of the 1593 murder of the brilliant and controversial playwright Chris...

**Contains examples of 'othering', including birth abnormalities, and the terms used to describe them historically** Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr. Surekha Davies to discuss how individuals and groups were often classified in the Early Modern period, and how ideas evolved around normality versus 'otherness' - or even 'monstrosity'. Suzannah and Surekha consider the influence of the f...

Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Professor Jan Clarke to explore the life, legend, and legacy of Jean-Baptiste Poquelin — better known as Molière. From his audacious rejection of bourgeois expectations to his controversial plays that rattled the Catholic Church and delighted the King, Molière’s story is as theatrical as his work. So what can be learned about gender, religion, power, and pe...

What if the tale of one night could change the way we view art forever? Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr. Noah Charney to explore the life and legacy of Giorgio Vasari, the man who redefined art as an intellectual pursuit and artists as divine geniuses. They delve into Vasari's influential work and how it shaped our understanding of the Renaissance, artistic genius, and the very structu...

**Contains historical language which may cause offence** Between the early 1600s and late 1700s, thousands of British sailors, fishermen, merchants, and coastal villagers were captured and enslaved by North African pirates, known as Barbary Corsairs. Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and Professor Bernard Capp delve into the harrowing experiences of these captives, their treatment, and the broader impli...

From the establishment of a formidable double monarchy to the complex dynamics of the Spanish Inquisition, Isabel of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon were quite the Renaissance team. Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Giles Tremlett to discuss the complex dynamics of this unite couple. They explore the triumphs and tragedies that marked their reign, their relentless pursuit of religious unity...

**This episode contains sexually explicit language ** In an age when powerful female rulers were few and far between, Isabel of Castile rose against the odds to become one of Europe's most formidable monarchs. Crowned ruler of a chaotic, divided kingdom in 1474, Isabel transformed Castile into a powerhouse and helped forge the foundation of modern Spain. But was she a visionary queen and unifier o...