Wicked Women: The Podcast

Shakespeare called her the “She-wolf of France” and “A hateful withered hag.” Philippa Gregory described her as “The Bad Queen.” Contemporary chronicles described her as “poor and alone” and as a “great perversion.” Margaret of Anjou has gone down in history as one of the many villains of the War of the Roses. Her story emulates the concept that history is written by the victors, for the truth is,...

She witnessed some of the most monumental events of Henry VIII’s reign. She was a lady-in-waiting to five of his six queens. The sister-in-law to one, and a cousin-in-law to another. She callously brought about the downfall of her husband and sister-in-law and led a young girl farther into sin and to the block. Or so the legend goes. When Jane Boleyn, Lady Rochford laid her head upon the block on...

Empress Wu Zetian is the only woman in Chinese history to rule in her own name, but, similarly to Empress Theodora, her story is steeped in rumors, political agendas, and missing documents. There is no way for people today to truly know the truth of her story or the accuracy of her legacy. The legend paints her as a murderous, vindictive, power-hungry vixen. In recent years some historians have ca...

It is the ultimate Cinderella story. A dashing Emperor falls in love with an actress and changes the law to make her his bride. Empress Theodora was born into a life on the stage and in sex work, but after her marriage to Emperor Justinian, she became the most powerful woman in the Byzantine Empire. But her name has been sullied by the salacious publication The Secret History by Prokopios in which...

Katherine Howard, the fifth wife of Henry VIII, was Queen Consort for only 16 months before she was executed for treason. While Henry VIII's other wives (particularly Anne Boleyn) have been constantly reinvented, Katherine has remained stereotyped as the frivolous hyper-sexualized "good-time girl" (as David Starkey phrased it). In truth, she was a far more sympathetic and interesting young woman,...

Step back into the world of glittering palaces, violent revolutions, mystical healers, and one woman’s struggle to survive it all. In today’s episode, I will be discussing the life and legacy of Tsaritsa Alexandra Feodorovna Romanov, the last Tsaritsa of Russia. Tsaritsa Alexandra’s legacy is a complicated one. The contempt and hatred felt for her during her lifetime and expanded upon during the c...

Queen Mary I, more commonly known as Bloody Mary, is perhaps best known for the burning of Protestants. However, she was an altogether more complex and complicated woman. In addition to being the first crowned Queen Regnant in English history, Mary's life was a constant mix of the greatest triumphs and the most heartbreaking lows. Listen to this episode to learn more about this fascinating queen. ...

Welcome to Wicked Women: The Podcast, a series that looks at some of the most infamous and maligned women in history. This episode provides a brief overview of how the series will work, and which women will be featured. Enjoy! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.