Queens Podcast

In 2018 we first covered Alexandra Feodorovna, the last tsarina of Russia. But, after our Mathilde Kschessinska episode, we thought it might be interesting to revisit her. So, you don't need to go digging back through the back catalog. Alex was born into German royalty. She was very loved as the favorite granddaughter of the HBIC, Queen Victoria (maybe you heard of her). In fact, Queen Victoria wa...

Mathilde Kschessinska was an iconic prima ballerina of the Russian Imperial Ballet. She was also the scandal of St. Petersburg. Let's spill the tea. Born into a connected dance family, Little K first met the tsarevich (the future Nicholas II of Russia) when she was 18 and oh boy she was smitten kitten. The relationship ended before she would have liked when he married the future empress, Alexandra...

When we last left Margaret of Austria, she was grieving the loss of her husband, Juan the prince of Spain. At only age 20, Maggie is now back on the market as a widow. As the daughter of the Holy Roman Empire, she can't stay single long and before you know it is a wife... again. As ruler of the Low Countries, Margaret was a formidable negotiator and diplomat, and her actions helped to shape the co...

Margaret of Austria. In her life Margaret was the duchess of Savoy, regent for the Holy Roman Emperor, princess of Spain, *kinda* queen of France. So, yeah. She's kind of a big deal. Join us as we drink our Habsburg margaritas and get into this fascinating life. Story starts around 7:30 Doing dry January? So is Katy! So, make a mocktail with us with this mocktail-friendly tequila. Queens podcast i...

Welcome back, as we wrap up the life of the one and only, Josephine Baker. Josey was one of the biggest stars in the world, but when she saw injustice during the lead-up to World War II, she knew she couldn't sit by and do nothing. So, she became a spy. Josephine Baker, the spy. We like the sound of that! After World War II, Josephine Baker continued to perform and speak out against injustice. She...

Everything Josephine Baker did was iconic. Whether it was entertaining the entire world with her captivating stage performances or sneaking intelligence across enemy lines to defeat the Nazis, she was doing it in style. In this episode we'll be exploring her early years, from her childhood in St. Louis, Missouri up to her rise to fame as a world-renowned entertainer. So, put on your dancing shoes,...

After our visit into the life of Margaret Beaufort, Katy and Nathan found themselves down memory lane and once again discussing the Princes is in the Tower. This could case murder mystery has captivated tons of us for centuries. So, we thought we'd share a good one from the Patreon vault of 2020 with you guys where we play a game called Chillin' or Killin' to try and decipher who killed these kids...

We're back with part 2 in our Margaret Beaufort series. If you missed part one, you can catch it here. So, it's the 15th century and the Plantagenants are all slowly doing away with themselves. It was time for the fighting to end Margaret had a huge role to play in finally ending the Wars of the Roses and this story takes so many exciting twists and turns. Murder, deceit, mystery, war... this stor...

Margaret Beaufort the countess of Richmond and mother to the first Tudor king came into this world set up for success. However, family secrets, child marriage and civil war made her life anything but easy. In this episode we see Margaret married three times by the ripe old age of 16. Story starts at about 4:44 If you like this episode, you may like some of our other Wars of the Roses women like......

Are you a lover of long fiction novels? Well, did you know that you have Lady Murasaki to thank for starting the trend? Often known as Murasaki Shikibu, the lady of the chronicles was born in a time and place in Medieval Japan when the lady's court was so secluded. If it wasn't for her novel (Tale of Genji) and collections of poetry, we might have never known the intricate ins and outs of the Japa...

Welcome back to part 3 of our Empress Matilda saga. And this episode is where the action happens. Get ready for lots of Game of Thrones references, given that Empress Matilda and the Anarchy (the 18-year civil war that goes down in this episode) are the inspiration for George RR Martin's "Fire and Blood" aka, House of the Dragon. And if you just found us, you may want to check out part 1 and part...

We're back for episode 2 of Empress Matilda's story. (You can find episode 1 here). In this one we see even more parallels to where George RR Martin likely got his inspiration for House of the Dragon and the story leading up to the Dance of the Dragon (spoiler alert). When we last left Matilda she was a newly grieving widow. So, what's a young widow to do besides moving back in with the parents an...

We are back for season 6 and boy do we have a story for you. Empress Matilda was supposed to be the first Queen Regnant of England, but things took... a different turn. In fact, the time of her would-be reign (known as The Anarchy) is actually the inspiration for HBO's newest Game of Thrones spin off, House of the Dragon. So, without our girl Matilda, you wouldn't have our girl Rhaenyra. But befor...

Warning: this episode is a bit of a hot mess and we love it. 🙃 Have you heard of Uriel, Queen of the archangels and founder of the Unarius Academy of Science? No? Well, we hope you're ready because she is just the sassiest little cult leader that you didn't know you needed in your life. As we continue our summer break, we wanted to share some of our classic Patreon episodes with you and after a l...

Hey, y'all! We are on summer break, so we asked our friend Zach from Drinks with Great Minds in History to hook us up with a great episode for your listening pleasure. Zach, much like the Queens, pairs cocktails with a great mind in history. Today, he's pairing an Italian cocktail with one of y'alls favorites: Catherine de Medici. This story is full of "mysteries, lies and so much more". Enjoy y'a...

As we continue with our summer break, we wanted to share this fascinating story with you guys that we recorded last year for 4th of July on Patreon. Sojourner Truth lived a life full of ups and downs and overcame obstacles we couldn't imagine. HOWEVER, the first half of this story includes lots of possibly triggering material. So, if you want to skip the first half jump to 24:45 that's where the s...

In this Patreon episode from Autumn 2021, Katy takes on Thomas Howard. This F-ing guy! Ugh, he's the worst. Thomas Howard was born into a noble English family during the tumultuous Wars of the Roses. The young Howard was lucky to come out on the other end of the wars with his life. From there he built and built his career up to the highest point he could hope for. Too bad on the way to such height...

Hey, y'all! We are on summer break, so we asked our dear friends at Ancient History Fangirl to hook us up with a great episode for your listening pleasure. And they did not disappoint. Ancient Rome was full of rich, ambitious social climbers in a cutthroat political environment—people who had enemies to get rid of, and deep pockets to pay for the service. Poison assassins were in high demand—and o...

Hey, y'all! Yes, we are on our summer break, but wanted to keep some content coming your way. So, here's an episode from our private Patreon feed from 2018 about three LGBTQ+ pioneers or... Pioneresses! First up we're talking Christine Jorgensen, a trans trailblazer. Then, we'll jump to a badass bi actress from the Hollywood golden age that just did not give a single f*ck, Marlene Dietrich. And la...

We last left Christina as she was finally coming into her role as queen of Sweden. Join us as we get into the wild ride that is the rest of her life. And y'all. There is never a dull moment in this life. Here are some sources we used to research this episode: https://www.kungligaslotten.se/english/articles-movies-360/ulriksdal-palace/2018-04-13-historys-grandest-coronation-procession.html https://...

Christina of Sweden, aka the Girl King, is one of the most famous monarchs of Sweden. Her memory lives in both fame and infamy. She was... complicated. Is it a boy or a girl? Initially, Christina was mistaken for a male at birth, causing her Mom (Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg) to take some really drastic steps to communicate her frustration with her. But it wasn't all trauma. Dad (King Gustavus II...

Messy Messalina has not gone down in history with the tidiest reputation. In fact, we may even say her reputation is kind of messy. Empress Messalina was the wife of Roman Emperor Claudius, who ruled from AD 41 to 54. She is infamous for her promiscuity and extravagance. But, was she really all that extra? Or did she just do what every single Roman man was doing? Messalina was born in AD 17 to a w...

Madame de Montespan is most famous for being the longtime mistress of Louis XIV of France. Last episode we discussed how the queen of Versailles got there, but what happened once she was on top? Our awesome new intro music is thanks to @1touchproduction ! Some sources we used: https://partylike1660.com/francoise-athenais-de-rochechouart-de-mortemart-marquise-de-montespan/ https://www.youtube.com/w...

Born into bougie-ness via one of the oldest noble families in France, Francois-Athenais de Rochechouart de Mortemart (say that three times fast) felt right at home at court. Known for having a great sense of humor and voluptuous curves to boot, it’s no surprise she caught the eye of one of the biggest f-boys in history.   But Franny didn’t always have her eyes set on Louis XIV and was actually mar...

Welcome to another exciting episode of Queens Podcast, where we dive into the life of Amina of Zaria, a legendary figure in African history. Join hosts Katy and Nathan as they sip on a delicious Nigerian Chapman cocktail and recount the incredible story of a woman who defied the norms of her time. Don’t miss this episode filled with historical intrigue, empowerment, and a little bit of fun. Whethe...