Six Queens

We can't discuss the Tudor court without mentioning the performance of "courtly love" amongst the men, women, kings and queens. What was it? What were the rules? Why was it such a fun game for courtiers to play? And what happened when people, especially our queens, took everything too far? Kate and Cally are discussing how these odd, messy games of love contributed to the unique culture of the Tud...

"Honourable Mentions" is a series that honours the lives of Tudor women who knew, aided, and impacted the lives of our six queens. To help us learn more about the lives of ladies-in-waiting at the Tudor court, Kate and Cally are doing a deep dive on one of the court's most notorious women: Jane Parker Boleyn, Viscountess Rochford. Lady-in-waiting to five of our six queens, Anne Boleyn's siste...

Kate and Cally are going on a who's-who tour of the Tudor court. For their final stop, they’re entering our queens’ inner circle and introducing you to the ladies-in-waiting. Who were these women and what did they do? What were the expectations for royal service? How was a queen responsible for the reputation of her household? And how did the dangers of the Tudor court force some women to choose b...

Kate and Cally are going on a who's-who tour of the Tudor court. In this episode, they’re discussing all the people who, behind the scenes, did the work to make our queens’ lives possible: the household staff. How was a Tudor queen’s household organized? What was the social hierarchy like? Did the “everyday people” at court gain any political power or advantages? How do we know about their lives a...

Kate and Cally are going on a who's-who tour of the Tudor court. Next, they'll be discussing the fathers and siblings who rose to power with our queens, especially the Boleyn, Seymour, and Parr families. How did the elevation of an English queen benefit her family? Did the politics of her family influence her rise? How did the family members make names for themselves? And were our queens active pa...

Kate and Cally are going on a who's-who tour of the Tudor court. First, they'll be discussing the people who it all revolves around: the royal family. What was the royal hierarchy of court? What power struggles emerged within that hierarchy? How did a person's royal blood and lineage matter? And how did our queens enforce their own political power against those who could challenge their positions?...

What is "court"? Where is court? Who's there? And what did the Tudor court look like for our six queens? Kate and Cally kick off Series 5: Court with an introduction to a political system, cultural center, and way of life for sixteenth century royalty. SUBSCRIBE to Six Queens on Substack to get extra features for this episode, access to community discussions, and more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.c...

After nearly five years apart, Kate and Cally reunited in the UK in March 2024. Hear all about their adventures at the National Portrait Gallery, Hans Holbein exhibition, Ludlow Castle, and Peterborough Cathedral. You'll also get a preview of what's coming up in late Spring 2024. Partially-edited recording of a live broadcast streamed 29 March 2024. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more...

Happy Valentine's Day! Celebrate with a deep-dive into Tudor love poetry, specifically the sonnet "Whoso List to Hunt" written by Sir Thomas Wyatt. Read it and follow along here . Legend says that Wyatt was in love with Anne Boleyn and wrote this poem about his unrequited, unsuccessful love for her. Is there any truth in the legend? Did Anne's flirtations inspire groundbreaking poetry? And what do...

Kate and Cally take to Instagram Live to recap the Motherhood series, share some personal highlights, discuss some topics that weren't addressed in the main episodes, answer audience questions, and preview what's to come in 2024. Partially-edited recording of a live broadcast streamed 26 January 2024. Viewers should be advised that the live show contains references to topics that may be disturbing...

"Honourable Mentions" is a series that honours the lives of Tudor women who knew, aided, and impacted the lives of our six queens. To end Series 4, "Motherhood," Kate and Cally are discussing the most infamous mother at the Tudor court: Elizabeth "Bessie" Blount, the mother of Henry VIII's only acknowledged illegitimate child. Who was Bessie? How did her relationship with the King begin? How...

To celebrate the holiday season, Kate and Cally get cozy with a black-and-white classic: The Private Life of Henry VIII, made in 1933. It's the first "talkie" film featuring the Tudor period and our queens, telling the story of Henry VIII's quest to find "the perfect wife." How did the on-screen portrayals of our queens meet expectations? What was surprising? Do all the familiar dramatic tropes ap...

Three of our queens were the mothers of English monarchs, in addition to being married to one. How did they view their children as the legacies of their reigns and ambitions? And how did the children honor their mothers' memories once on the throne? In the final episode of "Motherhood," Kate and Cally explore the ways in which Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I remembered their mothers and, in som...

Five of our queens were stepmothers to Henry VIII's children. How did they approach this complicated family dynamic? Did the politics and etiquette of court affect the relationships between stepmother and stepchildren? Kate and Cally discuss the complicated relationships between our queens and their royal stepchildren: Mary, Elizabeth, and Edward. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more in...

How did queens embrace the responsibility of educating their children, especially their daughters? How did they assert their own political power through raising and shaping their children? Kate and Cally are devoting two episodes to discussing education, one of the most important components of motherhood for our six queens. On this episode, they celebrate the ways in which Katherine Parr champione...

How did queens embrace the responsibility of educating their children, especially their daughters? How did they assert their own political power through raising and shaping their children? Kate and Cally are devoting two episodes to discussing education, one of the most important components of motherhood for our six queens. On this episode, they'll examine the progressive (for its time) education...

Who was in charge of raising a royal baby? How did nurses and governesses assume a maternal role in the lives of their charges? Kate and Cally investigate the royal nursery to reveal the interesting lives of wet nurses and governesses, especially how they interacted with (and advocated for) Katharine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn and their children. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more info...

Four of our six queens experienced the ordeal of childbirth. What did that process look like? What were the dangers that, ultimately, resulted in the deaths of two of those queens? Kate and Cally talk childbirth, the beginning of motherhood for so many women, and unpack the sweeping phrase "death in childbirth" to reveal the experiences of Jane Seymour and Katherine Parr. Listeners should be aware...

What was the experience of pregnancy like for Early Modern noblewomen? How did expectations of fertility govern their lives and marriages? What medical "tips and tricks" did women follow to get and stay pregnant? And how did the stress of being Henry VIII's queen affect his wives' pregnancies? In this episode, Kate and Cally discuss the first step to motherhood for our six queens: conception and p...

What did "motherhood" look like in Early Modern noble households? What were the social expectations for birthing and raising children? How were our six queens' views of motherhood influenced by the world around them? Kate and Cally introduce the topic for Series 4, "Motherhood," by examining the lives, legacies, and influence of six special women: the mothers of our six queens! Hosted on Acast. Se...

"Honourable Mentions" is a series that honours the lives of Tudor women who knew, aided, and impacted the lives of our six queens. To kick off Series 4: Motherhood, Kate and Cally are celebrating the "mother of the Tudor dynasty," Margaret Beaufort. As the mother of Henry VII, how did Margaret help to establish the Tudor dynasty? How did her "overbearing" ways impact politics and courtly life? How...

On their first ever live show, Kate and Cally give a preview of Series 4, share some behind-the-scenes tidbits, and answer audience questions. Partially-edited recording of a broadcast streamed 22 July 2023. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kate and Cally reflect on the history-making coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla on 6 May 2023. How did it compare to coronations of the past? What elements were the same and what were modernised? And does studying history cause us to set unrealistic expectations for ritual and ceremony in the twenty-first century? To answer these questions and to see how the ceremony has changed over...

Within English history, she's known as "Anne," the queen whose lack of beauty and charm led to the hasty annulment of her marriage. But behind all of those stories is Anna, a Duchess of Cleves and member of a powerful German family. What can we learn about Anna's origins by examining her life through its German context? How was her life influenced by the politics and religion of her family? By exa...

"Honourable Mentions" is a new series that honors the lives of Tudor women who knew, aided, and impacted the lives of our six queens. Every future series of Six Queens will give an Honourable Mention based on its theme, so it seemed fitting that "Origins" should honor the original Tudor consort: Elizabeth of York. Kate and Cally introduce you to Elizabeth and her tumultuous world. How did she navi...