It’s the woman everyone loves to hate. The home wrecker, the social climber, the spendthrift, the whore. Mistresses have divided our society (and marriages) for centuries. But the Royal Mistress was a role in and of itself. In the early modern period it was a title as sought after as Duke or Comte. But it also provided a uniquely powerful role for a woman in a royal court, granting them political influence often seen as only belonging to the world of men.
Today’s episode is going to be a little different than what I usually do. I am going to be uploading the entire interview that I conducted with historian, Dr. Eleanor Janega. In addition, I am not going to be talking about only a single woman but about a role they have occupied for centuries. Eleanor is a leading expert on the conceptualization of sex and sexuality throughout the medieval and early modern period. We will be discussing the historical role of the royal mistress, misconceptions, and some of the most iconic women to have received the title.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations.
Death, Sex & Money
Anna Sale explores the big questions and hard choices that are often left out of polite conversation.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.