Vulgar History: Regency Era

This week Vulgar History's Internationale travels bring us to 14th century Portugal, where Inês de Castro (1325-1355) was kind of a big deal. Her charisma and cleverness were such that she made her way from lady in waiting to the Prince's official mistress to the ZOMBIE QUEEN OF PORTUGAL. But you'll have to listen to the episode to find out how that all happened.  Make sure to take a look at insta...

Welcome to season 5 of Vulgar History, where things are taking an internationàle flair, starting with this story from 10th century Kashmir! The saga of Rani Didda contains THREE coin minting moments, NUMEROUS mysterious deaths, and a new inductee to the Lady Jane Grey Memorial Award for Outstanding Supporting Performance. Donate to Doctors Without Borders References: https://feminisminindia.com/20...

I was so excited to talk all things Fredegund vs Brunhilde with Shelley Puhak, author of The Dark Queens: The Bloody Rivalry That Forged The Medieval World. Learn more about Shelley, her books, and upcoming events at shelleypuhak.com And if you, too want to own a "That's So Fredegund" tote bag, you can peruse that and other Vulgar History merch at vulgarhistory.store Learn more about your ad choic...

Enjoy this preview of a new spinoff podcast, Vulgarpiece Theatre!  Every month or so, Ann Foster, Allison Epstein, and Lana Wood Johnson will rant our way through scandilicious costume dramas. First up: 1998's Shakespeare In Love aka Pantaloons All Akimbo aka the Daisy Dukes of Pantaloons. You can listen to new episodes of Vulgarpiece Theatre by joining the Patreon at patreon.com/annfosterwriter a...

Sweden's Princess Cecilia was: a teenage party girl, short-lived BFF to Elizabeth I, leader of a pirate fleet, successful diplomat, a petty queen who lived for drama, and our newest tits out icon!! References: Allison Epstein's Dirtbags Through The Ages newsletter Recommended books on Bookshop.org Support Vulgar History on Patreon Vulgar History Merch - use code TITSOUT for free U.S. shipping or T...

Author Lucy Jago joins us to discuss her new book, A Net For Small Fishes. This historical fiction novel explores the real-life story of Frances Howard and her companion Anne Turner, both of whom were found guilty of involvement in the murder of Sir Thomas Overbury. But real talk, if you've ever listened to this podcast you know who Frances Howard is. This is a book about her, our queen and icon!!...

Catherine Monvoisin, aka La Voisin was a thriving entrepreneur/sorceress in 17th century France. She provided cosmetics, potions, charms, demonic rituals, and midwifery services to people of all classes. But one of her clients was the King’s mistress and they both got caught up in a witch hunt scenario called The Affair Of The Poisons.  References:  The Affair of the Poisons: Murder, Infanticide &...

Mary Shelley (1797-1851) was the calm in the eye of the storm that was literally everyone in her life: her parents, her stepmother, her stepsister, her husband, her husband's BFF, literally EVERYONE was the most chaotic and she somehow stands out for just keeping it together all these years. She was the ultimate Goth Queen Mom Friend, casually invented a whole new genre of fiction/revolutionized E...

Elizabeth Woodville was the first commoner AND the first English woman to marry an English King (in the most super secret sexy wedding ever??), but more importantly for Halloween reasons, was maybe descended from a mythical Luxembourgese mermaid-witch-goddess. References: Royal Witches: Witchcraft and the Nobility in Fifteenth-Century England by Gemma Hollman Recommended books on Bookshop.org Supp...

All good things must come to an end, and so it is with this three-part exploration of the legend that was FREDEGUND! Her story concludes with yet more innovative military victories, unrelenting badassery, and some info about how she lived during an Ice Age (???). Then comes the moment we're all waiting for: how will this one of a kind Queen score on the scandilicious scale? References: The Dark Qu...

In part two of this Super Special, we delve into Fredegund's Warrior Queen Era as well as learning more about her Wile E. Coyote-like relationship to Brunhilda. Also: absinthe! And: Breton stripes! References: The Dark Queens: The Bloody Rivalry That Forged The Medieval World by Shelley Puhak Recommended books on Bookshop.org Support Vulgar History on Patreon Vulgar History Merch - use code TITSOU...

Fredegund, Queen of Neustria was a 6th century enslaved girl turned Queen turned regent turned maybe my fav historical person. This is part one of a two part super special episode, because there's too much info to put into one hour. In this part, we learn about who tf were the Merovingian Frankish dynasty, why was Fredegund's sister-in-law Brunhilda so intent on murdering her, and more!! Check bac...

Doña Ana de Mendoza was a 16th century Spanish princess who wore a goddamn eyepatch for no reason anyone could figure out, and if that isn't enough to interest you, I don't know what else to say to convince you. Recommended books on Bookshop.org Support Vulgar History on Patreon Vulgar History Merch Vulgar History is an affiliate of Bookshop.org, which means that a small percentage of any books yo...

Sophia Dorothea of Celle (1666-1726), or as we call her in this episode, S.D., is known as England's Uncrowned Queen. She was raised by loving parents who also loved her, but then got married off to her truly odious cousin and things did not go well.  References: The Imprisoned Princess: The Scandalous Life of Sophia Dorothea of Celle by Catherine Curzon Recommended history reading: African Europe...

Lady Arbella Stuart (1575-1615) is one of the lesser-known figures from Tudor and Stuart history. She was Mary Queen of Scots's niece and granddaughter to both Margaret Douglas and Bess of Hardwick. This genealogy meant she was both a threat to Queen Elizabeth and James I/VI (her cousin), but also that she was used as a figurehead by people who wanted to promote their own interests. Her life was l...

Marguerite de Valois (1553 – 1615) was a French princess whose life was truly non-stop scandiliciousness. Poison gloves! Two assassinations! Scandalous memoirs! A fanatic monk! Carrying around the decapitated head of ones lover! A man named Bussy d'Amboise! Recommend history viewing: La Reine Margot / Queen Margot (1994)  Recommended history reading: The Rival Queens: Catherine de'Medici, Her Daug...

Lady Margaret Douglas was the only daughter of Margaret Tudor, making her a niece of Henry VIII on the Scottish-disinherited-side. Her parents had an acrimonious divorce which led to Margaret herself growing up mostly in England with various guardians. She was imprisoned five times, mostly in the Tower of London, but her ruthless scheming and family connections freed her every time. She wanted to...

Isabel of Portugal, Queen of Castile and León, is still often referred to as "The Mad Queen." But as Taylor Swift would say, "no one likes a mad woman/ you made her like that." And in Isabel's case, the people who made her like that included her husband, her husband's EVIL advisor, and her stepson. Like, if you lock a woman in psychological distress in a ghost tower for literal years and then call...

This second episode in this series about Women In Towers And the Assholes Who Sent Them There is the season's second Margaret. Margaret Pole was just about as royal as you could be back then without being an actual royal. She worked hard to restore her family's name, but it didn't help literally every male relative was constantly doing treason around her. Recommended History Reading: The Five by H...

We're back! This season is themed: Women In Towers And the Assholes Who Sent Them There. And where else to begin than with the long, weird saga of Margaret of Anjou (1430-1482)! Her story has les twists and les turns enough to make you say oh mon dieu!  Recommended History Reading: Alok Vaid-Menon's Instagram  Recommended books: bookshop.org/lists/vulgar-history-recommends  Patreon: patreon.com/an...

It's a super special! Author Allison Epstein (A Tip For The Hangman) joins us to share the wildly interesting saga of Christopher Marlowe, the 16th century playwright/SPY. What was his deal, what's his connection to FRANCES HOWARD, and how will our first-ever male subject (!!) score on the scandilicious scale?? You can pre-order Allison's book at Bookshop.org (for the book or eBook) and Libro.fm (...

Lettice Knollys (8 November 1543 – 25 December 1634) was the first cousin once-removed of Queen Elizabeth I (on the Boleyn side). Lettice was also basically the Queen's younger, prettier lookalike which you know Elizabeth didn't like. And THEN Lettice secret sexy married to the Queen's boyfriend, dirtbag Robert Dudley, and that's just the BEGINNING of this remarkable woman's tits out life. How man...

Anne Stanley (May 1580 – c. 8 October 1647) was a descendant of Mary Tudor through Eleanor Brandon. Following the death of the three Grey sisters, she became a potential heir to the English throne. She testified against her second husband, the Earl of Castlehaven, in a rape trial, setting the precedent that a wife could give evidence against her husband. The scandal of the trial ruined her reputat...

Lady Mary Grey (c. 1545 – 20 April 1578) was the youngest sister of Lady Jane Grey. Through her grandmother, Mary Tudor, she had a claim on the crown of England. Mary did her best to stay out of trouble, but her secret marriage to a non-royal landed her in a world of trouble. References: The Sisters Who Would Be Queen: Mary, Katherine, and Lady Jane Grey: A Tudor Tragedy by Leanda de Lisle Other s...

Katherine Seymour, Countess of Hertford (25 August 1540 – 26 January 1568), born Lady Katherine Grey, was the younger sister of Lady Jane "Nine Days Queen" Grey. Following the execution of her older sister, Katherine was seen as a potential new heir to the throne/a royal rival to both Queen Mary I and Elizabeth I. But Katherine didn't care about all of that, she was all about her secret sexy marri...