Podcast Episodes

King vs. Emperor: The Battle of Pavia, 1525

Episode 475

500 years ago, the fields outside Pavia in Italy became the stage for one of the most dramatic and decisive battles of the Renaissance. Francis I of France led his army into Italy, waiting for him wa…

Published on 8 hours ago

Diary of Samuel Pepys

Episode 474

Professor Suzannah Lipscomb unlocks the pages of one of the most extraordinary diaries ever written. Samuel Pepys chronicled his life in Restoration England — a world alive with plague, fire, war, th…

Published on 4 days, 8 hours ago

Jane Boleyn with Philippa Gregory

Episode 473

Jane Boleyn has long been called the most hated woman in Tudor history. Wife to Anne Boleyn's brother George, Jane served as lady-in-waiting to five of Henry VIII's six wives, and when Anne Boleyn fe…

Published on 1 week ago

When Europe met Islam

Episode 472

In the Early Modern period the boundaries between Christian and Islamic civilisations were far more porous than we imagine: Isaac Newton’s library included Arabic biographies of the Prophet Muhammad;…

Published on 1 week, 4 days ago

How to Stay Alive in Renaissance England

Episode 471

In 16th and 17th century England, the plague and pox, disease and injury were a daily presence. At at time when medicine was a complex interplay of tradition, faith and observation, survival depended…

Published on 2 weeks ago

Ballads of Magic & Mystery

Episode 470

Songs have always carried stories of love, loss, rebellion and hope. Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by author Amy Jeffs, illustrator Gwen Burns and composer Natalie Brice to explore the magica…

Published on 2 weeks, 4 days ago

Voices of Thunder: Radical Women of the 17th Century

Episode 469

In 17th-century England, women weren’t asked what they believed, they were generally told to obey. But amid civil war, revolution, and religious upheaval, a remarkable group of women risked everythi…

Published on 3 weeks ago

Henry VIII on Screen: The Historians' Verdict

Episode 468

King Henry VIII is best known for his tempestuous marriages and his penchant for cutting off people’s heads. But where does fiction meet fact?

In this special episode, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is j…

Published on 3 weeks, 4 days ago

The Last Plantagenets in Tudor England

Episode 467

Direct descendants of the Plantagenets were once at the very heart of Tudor politics, yet their story is often overlooked. From Margaret Pole, niece of Edward IV and Richard III, to her son Cardinal…

Published on 4 weeks ago

Fig Leaves & A Grumpy Jesus: Renaissance to Baroque Art

Episode 466

Have you ever wandered through a museum and thought: Why is the Virgin Mary always dressed in blue? Did they really use eggs in egg tempera—and did it make those paintings smell weird? And why, for…

Published on 1 month ago