Recent Posts

365 Days with the Tudor Queens

365 Days with the Tudor Queens – an Intimate Journey of Discovery Jan-Dec 2024 A 12-month immersive journey of discovery, learning and connection. This immersive learning experience is much more than just an online course about the Tudor queens. Over 12 months, participants will come together and contribute to a supportive and inspiring online community of individuals who’ll share in a unique learning experience – one that will ultimately deepen their understanding of … [Read More...]

Episode 204 – The Butler Women with Gareth Russell

Guest Bio Educated at Oxford University and Queen’s University, Belfast, Gareth Russell is a historian, novelist, and playwright. He is the author of nine books, including The Palace, The Ship of Dreams, Young and Damned and Fair, The Emperors, and Do Let’s Have Another Drink. He lives in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Follow Gareth on Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/_garethrussell Natalie Grueninger speaks with Gareth Russell about the women of the Butler family. Tune in to hear … [Read More...]

Episode 203 – Anne Boleyn & Elizabeth I: The Mother and Daughter Who Changed History with Dr Tracy Borman

Guest Bio Tracy Borman is a best selling author, historian and broadcaster, specialising in the Tudor period. Her books include Elizabeth’s Women, Thomas Cromwell, The Private Lives of the Tudors and Crown & Sceptre: A New History of the British Monarchy from William the Conqueror to Charles III. She has also written a fiction trilogy, The King’s Witch, based in the court of James I. Her latest non fiction book is Anne Boleyn & Elizabeth I: The Mother and Daughter Who Changed History … [Read More...]

Episode 202 – Anne Boleyn’s Downfall (Part 2) with Natalie Grueninger & Dr Owen Emmerson

I've teamed up again with my good friend Dr Owen Emmerson to answer your burning questions about Anne Boleyn's downfall. This is the second of two instalments, do do make sure to listen to Part 1 (episode 201) as well! Tune in to hear Natalie and Dr Emmerson and I answer the following questions: - Do you think Anne Boleyn repented of her bad behaviour (not that she was guilty, but she was a bit haughty and reckless) or was she just so shocked she thought Henry VIII would pardon her up … [Read More...]

Episode 201 – Anne Boleyn’s Downfall (Part 1) with Dr Owen Emmerson & Natalie Grueninger

I've teamed up again with my good friend Dr Owen Emmerson to answer your burning questions about Anne Boleyn's downfall. This is the first of two instalments. Join us tomorrow for Part 2! Tune in to hear Natalie and Dr Emmerson and I answer the following questions: - Why after wooing Anne for so long and declaring his undying love for her, did he have her executed? Was it because it was just an obsession and not real love? - Was Henry a narcissist and incapable of love? - Are there … [Read More...]

Episode 200 – Popular Representations of Anne Boleyn with Dr Yasmine Hachimi

Guest Bio Yasmine Hachimi (Ph.D., University of California at Davis) is a Public Humanities Postdoctoral Fellow at the Newberry Library in Chicago. Her book project, Tudorotica, traces the ways that Tudor queens are sexualized across centuries and genres, from sixteenth-century letters and plays, to tv shows and fanfiction today. Yasmine is interested in how popular media and images of the premodern period challenge or affirm public understandings of the past, particularly with regards to … [Read More...]

Episode 199 – Mudlarking on the Thames Foreshore with Alessio Checconi

Guest Bio Alessio Checconi is an Italian micropalaeontologist currently living in London.His background is academia, where he used to work as lecturer at University of Perugia, doing research on microfossils and how they can help our understanding of the dynamic, causes and consequences of extinction events and climatic changes. He also taught several courses, including stratigraphy and palaeontology to Archeology Degree students.Alessio is currently working as business developer for the … [Read More...]

Episode 198 – The Rise and Fall of Jane Boleyn, Lady Rochford

Guest Bio Dr James Taffe is a Tudor historian whose research focuses on the English royal household and the wider court, concentrating foremost on the households of Henry VIII and his six queens. Born in Birmingham, England, he studied at Queen Mary, University of London and University of Birmingham, before moving to the north-east around four years ago to study for his PhD at Durham University, which he completed in 2022. He now lives in Newcastle, UK. Courting Scandal: The Rise and Fall of … [Read More...]

Episode 197 – Henry VII & the 1486 Royal Progress with Sarah Morris

Guest Bio Sarah Morris is an author, blogger and podcast, better known online as 'The Tudor Travel Guide'. She is committed to ensuring that Tudor history lovers everywhere can relish their immersion into the past, with all the facts and hard-to-find details needed to time travel at their fingertips and is now one of the most trusted providers of travel information for exploring Tudor locations all over the UK.Alongside a very active Instagram account, Sarah provides both information and … [Read More...]

Episode 196 – Anne de Graville and Women’s Literary Networks in Early Modern France with Dr Elizabeth L’Estrange

Guest Bio Elizabeth L’Estrange was born in London and studied for a BA (English Language and Literature), an MA (Medieval Studies) and a PhD (Art History) at the University of Leeds. Her first book, Holy Motherhood: Gender, Dynasty and Visual Culture in the Later Middle Ages, was published in 2008 and is an interdisciplinary study of images of maternity in books of hours and their interpretation by aristocratic viewers. She has published widely on women patrons and book owners in France in … [Read More...]

Episode 195 – Henry VIII & Charles V with Richard Heath

Guest Bio Richard was bought up in Oxford where his love of history was encouraged by his parents and teachers. He graduated from the University of Cambridge and enjoyed teaching history (as well as taking on senior management roles) at secondary schools for 35 years.Since retirement, as well as researching and producing a family history (publ. 2020 - Amazon), he’s written two books on the early 16th century - 'Charles V: Duty and Dynasty - The Emperor and his Changing World 1500-1558' (publ. … [Read More...]

Episode 194 – Edward VI: Henry VIII’s Overshadowed Son with Stephanie Kline

Guest Bio Stephanie Kline holds a Master of Studies degree in Modern British & European History from Mansfield College, University of Oxford. Since 2011, she has run the popular website, The Tudor Enthusiast, where she blogs about all things related to the Tudor dynasty. Her first historical biography, Edward VI: Henry VIII's Overshadowed Son will be published by Pen & Sword Books this year. She lives in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley of Virginia with her husband and two young … [Read More...]