The Tudor Chest Podcast

Today, I am delighted to be joined by Sarah Gristwood to explore Blood Sisters: the women behind the wars of the roses. Seven women who were fundamental to the successes and losses across this huge period of English civil conflict, and at its core, the relationships between them, and what their interconnected lives can tell us about the late medieval and early Tudor world. We will move chronologically through their stories, from th...

Across nearly five centuries, Richard Rich has acquired a reputation as the consummate opportunist: a man who appeared to possess few genuine principles beyond his own advancement, who accumulated immense wealth through the destruction of the monasteries, and who played pivotal roles in sending two of England's most revered martyrs—Bishop John Fisher and Sir Thomas More—to the scaffold. To many historians, Rich epitomis...

What was life really like for women in the Middle Ages? From princesses and queens, to noblewomen all the way down to peasants, their lives were shaped by work, family, faith, law and the communities around them. But how much do we actually know about their experiences, and what can medieval sources tell us about the choices, challenges and opportunities they faced? Well to discuss just that, I am thrilled to welcome back Dr Cather...

What if Henry VIII’s two most famous wives had put aside their differences and joined forces against the man who destroyed both their lives? Imagine Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn — two women who, in real life, became bitter rivals — forming the most unlikely alliance in Tudor history. Well to answer that question, I am joined by author Jillian Laine, whose novel Henry Tudor Must Die brings Catherine and...

Among Henry VIII’s many significant ministers and members of his inner circle, William Paget is woefully overlooked. In many ways the successor to Thomas Cromwell, he was instrumental in defining the last years of King Henry VIII’s life, playing a fundamental role in the destruction of the Earl of Surrey and in establishing how Henrys planned succession would take shape. To discuss Paget with me, I am pleased to welcome...

What if almost everything we think we know about Jane Seymour is far from true? In her fascinating new book, Jane Seymour: Patronage, Material Culture and Image Making, Dr Elizabeth Norton takes a fresh look at the woman behind the familiar portrait — and in doing so, completely upturns some of the long-held assumptions about Jane. From Jane's age, to her passion for fashion, her intense political astuteness and even examples...

Desiderius Erasmus was one of the greatest intellectuals of the Renaissance—a brilliant scholar, prolific writer and tireless traveller whose ideas shaped the course of European history. Living at a time of immense religious and political change, he became famous across the continent for his humanist learning, his bestselling works and his calls for reform within the Church, while carefully avoiding the more radical path take...

With house of the dragon season 3 nearing its conclusion, I thought the time was right to explore the real life story behind it! Following the death of King Henry I in 1135, a disputed succession plunged the kingdom into nearly two decades of civil war, shifting alliances, and bitter rivalry between King Stephen and the Empress Matilda. It was a conflict that tested loyalties, reshaped castles and kingdoms, and left contemporaries ...

In 1503, Princess Margaret Tudor journeyed from the comfort of her family home in London up to Scotland where she would be married to a man twice her age, King James IV. Her progress stopped at many key sites in northern England and into Scotland, and so Sarah Morris and I, my co-director on our tour company Simply Tudor Tours, decided to introduce a brand new tour, retracing that very trip, so join Sarah and I as we walk through t...

Few monarchs in English history have been as carefully constructed through art as Queen Elizabeth I. More than four centuries after her death in 1603, her image remains instantly recognisable: the elaborately embroidered gowns glittering with pearls and precious stones, the flame-red hair crowned with jewels, the unnaturally smooth white complexion, and the unwavering gaze that projects confidence, intelligence and absolute authori...

Perhaps naively, or maybe through blissful ignorance, many take it for granted that English expansion into the Americas during the 16th century ensured that a great deal of English culture then influenced how the Americas developed, but what if this idea were flipped? When one digs deep, is there plenty of evidence to suggest that in fact, the Americas also changed England in return, from changes in import, to language, and a rise ...

Easily one of the most fascinating and complex relationships in Tudor history is that between the daughters of King Henry VIII, Mary and Elizabeth. Bound by blood yet divided by religion, politics, and circumstance, the two half-sisters navigated rivalry, suspicion, and survival in a turbulent age. To discuss their relationship with me, I am pleased to welcome back historian Dr Peter Stiffell, who will examine how their relationshi...

Today, I'm delighted to be joined by one of Britain's most acclaimed historians, indeed I would say she’s my biggest guest yet, Professor Kate Williams. A bestselling author, broadcaster, and expert on royal history, Kate has spent years bringing the lives of monarchs to vivid life for readers and audiences alike. Her latest book, Regina, A New History of Women and Power takes us on a fascinating journey through the stories o...

She was a queen, a political player, and one of the most controversial women of the Wars of the Roses. Admired by some and mistrusted by others, Elizabeth Woodville became a central figure in a royal dynasty marked by ambition, intrigue, and conflict. Her story touches on questions of power, family, survival, and the enduring mystery surrounding the Princes in the Tower. To help me untangle the myths from the historical reality, I'...

From the chaos of the Norman Conquest to the power struggles of the Plantagenets, the princesses of medieval England lived lives shaped by politics, ambition, and survival. In this episode, I am pleased to welcome historian Sharon Bennett Connolly onto the podcast for the first time, as we explore the women born into royal households between 1066 and the reign of King John: daughters promised in marriage treaties, sisters caught in...

Anne Boleyn's final moments on the scaffold have been portrayed countless times, but do any of these depictions actually show the execution in an accurate light? Do any get it completely right, and which are way off the mark? Is the actress playing Anne wearing the clothing described in the contemporary sources, does the speech from the scaffold match what we know she said? Is the manner of death accurately portrayed? Well this wee...

Tudor artefacts are sadly very rare, which is why new discoveries are always so exciting! Recently, a chair came to light which very likely belonged, or more accurately, was created for, Anne Boleyn. Historian Sandra Vasoli has been really involved in the discovery of this chair, working alongside Paul Fitzsimmons to piece together its story. Sandi joins me today to discuss what they have discovered, what the theories are around wh...

A sketch of a woman, erroneously identified as Amalia of Cleves, could, according to todays guests, actually be a contemporary sketch of Anne Boleyn, while another sketch, long believed to be Anne, may in fact be another Boleyn altogether. Historian Karen L Davies and Professor Hassan Ugail of Bradford University have co-authored a paper which applies technology to helping identify these sitters, so join them and I as we discuss th...