Vulgar History: Regency Era

In season 6, we'll be looking at the story of Mary, Queen of Scots. And where better to start off than with her grandmother, whose life was also oddly setting up several precedents for Mary to the point it's like: are they the same person across time? Learn about Margaret's child bride queen era, how she ensured her entry to Scotland was on par with that time Rihanna wore Guo Pei to the Met, and h...

Molly Greeley's new historical fiction novel, MARVELOUS, is based on the real-life story of Petrus Gonsalvus and his wife, Catherine. Petrus aka Pedro had a condition called hypertrichosis which meant his body was covered in hair. This caught the attention of the French Queen (a certain CATHERINE DE'MEDICI), who liked having unusual people around her. And so, Petrus/Pedro was well educated and rai...

It's the 100th episode** of Vulgar History, and who better to chat with than author Jac Jemc! Jac is the author of the new book EMPTY THEATRE, which is a story mostly about Empress Sisi and her Cousin "Mad King" Ludwig II, but also talks about Lola Goddamn Montez, Ludwig "nature or art" I, and is an overall delightful romp through this part of history. Learn more about Jac and her upcoming events...

This week's guest is Princess O'Nika Auguste, a Saint-Lucian writer, theologian, historian, poet-critic, researcher, and digital content creator. She's here to talk about Amanirenas, Queen of the Kingdom of Kush from c. 40 BCE to c. 10 BCE, and was a one-eyed Black woman who prevented the Romans from taking over most of the African continent. Follow Princess O'Nika Auguste: Instagram: @isletheolog...

This episode of So This Asshole used to live behind a paywall on Patreon, but now is free for all to hear! In it, friend of the pod Allison Epstein takes the lead to discuss a person they hate very much: Napoleon Bonaparte. We also talk about Allison's upcoming new book, LET THE DEAD BURY THE DEAD, and how Napoleon is involved in it (he is not literally in the book, but his presence looms large)....

This week, I'm sharing my chat with Emran Iqbal El-Badawi, Program Director and Associate Professor of Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Houston, where he is also Chair of Modern and Classical Languages. He's here to talk about his new book: "Queens and Prophets: How Arabian Noblewomen and Holy Men Shaped Paganism, Christianity and Islam." He's here to talk all about ancient Arabia, why...

This week, I'm sharing my chat with author Flora Fraser about her newest historical biography: Pretty Young Rebel: The Life of Flora Macdonald. Flora Macdonald was a Scottish woman who lived in the 18th century, and kind of accidentally became a heroine of the Jacobite rebellion. As Flora Fraser discovered in her research, Macdonald's life also included involvement in the American Revolution, and...

This week I got to talk with Joanna Hickson, author of seven books (so far!) about 15th-century English women, mostly from the Tudor era. The occasion for our chat is the paperback release of her latest book, The Queen's Lady, which is about a very interesting Tudor-era woman I'd never heard of before named Joan Vaux. Keep up with Joanna and her books at twitter.com/joannahickson and facebook.com/...

A special treat for you! This episode of used to only live behind the paywall on Patreon, but Charles Dickens was simply too much of a dirtbag to keep the story from you all. ** Note that this was originally recorded in December 2021, for Patreon, so some of the chit-chat is that of a younger me, so long ago, so bear that in mind. ** If you'd like to hear me talk about more terrible men from histo...

Doña Gracia Nasi was born in Portugal to Spanish parents, then because of the whole Reconquista and Inquisition scenarios, wound up in Antwerp, Venice, and then Istanbul. She ran a wildly impressive banking company, inherited a pepper empire, and used her connections to help save other Jewish people from persecution. Along the way, she crossed paths with a truly impressive number of previous Vulga...

It's the internationale season finale and we're going out with a PIRATE STORY!!! Zheng Yi Sao aka Shi Yang aka Ching Shih was the most successful pirate of all time. Not just the most successful lady pirate: The Most Successful Pirate Of All Time (All Gender). Hers is a story of success after success and honestly that's refreshing after all that some of the other women this season had to put up wi...

After part one laid a lot of track, part two is just all engines go as we look at the subsequent forty-seven years. There were two cult-based rebellions! Three emperors, all chosen by her! A marble boat! A person named Wild Fox Kang! Poisonings! Illnesses! Fleeing in a mule cart! She kept trying to retire but they kept sucking her back in! Also please note: PANTS. -- Recommended podcasts to learn...

OK this is a major episode, so get ready for the twists and turns of a truly unforgettable saga. Cixi was born to a Manchu family in China in the 19th century and, as a teen, was selected to join the emperor's harem of concubines. The emperor mostly doesn't matter (spoiler: none of the emperors in this saga do), because what's most important is that in the harem she met her ride or die best friend...

Artemisia I of Caria is one of the earliest recorded tits out women of history. She was the Queen of Halicarnassus hundreds of years before Cleopatra, and midway through the events of the Old Testament. She helped out Persian Emperor Xerxes I battle against the Greeks, and was so impressive Herodotus wrote about her (even though she was a woman). Help for Iran. Some organizations to consider donat...

You may not have heard of Sarah Kidd, but you likely have heard of her third husband: Captain Kidd, the famous pirate. I'm joined by Daphne Palmer Geanacopoulos, author of the first-ever full length biography of Sarah, THE PIRATE'S WIFE: THE REMARKABLE TRUE STORY OF SARAH KIDD to learn all about this lesser-known figure from history. Arrrr! Learn more about Daphne and her books at daphnepalmergean...

As soon as I read Kit Heyam's new book "Before We Were Trans" I knew I had to try and get them on the podcast. And happy day, Kit agreed! We talk in this chat about the messiness of trans and queer history, women in sexy lady pants, the gender of hats, Njinga, Catalina de Erauso, Kristina of Sweden and MUCH MORE! Learn more about Kit and their work at kitheyam.com and follow them on Twitter @krhey...

Doña Manuela Sáenz de Vergara y Aizpuru was the illegitimate daughter of Spanish nobility in Quito (in modern day Ecuador). Side by side with Simón Bolívar, she was instrumental in Spanish colonies emancipating themselves from Spain. Following Simón's death, Manuela wound up with money problems in Perú. Since the 20th century, South American feminists have reclaimed her legacy and today, she is wi...

Doña Manuela Sáenz de Vergara y Aizpuru was the illegitimate daughter of Spanish nobility in Quito (in modern day Ecuador). After a political awakening, she became involved in the patriot revolution seeking to emancipate South America from Spanish control. And that’s just the beginning. Support Vulgar History on Patreon at patreon.com/annfosterwriter Get merch at http://vulgarhistory.store - use c...

Part two of our exploration of Ireland's most scandalous heroine covers the second part of Lola Montez's life. Can't mention any details here, it's all best experienced as guest Allison Epstein (A Tip for the Hangman) did, by just vibing out while I tell the tale. Learn more about Allison at allisonepstein.com and subscribe to Dirtbags Through The Ages at rapscallison.substack.com/ ** I forgot to...

Lola Montez is such a groundbreakingly dirtbaggy grifter and icon, we had to invite friend of the pod Allison Epstein (author of A Tip for the Hangman) to share this wildly bananas saga. The saga is truly internationale as well, as part one travels along with Lola from Ireland to India, England, Scotland, Spain, France, and finally Bavaria. And it's just part one of two!! Enjoy!! Learn more about...

In the second part of the saga of Queen Min, we see her extremely competently take control of the Joseon kingdom during a wildly chaotic period in time. China, Japan, Russia, and the US are all at play here and Min has to try and play them all off one another to try and prevent Joseon from falling to any. Meanwhile the father in law from hell, Daewongun, is STILL trying to get rid of her; some of...

This season's internationale world trip heads to the Joseon Kingdom (modern-day Korea) in the late 19th century. In part one of two, we meet the teenage girl (name unknown; I explain why in this episode) chosen to marry the teen Emperor because she had few connections and seemed easy to manipulate. AU CONTRAIRE, the woman known as Queen Min quickly proved herself to be more capable than anyone exp...

Marguerite Steinheil was a French woman in the 19th century who was embroiled in two pretty tabloid-adjacent deaths: the sex death of the French President, and then the gruesome murder of her husband and mother. She was THE moment in France when all this happened, but so many scandales happened later on that she's been largely forgotten UNTIL NOW!! Sarah Horowitz, this week's guest, wrote a book a...

This week we get into the third act of Sisi's life story which includes a LOT of horseback riding, a LOT of off the beaten path internationale tourism, the Mayerling Incident, and then her eventual legacy. Content warning: suicide, grooming, murder 18:36-23:39 Learn more about Lana Wood Johnson at lanawoodjohnson.com References: Wikipedia The Lonely Empress: Sisi of Austria by Joan Haslip (book fr...

Last week was the set-up, this week we delve into Sisi's whole deal. Again we're joined by Lana Wood Johnson (author of Technically You Started It and Speak For Yourself), Sisi superfan. Learn more about Lana and her books at lanawoodjohnson.com * Content warning: starting at 8:31, there is discussion of depression, anxiety, disordered eating, anorexia nervosa, and anorexia athletica. This content...