The Tudor Chest Podcast

Helen Carr joins me again today to discuss the rest of her most recent book, Sceptred Isle. Today we discuss the reigns of Kings Edward III and Richard II, from Edward’s early reign in which he was bullied by his mothers domineering lover to becoming viewed as the greatest Plantagenet king, through to his feckless grandson, Richard II, who all but destroyed trust in the monarch to such a degree that he was forced from the throne, a...

Historalia are changing the game when it comes to putting on large history themed musicals, hosting them in the grounds of historic buildings closely tied to the subjects of their plays. There latest and very first British musical is just around the corner and its all about everyones favourite Tudor MVP, Anne Boleyn! Anne Boleyn the Musical will take place in a specially designed theatre in the grounds of the stunning Hever Castle,...

From portraits to plays, films to fables, Anne Boleyn is a Tudor poster girl, easily the most studied, the most followed and the most divisive of the six wives of King Henry VIII. Her creation as an icon of history has built over time, both from those who knew her personally and ever since. To discuss how Anne’s image has been created, I am very pleased to welcome back Helene Harrison onto the podcast. Helene’s latest book, the man...

Almost from the moment her head was severed from her body, Jane Boleyn, Viscountess Rochford has been an easy scape goat for all of the drama surrounding the downfall of her husband George, sister in law Anne and the teenage queen she was executed alongside, Katheryn Howard. In reality, there is basically nothing to support the long held belief that Jane actively plotted against the family she had married into. To discuss this fasc...

England in the fourteenth century would go through some of the most turbulent in royal history! To discuss it all, I am thrilled to welcome historian and author Helen Carr onto the podcast for the first time. Helen’s latest book, Sceptred Isle, A New History of the Fourteenth Century is the backbone for our conversation, a conversation which today focuses on King Edward II - was he actually in love with male favourites, was he to b...

Henry VIII had six wives, but he also had two sisters, and these sisters seldom get the attention they deserve. The younger was Princess Mary, the youngest child of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York to reach adulthood. Mary was famed for her beauty but also the scandal caused by her second marriage to Charles Brandon, a marriage from which Lady Jane Grey traced her direct descent. To discuss Mary and her story with me today, I am ple...

Jane Boleyn is easily one of the most vilified yet fascinating figures from tudor history. She has been, to my mind, unfairly maligned, repeatedly treated as a pantomime villain who destroyed her husband and sister-in-law. This week I welcome Laura Crow onto the podcast to discuss her play, Vile, the possible redemption of Jane Boleyn with me. In this upcoming, audacious and to use the official tagline “rude and radical" reimaginin...

We all know that in 1485 King Henry VII successfully snatched the throne from king Richard III, but what do we know of henrys ancestry? How did the Tudor name come to be in the first place? Well to discuss all of this, I am pleased to welcome historian Nathen Amin onto the podcast for the first time, to discuss his book, Son of Prophecy, the Rise of Henry Tudor with me. From Henry's 6 x great-grandfather who presented his prince wi...

When we think about Mary, Queen of Scots, I think it’s fair to say that we tend to think of a woman whose reign in Scotland was nothing but a disaster. A queen who couldn’t find a decent husband, had no real authority and ended her life on an executioners scaffold in England. Well, while aspects of this assessment may in part be true, there has to be more to the story. To discuss this fascinating woman with me, I am pleased to welc...

Very few personal items of the Tudor monarchs survive to this day, but one that does, and is exceptionally special, is known as the chequers ring. A tiny and stunning pearl, diamond and ruby covered ring which hides a secret, for it opens up to reveal two tiny faces on the inside, one of Elizabeth I and another of another woman, who is very likely to be Anne Boleyn. To discuss this remarkable survivor from Tudor England, I am thril...

On the 2nd of May 1536 Anne Boleyn, queen of England, was summoned to present herself before her husbands small council at Greenwich Palace. Presenting herself, the queen was told that she was arrested on charges of adultery and high treason and was to accompany the men by barge along the river Thames to the tower of London. Anne’s downfall, and those loyal to her, was shockingly fast and carried out with staggeringly swift efficie...

Mary, Queen of Scots led a life that was anything but dull. Queen of Scotland aged just six days old, she would eventually become queen of France, then return to her native homeland to take up the crown that had been hers almost from the day of her birth. In this weeks episode, I chat to Dr Sarah Morris, known to many of you as the Tudor travel guide, who is also my co-director on Simply Tudor Tours, our historic tour company. Our ...

Tudor Portraiture is a subject which I find endlessly fascinating, from the amazing full lengths of Henry VIII to the tiniest miniatures of his queens. Tudor portraits tell us a story, but there is often more to the story of the portraits themselves than we know about. Today, to discuss several Tudor portraits, some very well known and others less so, I am pleased to welcome back Sylvia Barbara Soberton onto the show. Sylvia’s late...

Queen Elizabeth I's later in life romance with the French prince, Francois, Duke of Anjou, is seldom explored at great length, despite the clear affection for which the two felt for each other, so why? Well to discuss this I am pleased to welcome historian David Lee onto the podcast. In 2023 David’s book, 'The Queens Frog Prince, the Courtship of Elizabeth I and the Duke of Anjou' was released, and acts as the basis for our convers...

In early 1554 a rebellion against queen Mary I broke out over fears that her impending marriage to Philip II of Spain would plunge England into becoming nothing more than an extension of Spain. This rebellion has become known as Wyatt’s rebellion, for one of its key architects was Thomas Wyatt the younger. The rebellion would end in failure, but what actually was it and who was involved, how serious was the threat against Queen Mar...

Much of Katharine of Aragon’s story is dominated by the end of her marriage to King Henry VIII, but we seldom explore where it all started, back in her native homeland of Spain. What was Katharine of Aragon's ancestry, how did her marriages into the English royal family come about, and how did Katharines mother Isabella work with Henry VII to help legitimise each others claims to their respective thrones? Well to answer all of this...

She is the woman who started it all, the Tudor dynasty's matriarch, Margaret Beaufort, mother of King Henry VII and a truly fascinating figure in her own right. In recent years thanks to historic fiction, she has become a figure of controversy, portrayed as an evil religious zealot, obsessed with getting her son on the throne, but is this interpretation of her in any way accurate? Well today I am thrilled to welcome historian and a...

Lady Jane Grey hit the headlines a couple of weeks ago when news broke that a portrait, quite possibly of Jane, painted from life had resurfaced. Today, I welcome Rachel Turnbull, Senior Collections Conservator in Fine Art for English Heritage onto the podcast. Rachel was the person at the very centre of this discovery and examination. She joins me to discuss the research, what new features from the portrait were discovered and how...

We all know that the Tudors took the throne from King Richard III at the battle of Bosworth, thus ending the decades long wars of the roses, but, who actually were the two sides of this ongoing battle, how did the families of Lancaster and York split off, who were they, what was their royal descent, and of course the big question, who had the better overall claim? Well to discuss this and a whole lot more about this fascinating per...