Renaissance English History Podcast: A Show About the Tudors

You know the name, but do you know the full story? Katherine Howard, the fifth wife of Henry VIII, is famous for her tragic end. But the real story is in her chaotic beginnings. Today we look at her unconventional upbringing, the shocking secrets of her youth, and how the "Rose Without a Thorn" was set up for failure long before she ever met the King. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Tudors weren’t just political power players, they were also deeply superstitious. In this video, we look at the strangest beliefs of the era: strange births seen as divine warnings, everyday superstitions like “bless you” and knocking on wood, ghost lore and sin-eaters, witchcraft paranoia, and medical cures involving beetles, fox fat, and even buttered frogs. Tudor life was fascinating, frightening, and sometimes very funny. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Playwright Rosamond Graves joins me to talk about her new play Three Queens, premiering at the Gamut Theatre in Harrisburg, PA. The play imagines Mary I, Elizabeth I, and Lady Jane Grey meeting on the eve of Jane’s execution, exploring power, survival, and how history remembers these women. Go see the play if you're local to Central PA: https://www.paonstage.com/shows/2025/harrisburg/three-queens Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we trace the scandalous yet enduring relationship between John of Gaunt and Katherine Swynford, from mistress and governess to Duchess of Lancaster. Their children, the Beauforts, carried the stain of illegitimacy but became central to English politics, and through Margaret Beaufort, their bloodline gave rise to the Tudor dynasty. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Forget modern self-help books: the Tudors had their own guides for living well. In this episode, we look at advice from Thomas More, Erasmus, Roger Ascham, William Harrison, and John Dee. From moderation and kindness to simple faith and the pursuit of knowledge, their lessons still resonate today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Tudor England, time was shifting from the rhythms of the sun and church bells to the tick of mechanical clocks. This episode explores how the Tudors measured their days, from sundials and cathedral clocks to Anne Boleyn’s gilt-bronze timepiece and Henry VIII’s spectacular astronomical clock at Hampton Court. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 1511, Henry VIII’s son, Henry Duke of Cornwall, lived to adulthood. As King Henry IX, he married into the Spanish Netherlands and led England into a Catholic Golden Age: no Anne Boleyn, no Elizabeth I, and no English Civil War. Here’s how history might have looked if the first Tudor prince had survived. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s autumn, and the spider webs are everywhere. But in Tudor England, spiders weren’t just pests. They carried layers of meaning: omens of luck, remedies for illness, and even ties to witchcraft. In this minicast, we’ll look at how Tudors thought about spiders, their place in folklore and medicine, and why these creepy crawlies are still tied to Halloween today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Another one from the Members Only vault from a few years ago. Meet Anne Herbert, sister of Catherine Parr, who played her own important role in Tudor history. Serving multiple queens, becoming chief lady-in-waiting to her sister, and marrying into the powerful Herbert family, Anne stood at the heart of court life. A devoted supporter of the Reformed faith, she corresponded with leading scholars and helped shape the religious and political shifts of her time. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Howard family rose from Bosworth’s ashes to become one of the most powerful dynasties of Tudor England, producing queens, poets, and traitors. In this episode, we trace their rise at Flodden, their heights under Anne and Catherine Howard, their dramatic falls under Henry VIII and Elizabeth I, and their survival into the Stuart age. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Henry VIII’s final will was meant to control the Tudor succession, but it left a legacy of confusion. Signed with a dry stamp instead of Henry’s own hand, the will cut out the Stuart line. Yet James VI of Scotland inherited the English crown anyway. Today we’ll explore what the will said, why it was controversial, and how it shaped the future of England. Tudorcon From Home tickets: https://www.englandcast.com/TudorconFromHome Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On September 7, 1533, Anne Boleyn delivered her first child, a daughter named Elizabeth. Henry VIII had planned for a son, but instead England welcomed the girl who would one day be its most famous queen. Today we look at Anne’s confinement at Greenwich, the shock of Elizabeth’s birth, and the dazzling christening that followed, where politics and family rivalries played out in full display. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How did coffee change England forever? In this episode, we trace the rise of coffee houses from Oxford’s first shop in 1650 to London’s bustling Cornhill, where pamphlets, politics, and newspapers were brewed alongside the coffee. We’ll see why Charles II tried to ban them, how the Women’s Petition Against Coffee mocked them, and how Lloyd’s Coffee House gave birth to one of the world’s great financial institutions. Coffee houses weren’t just about caffeine. They were the birthplace of England’s public sphere. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When did people first start eating out in England, and how did the Reformation play a role? This episode traces the rise of taverns, cook shops, and ordinaries in medieval and Tudor England, from the first tablecloths in Westminster to the explosion of alehouses after the monasteries closed. Discover how eating out shifted from charity to commerce, and why it mattered for more than just food. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The countess who raised a poet: Susan Bertie helped shape Aemilia Lanyer while dodging royal side-eye and surviving two widowhoods. Quick story, big ripples. Born in 1554 to Katherine Willoughby and Richard Bertie, Susan Bertie’s childhood began in Marian exile and continued in a Protestant household at Grimsthorpe under Miles Coverdale. At sixteen she married Reginald Grey, recognized as Earl of Kent in 1572; widowed in 1573, she later married soldier Sir John Wingfield, lived in the Low Countries, and returned after his death at Cadiz in 1596. Remembered as Aemilia Lanyer’s “Mistress of my youth,” Susan’s quiet patronage shaped an early woman poet. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Grey family turns up again and again in late medieval and Tudor history, from Elizabeth Woodville’s first marriage, to Lady Jane Grey’s nine-day reign, to her sisters’ scandals under Elizabeth I. In this episode, we trace the story of the Greys across the centuries, exploring how one family rose from Bedfordshire gentry to the very edge of the throne, only to find that being “almost royal” was as dangerous as it was powerful. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Some Tudor women ignored duty and married scandalously - choices that shocked their families, infuriated kings, and sometimes changed history. In this episode, we’ll look at Katherine of Valois and Owen Tudor, Katherine Willoughby and Richard Bertie, Katherine Parr and Thomas Seymour, Cecily of York and Thomas Kyme, plus Mary Tudor, Lady Mary Grey, and Margaret Tudor. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Going back through the archives... let's discuss John Perrot. Was he Henry VIII's son? Who knows. But he definitely was a pretty ruthless character in Ireland, and he had a surprising downfall. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jane Seymour is often remembered as Henry VIII’s one true love, the wife who gave him a son and the queen he chose to be buried beside. But was she really unique, or was her legacy shaped by timing and myth? In this chat, we explore Henry’s love life, Jane’s brief reign, and how her early death made her the “perfect” wife in history’s eyes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Archaeologist AJ Dair joins me to talk about Henry VIII through the lens of psychology and mental health. We discuss his upbringing, the impact of his jousting accident, and how shifting relationships reveal deeper layers of his mind. Tudorcon From Home tickets at https://www.englandcast.com/TudorconFromHome Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.