Renaissance English History Podcast: A Show About the Tudors

In 1533, a woman named Alice Tankerville pulled off one of the boldest acts in Tudor history, escaping from the Tower of London. Accused of piracy and murder, Alice used her wit, charm, and the affection of a lovestruck guard to slip out of her chains and nearly make it to freedom. This is the real story of love, betrayal, and a desperate flight under the shadow of Henry VIII’s Tower - featuring l...

The Russell family - future Dukes of Bedford - rose from obscure West Country gentry to the heights of Tudor power. Starting with John Russell, a trusted courtier of Henry VIII, they built their fortune from the lands of dissolved monasteries and turned Woburn Abbey into one of England’s grandest estates. In this episode, we trace how the Russells survived through the shifting faiths of the Tudor...

Think you know the story of Guy Fawkes? Think again. In this mini episode, we’re uncovering six myths about the Gunpowder Plot, from who really led it to whether the barrels could have actually blown up Parliament. Check out the full episode on the Gunpowder Plot here: https://www.englandcast.com/2018/11/episode-113-remember-remember/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Le...

In Tudor England, portraits became more than decoration, they were tools of influence. This minicast explores how Renaissance humanism brought individuality and ambition to English art, from Holbein’s lifelike studies of Henry VIII’s court to Elizabeth I’s carefully crafted royal image. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.f...

Richard Topcliffe was one of Elizabeth I’s most feared servants - a gentleman who became England’s chief interrogator, hunting Catholic priests in the name of loyalty and faith. Today we'll look at his rise, his notorious torture methods, the scandal that nearly ended him, and his grim legacy as the man who turned service to the Crown into cruelty. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more i...

This episode looks at the changing face of witchcraft from the Middle Ages through the Tudor and early Stuart eras. We’ll start with royal women accused of sorcery, like Joan of Navarre and Eleanor Cobham - and trace how superstition turned into state policy under Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, and finally King James I. https://www.englandcast.com/haunted-tudor-london-walk/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.co...

He was handsome, ambitious, and despised... accused of being Queen Margaret’s lover and blamed for losing England’s empire in France. When Edmund Beaufort fell at St. Albans, the prophecy of his death came true, and England tumbled into civil war. Sources: The Reign of King Henry VI by Ralph Griffiths AJ Pollard - The Wars of the Roses Tudor London Halloween Walk: https://www.englandcast.com/haunt...

In Tudor England, potions promised power, whether to spark desire or to silence rivals. In this spooky Halloween Spooky Week minicast, we’re diving into real Tudor recipes for love and poison, pulled straight from 16th-century sources like The Good Huswifes Jewell and early herbals. Here's the link to the Haunted Tudor London halloween tour: https://www.englandcast.com/haunted-tudor-london-walk/ S...

We’re kicking off spooky week with a talk from Tudorcon 2024! Victoria Thompson takes us deep into the haunted landscape of East Anglia; a place of ghostly monks, witchcraft, and eerie folklore that has lingered since the Tudor period. Hear stories of drowned towns, spectral hounds, and strange rituals hidden inside old Suffolk homes. It’s the perfect start to a week filled with Tudor hauntings an...

Elizabeth Sydenham was the Somerset heiress who married Sir Francis Drake, but only after a meteor crashed through the roof of the church on her first wedding day. That fiery omen ended her engagement and changed her fate. This is the story of the woman who became Lady Drake and then vanished from history. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choice...

A countess, a court favorite, and a corpse in the Tower. Frances Howard and Robert Carr’s forbidden love became England’s first celebrity crime, complete with potions, poison, and accusations of witchcraft. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

They served every Tudor monarch, and often paid dearly for it. From their medieval stronghold at Dudley Castle to the heart of the Tudor court, the Dudley family shaped English history for five hundred years. They raised money for Henry VII, ruled the realm under Edward VI, tried to make Lady Jane Grey queen, and stood beside Elizabeth I as she faced the Spanish Armada. This episode traces their m...

In 1318, a Yorkshire nun named Joan of Leeds faked her own death to escape convent life, crafting a dummy, staging a burial, and vanishing into the wider world. Her story survives only in a scathing letter from Archbishop William Melton, recently translated by historians at the University of York. This minicast explores Joan’s daring plan, why medieval women entered convents, and what her brief re...

In 1337, priest John Forde was murdered on London’s Cheapside in full view of witnesses. Modern research links the killing to Lady Ela Fitzpayne — a noblewoman, excommunicated rebel, and Forde’s alleged former lover. Witnesses named her own brother as the attacker… yet no one was punished. This is medieval true crime with all the politics, scandal, and power plays intact. Read the full article and...

Nan Cobham appears just once in the historical record, as one of the women who accused Anne Boleyn in 1536...and then disappears without a trace. In this minicast, we look at the theories around her identity and how a single, almost-forgotten figure may have helped bring down a queen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/...

In 1587, a man calling himself Arthur Dudley arrived in Spain and declared that he was the secret son of Queen Elizabeth I and Robert Dudley. Spanish officials called him a spy. He claimed he was a prince. This video looked at his story, the timing of Elizabeth’s mysterious illness in 1561, the ambassador gossip, and what historians actually say about the case today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com...

In the early years of Elizabeth I’s reign, the throne was anything but secure. With no husband and no children, three names rose as potential heirs: Lady Katherine Grey, legal heir by Henry VIII’s will; Henry Hastings, the Protestant council’s quiet favorite; and Mary, Queen of Scots, the dynastic threat watched by all of Europe. This episode looks at the rivals Elizabeth refused to name, and how...

Today’s episode is something a little different: a cozy Hallmark-style Tudor romance set at Michaelmas, complete with cinnamon, parish gossip, and a blacksmith who broods in a historically accurate forge. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this minicast, we’re diving into Tudor justice: the wild world of public punishments that doubled as community entertainment. From “respectable” noble penalties to crowd-pleasing shaming devices, the Tudors turned law enforcement into a full-on spectacle. We’re keeping it light and curious, exploring how things like ducking stools, gossip-bridles, and dramatic final speeches became part of ever...

Mary of Hungary was more than just a Habsburg princess. She ruled Hungary as regent and governed the Netherlands on behalf of her brother, Emperor Charles V. As cousin to Mary Tudor, she sat just outside the Tudor story but still held enough power that Henry VIII had to acknowledge her. This minicast looks at how she ended up in that position, and why even Henry couldn’t ignore her. Hosted on Acas...

In October 1562, 29-year-old Queen Elizabeth I fell seriously ill with smallpox at Hampton Court Palace, and for a few terrifying days, it looked like England might lose its queen. With no clear heir to the throne, panic swept through the Tudor court. In this minicast, we’ll look at what happened during Elizabeth’s illness, how her ladies risked their own lives to care for her, and one of the few...

Taylor Swift’s new album references “the fate of Ophelia”, but who was Ophelia, and why does her story still matter? In this episode, we look at Shakespeare’s tragic heroine, her fate in Hamlet, and what her story shows us about women’s lives in Elizabethan England. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rosamund Clifford (“Fair Rosamund”) was Henry II’s mistress, remembered more in legend than in fact. This episode traces her real story, the myths of labyrinths and poison that grew after her death, and how the Tudors revived her as a tragic heroine in chronicles, poems, and ballads. From Holinshed to Samuel Daniel, and from her Godstow tomb to Elizabethan nostalgia, Rosamund became one of England...

Imperial ambassador Eustace Chapuys spent nearly two decades at Henry VIII’s court, recording the gossip, arguments, and scandals that defined the Tudor age. Fiercely loyal to Catherine of Aragon and Princess Mary, and famously hostile to Anne Boleyn, his letters give us some of the most vivid snapshots of Henry’s reign. Plus, a Tudorcon recap (the first of what will be many, I'm sure!) Hosted on...

The Parr family rose from Kendal gentry to the heart of the Tudor court, producing Henry VIII’s last queen, Catherine Parr. This episode follows their story from northern service and Wars of the Roses loyalties to Catherine’s queenship, William Parr’s turbulent career, and Anne Parr’s link to the powerful Herbert-Sidney circle. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn mor...