Vulgar History: Regency Era

Anne, Charlotte, and Emily Brontë were all accomplished novelists. Charlotte's famous work is Jane Eyre, and Emily's is Wuthering Heights. But how did three sisters all become popular authors at the same time? Could it have been the cemetery water they grew up drinking?? Jane Eyre superfan Lana Wood Johnson joins us to discuss the tuberculosis-laden lives of these Northern English authors (with Ir...

Last time, we discussed the first part of Georgiana's life. This time, we get into all the illegitimate children of it all, with bonus visits to Revolution-era Paris and also Earl Grey tea time. With special guest, royal commentator Amanda Matta (matta_of_fact on social media). ⁠Watch this episode as a video.⁠⁠ Support the fundraiser for Minnesota Georgiana, Anne Damer, and Elizabeth Lamb's witch...

Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire is a key person connecting the French Revolution era to the Regency Era, because she was besties with Marie Antoinette, wore poufs, and then became besties with the Regent himself, George, Prince of Wales. We're joined by Vulgar History returning guest Amanda Matta (matta_of_fact on social media) to talk about the first part of Georgiana's wild life. Watch this epi...

In the Regency Era, reputation was all many working-class women had. When Edinburgh schoolteachers Marianne Woods and Jane Pirie were accused of sapphic behaviour by their student Jane Cumming, they lost everything. So they decided to sue their accuser's wealthy grandmother for libel. The legal case, Pirie and Woods vs Cumming Gordon, only fanned the flames of the scandal. This week, our guest Ind...

It's our Regency Era, which means we had to get Vanessa Riley (current Queen of Regency era fiction) on the podcast. This week we're revisiting out conversation from 2023 about her novel Queen of Exiles, about the life of Haiti's Queen Marie-Louise Christophe. It's interesting to revisit this now, after discussing the Haitian Revolution last series, and seeing Marie-Louise in the context of the Re...

The real Pirates of the Caribbean were Black, and women! And Jacquotte Delahaye was the most famous of them all. Author Vanessa Riley's new novel, Fire Sword and Sea, is a sweeping, immersive saga based on the life of the legendary seventeenth-century pirate Jacquotte Delehaye. Vanessa joins us on the podcast to talk all about this lesser-known figure, and how she managed to research this story! L...

To round out this year on Vulgar History, I want to revisit this instant classic episode with Regency Era romance author Alexandra Vasti, all about Regency Era Sexy Times!! Now that the podcast is in our Regency Era, it bears repeating. Enjoy!! And can't wait to spent 2026 with you all. Buy Alexandra's sapphic Regency romance Ladies in Hating (affiliate link)⁠ Info on Alexandra Vasti and her books...

Hortense Mancini was the It Girl of 17th-century France, then put on a pair of pants and ran away from her awful husband. She then became It Girl in exile around the European continent, finally winding up in London as mistress to the Merry Monarch, Charles II. And then her life really began, as for the next two decades she hosted an influential salon in London. Author and historian Annalisa Nichol...

For this year's Hanukkah special, we're revisiting the timeless saga of RACHEL, the Jewish actress so iconic she needed only one name. It's so interesting to look at her story again after the French Revolution series, because it shows that Market Ladies: The Next Generation were just as riot-happy as the original Sans-Culottes Squad. We're joined by Allison Epstein, our French Revolutionary histor...

We're in our Regency Era and just finished Mary Shelley Month, and Claire Clairmont REFUSES TO BE IGNORED. We're revisiting the story of this iconic woman, whose story feels even more meaningful now that we've learned about her (kind of) stepmother Mary Wollstonecraft, as well as more about the Regency Era in which Claire made her mark. Plus, our guest Lesley McDowell's book Clairmont is now avail...

Ever since the novel was invented, women have used it as a platform for sharing ideas about sexual consent. In her new book Courting Disaster: Reading Between the Lines of the Regency Novel, Dr. Zoë McGee reveals how Jane Austen and other women writers from this time used their stories to try to change society's mind about rape culture - and to reassure survivors they were not alone. Zoë joins us...

It's (American) Thanksgiving, so here's a special American History episode! In this, you can hear my discussion with Dr. Jane Kamensky, President and CEO of Monticello/The Thomas Jefferson Foundation. We talk about how Monticello strives to continually engage visitors with the complex history of enslavement, how Monticello honours Sally Hemings, how Monticello plans to celebrate America's upcoming...

Click here to watch this episode as a video! The Ladies of Llangollen, Eleanor Butler and Sarah Ponsonby, were Regency-era Irish women who ran off to Northern Wales to live their cottagecore lesbian domestic dream. To discuss their adventurous youth and middle-aged Hobbit eras is superstar history podcaster and content creator Katie Charlwood from Who Did What Now! Learn more about Katie and Who D...

Regency Era heiresses are a part of most Jane Austen novels, as women with fortunes men want to marry into. Some of these fortunes were from old family money, but many of them were new wealth founded on human exploitation on Caribbean plantations. Our guest, Dr. Miranda Kaufmann, reveals what she's found in her research about heiresses as well as the stories of the people the heiresses enslaved. L...

Join our Patreon to enjoy this as a video episode! Anne Lister was many things: secret sex diarist, land-owner, mountain climber, womanizer, power lesbian. How did she find a way to thrive during the patriarchal Regency Era, and what does her life story mean to today's queer community? We're joined by returning guest Kit Heyam and new guest Sarah Wingrove to dish all about Anne Lister's wild life...

It is a truth universally acknowledged that Jane Austen is one of England's best-loved and most-read authors. This year is the 250th anniversary of her birth in December 1775, and her works are as popular as they ever were. But her own story is far less known than that of her heroines. So we're here today to learn all about Jane Austen. Our guest this week is Paula Byrne, one of the world's leadin...

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Mary Shelley famously wrote Frankenstein while on a summer-long sleepover party with her husband, sister, and her husband's friend, Lord Byron. To close out Mary Shelley Month, it's time for a deep dive on Lord Byron. Joining us is podcast legend Emily Edwards (from F***bois of Literature and Ticklish Business fame). Learn more about Emily's work at msemilyedwards.com — ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Buy a copy of A...

Mary Shelley is still most famous for writing FRANKENSTEIN, and with good reason! Her story was adapted into a play shortly after it was first published, and has been adapted and retold nonstop ever since. Horror author Claire Fitzpatrick joins us to talk about Mary Shelley, Frankenstein, and what makes this story so timeless. Learn more about Claire and her work at her website. — ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Buy...

It's Mary Shelley Month, which requires us to revisit this classic Vulgar History episode about Mary Shelley: Goth Queen, Mom Friend. And honestly, it hits different now that we know more about her mother, Mary Wollstonecraft. Shop Mary Shelley: Goth Queen, Mom Friend merch! (US) Shop Mary Shelley: Goth Queen, Mom Friend merch (rest of world) — ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Buy a copy of Ann's book ⁠⁠Rebel of the R...

In last week's episode, Mary Wollstonecraft decided to head over to Paris as the French Revolution was turning into The Terror, just for the vibes. This week, we learn what she did when she got there (and which of our faves she ran into!), and what happened next. Trigger warning: discussion in this episode includes depression, suicidal ideation, and attempted suicide. Next time: we get into the st...

Mary Shelley's influence can be felt in countless feminist body horror novels written in the past two hundred years. But how many of those books are about anatomical wax figures who come to life to KILL THE MEN WHO PREYED UPON THEM?? Allison Rushby's novel Slashed Beauties is about just that. We talk about the real (grotesque) history behind her novel, how Mary Shelley inspired her, and how she re...

It's Mary Shelley Month on Vulgar History! For Halloween season, we're looking at goth icon Mary Shelley and her friends and family. And we'e starting with her equally iconic mother, Mary Wollstonecraft! — ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Buy a copy of Ann's book ⁠⁠Rebel of the Regency⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ — Get 15% off all the gorgeous jewellery and accessories at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

Marie Antoinette feels as present today as she was in her life, with a new V&A exhibit, a TV series, the recent five-episode podcast series of Vulgar History and a new biography! Why do people continue to be intrigued by this 18th-century Queen? Author Melanie Burrows, a lifelong fan of Marie Antoinette (and author of the new book Marie Antoinette: Teen Queen to Guillotine) joins us for a chat abo...

Throughout his long and illustrious career, Benjamin Franklin nursed a not-so-secret desire to annex Canada and make it American. But he failed, over and over again. Author Madelaine Drohan has written all about this in her new book, He Did Not Conquer: Benjamin Franklin's Failure to Annex Canada. And she joins us on the podcast to tell all! Buy a copy of He Did Not Conquer (affiliate link) — ⁠⁠⁠⁠...