British History: Royals, Rebels, and Romantics

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King of the Castle: Famous & Fascinating Royal Dads (ep 60) Jun 16, 2021

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For much of royal history, Kings literally ruled. And a King’s primary job description was to ensure peace and prosperity at home, protect against enemies abroad, and secure the succession. Be a judge, be a soldier, be a dad. A King’s success was typically judged against these criteria, at least through the Middle Ages and into the sixteenth and seventeenth century. Then Queens took the throne, which shifted the focus on family roles somewhat. Parliament began to take more control. A constitutional monarchy emerged. Still, the focus on fathers continued well into the 20th century.
We’re going to take a look at five royal fathers: Henry II, Edward III, Henry VIII, Prince Albert, and George VI. For all, we’ll be considering this well-known question: Does father know best?
We start with a first and a second: first Plantagenet King and second husband of Eleanor of Aquitaine, Henry II. Henry produced many sons and created a dynasty. Not a bad start.
And now on to Edward III. Edward and Philippa produced 13 children, 9 of whom lived to adulthood. He had an impressive five sons, although the descendants' behavior implies that might have been too many.
Next up: Henry VIII, one of the most famous…and infamous…royal fathers. The obsession of his life and his reign was laser focused on the goal of producing a son. So after all that effort to finally have a son, what kind of father was he?
Our next royal father was never King himself, but he was father of a King and some Queens, and grandfather of many royals all across Europe. I’m speaking of Prince Albert, the consort of Queen Victoria.
Our final father is quite recent: George VI, the father of the current Queen. It’s easy to see how George VI’s dedication to his family benefitted his daughters and his nation.

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Stuart Sisters: Queen Mary II and Queen Anne (episode 59) Jun 09, 2021

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Born in 1662 and 1665, Stuart Princesses Mary and Anne came into a turbulent world—especially turbulent for the royal family. Their grandfather, King Charles I, had been executed by Parliament in 1649. Their uncle, Charles II, had been invited to come back to England and restore the monarchy in 1660. Then there was the Great Plague of 1665 and the Great Fire of 1666. In 1671, when Mary was 9 and Anne was 6, their mother died. Over the years, the two girls had seen several baby siblings die as well. Their life may have been royal, but it had not been particularly carefree.
Worried about long-term Catholic rule, leading nobles invited William of Orange to pursue Mary’s claim to the throne. Mary became popular, and people looked to her as the “mother” of the nation. Naturally, people hoped she would quickly produce heirs to provide for the succession. But for the time being, the heir was Mary’s sister, Anne.
Mary’s role in ruling the country changed in 1690 when William decided to lead the army against James’s attempt to retake his throne. Parliament passed the Regency Act in 1690 to clarify Mary’s right to exercise regal power. Mary’s administration was one of challenge, with war, naval mismanagement, plots against the King and Queen, and religious tensions. Mary’s style of rule was to seek William’s guidance, writing him regularly and seeking his advice and counsel. She attended council meetings. Initially, she spent most of the time listening, but as time went on she gained confidence and a voice.
The sisters' relationship fractured as Anne relied more on her friend Sarah Churchill and ignored the wishes of the King and Queen. The quarrels between the sisters escalated, and Anne left court. The two sisters never saw each other again.
Anne became Queen after William's death in 1702. Anne made much of her English background to distance herself from William and the specter of the French-supported Jacobites. She declared “I know my heart to be entirely English.” She also promised, “I can very sincerely assure you there is not anything you can expect or desire from me, which I shall not be ready to do for the happiness and prosperity of England.” This was exactly what the English people wanted to hear.
One of the most significant outcomes of Anne’s reign were the Acts of Union. Although England and Scotland had been ruled by the same monarch since the death of Elizabeth I in 1603, the two countries were not united into a single kingdom. From her first speech to Parliament, Anne took a firm stand on union, declaring it to be “very necessary.” The articles passed the Parliaments of both countries in early 1707, uniting England and Scotland into Great Britain with one Parliament. Anne attended a thanksgiving service in St. Paul’s Cathedral. Sir John Clerk wrote, “Nobody on this occasion appeared more sincerely devout and thankful than the Queen herself.”
In August of 1714, after suffering two violent strokes, Queen Anne died. With Anne’s death, the turbulent Stuart dynasty came to an end.

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Dad Liked Me Best! Stuart Brothers on the Throne (ep 58) Jun 02, 2021

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The four generations of Stuart reign—James I, his son Charles I, his sons Charles II and James II, and James’s daughters Mary and Anne—represented a manifestation of chaos and conflict. Particularly in the reigns of the male Stuarts, the battles between Catholic and Protestant, King and Parliament, and England and the continent rocked the country, weakened the peace and prosperity, and threatened future of the monarchy (in fact, eliminated the monarchy for a period of time!).
Two sets of siblings sat on the throne during the Stuart regime: brothers Charles II and James II and sisters Mary and Anne. Their relationships and their reigns reimagined the monarchy, the role and power of Parliament, and the place of England on the world stage.
Stuart sibling rule: it changed everything.
Royal brothers Charles and James lived through one of the most turbulent periods of the monarchy: the declaration of war between Parliament and King, and years of a Civil War. Both brothers supported their father and ultimately fled the country to stay safe and keep trying to return.
After Cromwell's death, Parliament invited Charles to return and take the throne. Determined to recreate the magnificence of royal rule, Charles created new coronation regalia, established a glittering court, and earned the nickname "The Merry Monarch." But he also had to deal with plague, the Great Fire, and the lack of legitimate children. He'd had to give some power to Parliament and couldn't enact the pro-Catholic legislation he wanted to. Eventually, he became a Catholic on his death-bed and left the throne to his Catholic brother, James.
King James II's religious views were well-known by the time he came to the throne, and rebellions against him came quickly. He prevailed, but when he sought to marry a second time and possibly have a son who would prevent his Protestant daughter Mary from inheriting the throne, things came to a head. After his son was born, Parliament invited Mary and her husband William to "invade" England and take the throne. The King's support faded and he fled, leaving the throne to joint rulers William and Mary.
The two Stuart brothers had seen England through some of its most turbulent times: battles of religion, plague, fire, threats from abroad, rebellions at home. Charles II was invited back to restore the monarchy; William and Mary were invited to invade and end the reign of James II. Their reigns changed everything.

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Granny Bess & Princess Arbella: Creating an Heir (ep 57) May 26, 2021

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Making secret marriages, creating the right image, navigating court politics, and escaping in disguise—just another Tudor family story!
From her birth in 1575, Arbella had a claim to the throne. As Queen Elizabeth was in her 40s with no plans to marry, the chances of her giving birth were rapidly diminishing. That represented the end of Henry VIII’s descendants. Then there were the descendants of Henry’s elder sister, Margaret Tudor. Margaret’s son had been James V of Scotland; at his death, his daughter Mary became Queen of Scotland. Now she was an essentially a prisoner in England with her son James VI reigning in her stead. Many in England dismissed all these claimants as they had been born in Scotland and therefore were not eligible for the English throne. But Margaret Tudor’s daughter, Margaret Douglas, had been born in England. So had her two sons, Henry and Charles. Henry, Lord Darnley had been murdered in Scotland (where he had become King by marrying Mary Queen of Scots) in 1567. Charles, Earl of Lennox, died a year after Arbella’s birth.
So from the death of her father in 1576, Arbella was considered by some to be the descendant of Henry VII with the best claim to the throne.
No one had made a better career of marrying her way to wealth and influence than Bess of Hardwick. The Queen could insist on a single life, demanding her court have but one mistress and no master. But for the rest of the country, a favorable marriage was a woman’s greatest path to wealth and security. With her perceived nearness to the English throne, Arbella was seen as a prime target for men all over England and Europe. For more than 10 years, her name was at the center of potential marriage alliances with the major single princes of Europe. Arbella’s family was determined to create the most profitable alliance for her and for themselves.
Bess of Hardwick commissioned the portrait to raise Arbella’s profile at court and on the continent. Queen Elizabeth even said of Arbella, “Look to her; she will be one day even as I am.” But it’s possible Bess had overplayed her hand. Perhaps the ongoing presence of the young, lovely, marriageable Arbella, who was expecting to be named as heir, was too much for Elizabeth to bear. Bess and Arbella were sent away from court from time to time.
As the years went on, Arbella’s chances of succeeding Elizabeth began to fade. She felt exiled at Hardwick, away from court and repeatedly denied the chance of marriage. Her favor with the Queen was diminishing. Could Bess and Arbella clear the path to Elizabeth's throne?

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May 19 at the Tower of London: Anne Boleyn and Elizabeth (ep 56) May 19, 2021

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I’m one of those people who, when the Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced their wedding date, immediately thought: “Why would you want to get married on the anniversary of Anne Boleyn’s execution?” That’s what May 19 means to us in Anne Boleyn fandom. That and one more thing, at least to me: 19 May is also the date Anne’s daughter Elizabeth was released from the Tower.
So how did the two women come to share that fateful day at the Tower?
Anne Boleyn's 1533 coronation celebrations would last four days and include a triumphant arrival at the Tower of London. Once she arrived at the Tower, Anne was greeted by heralds, great officers of state, and finally by the King himself. The Queen’s apartments, now gone, were located in the innermost ward of the Tower, between the White Tower and the main curtain wall. Then on Saturday, 31 May Anne processed from the Tower to Westminster for her coronation. As Anne left the Tower in glory no one could have imagined the events that would bring her back just three years later.
On 19 May 1536, Anne left the Queen’s Lodgings in the Tower for the last time. She had worried she would be put into a dungeon when she arrived on 2 May; she was not, but the royal apartments had been little comfort as she had watched her life unravel. That morning she walked past the Great Hall and through Coldharbour Gate, the remains of which can still be seen today. When she passed along the west side of the White Tower, she saw the scaffold. A single stroke and it was over. Anne’s body was placed in a makeshift coffin, by legend an arrow case, and buried in the Chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula.
After the Wyatt rebellion, Mary I was certain her half-sister was guilty. On 18 March, 1554, Mary sent Elizabeth to the Tower. Elizabeth is described as playing the moment of her arrival at the Tower to its fullest effect, sitting down on the steps and when encouraged to come in out of the rain replying “It is better sitting here than in a worse place.” Declaring herself the truest subject in the land, she entered the Tower.
On 19th of May, the soldiers knocked at Elizabeth’s door. She would have known the date, of course. She would have known how her half-sister hated her mother, and how much she would love to have Elizabeth follow in Anne’s footsteps to the executioner. Instead, Elizabeth was taken from the Tower on 19 May 1554. Guarded by Bedingfield’s men, Elizabeth set off for Woodstock.
On 17 November 1558, Mary I died. Word came to Elizabeth at Hatfield. According to legend, she sank to her knees and quoted the scripture in Psalms: “This is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes.” After spending two days being celebrated and honored at the Tower, Elizabeth left for her procession to Westminster. According to Sir John Hayward, Elizabeth remarked, “Some have fallen from being princes in this land to be prisoners in this place. I am raised from being a prisoner in this place to be a prince in this land.”
I think the day she left the Tower, Elizabeth began her journey toward becoming the Queen her mother would have wished her to be.

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Tudor Matriarch: Mother-in-Law from Hell or The Good Wife? (ep 55) May 12, 2021

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As the first Tudor King, we recognize Henry VII as the patriarch, so his wife Elizabeth of York could be seen as the natural matriarch. Elizabeth represented the Yorkist claim to the throne, so she was an essential part of the story of the Tudors representing the union of York and Lancaster. She bore the King four children who survived infancy and early childhood, providing two sons—an heir and a spare. This guaranteed the continuation of the dynasty. Definitely a successful matriarch!
On the other hand, Henry VII’s mother Margaret Beaufort was the driving force in keeping Henry Tudor alive and safe. She also kept the possibility of his taking the throne a real thing. She managed to be successful in the courts of both Lancaster and York and to develop relationships with supporters of both sides. Without her influence, it’s hard to imagine Henry Tudor being able to assemble the level of support (including Stanley’s troops) to defeat Richard III and be accepted as King. Also the work of a successful matriarch.
These women weren’t traditional Queen Mothers. Margaret Beaufort had never been Queen, married to the King. Although Henry Tudor’s claim to the throne came through her, she never claimed the throne for herself. Elizabeth of York was married to the King, but she died before her husband and thus was never a Queen Dowager or Queen Mother.
Nevertheless, Margaret Beaufort and Elizabeth of York shaped the early Tudor monarchy and helped establish the strength of the dynasty that would last more than a hundred years and continues to capture and hold our attention. We’re going to consider them in tandem and not in competition: two women, both mothers, who put the family business on the fast track to success.
Henry VII had commissioned extraordinary tombs for himself and Elizabeth and for Margaret in the beautiful Henry VII Lady Chapel in Westminster Abbey. The grand tomb of Henry and Elizabeth was designed by Italian sculptor Pietro Torrigiano. The tomb base is topped by the bronze effigies of the King and Queen. Angels sit at each corner of the tomb, supporting the royal coat of arms. Margaret Beaufort’s tomb rests is to the right of Henry and Elizabeth’s. Her effigy was also created by Torrigiano in gilt bronze. She is dressed in a widow’s dress and hood; her portcullis badge and the Tudor rose surround her. At the west and east ends of her tomb chest are the arms of Edmund Tudor and Thomas Stanley; on the south side are the arms of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York, and on the north side are the arms of Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon.
Margaret Beaufort, Henry VII, and Elizabeth of York created the Tudor dynasty. Henry had been the monarch, but without the extraordinary contributions of Margaret Beaufort and Elizabeth of York, the dynasty could not have succeeded. It was not a case of the “Good Wife” versus “The Mother-in-Law from hell.” It was two strong women leaving their own special mark on their family and the nation.

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Rocking the Cradle, Ruling the World: Britain's Queen Mothers (ep 54) May 05, 2021

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This week, we’ll be looking at six of the women who came to England and became game-changers: Emma of Normandy, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Isabella of France, Henrietta Maria of France, Mary of Modena, and Mary of Teck. In her own way, each of these women had an extraordinary and lasting impact on her son (or, in some cases, sons) and his rule.
Emma’s political alliances and influence helped shaped the monarchy. She also established a family relationship between the dukes of Normandy and the Anglo-Saxon kings of England, which gave the Normans a hereditary claim to the English throne. Emma was involved and influential in politics on both sides of the English Channel and throughout Europe. Less than 15 years after Emma’s death, William of Normandy set out for England. His claim to the throne was based in part on Emma and her influence.
It was after Henry’s death in 1189 that Eleanor really came into her own. Richard, her favorite son, took the throne on his father’s death. One of his first acts was to release Eleanor from prison; he made her his Regent while he participated in the Third Crusade. Eleanor had a large and strong network across the kingdom, and she successfully promoted Richard’s policies and his reputation. He became known as Richard the Lionheart, in part because of her efforts to establish (or possibly embellish?) his reputation. When he was captured on his way home from the Crusade, Eleanor herself raised the funds for his ransom and traveled to deliver it. She was with him when he died in 1199. She died in 1203 and was buried next to her husband, Henry II.
Isabella of France raised forces against her husband and installed her son on the throne. She ruled as Regent for a few years, then after her son took control, lived an independent and wealthy life. She is the only one of our Queen Mothers to actually overthrow her husband to put her child on the throne.
Mary of Modena gave us one of the strangest scandals of the Stuart regime. After a series of miscarriages, she gave birth to a healthy son in 1688. Appalled at the thought of a Catholic succeeding to the throne, Protestants responded by accusing the Queen of miscarrying again and smuggling in a fake heir in a warming pan! The birth of the prince tipped Parliament into inviting William and Mary to replace James and Mary of Modena on the throne.
Mary of Teck is the last non-English Queen consort and Queen Mother. Actually born and raised in the UK, she was technically Princess of Teck. She was selected as a royal bride by Queen Victoria and married her grandson Prince George. After the death of his father Edward VII, George became King George V and Mary became Queen. She represented continuity of the monarchy through the abdication of her son Edward VIII and helped generate support for her son George VI. She lived to see her granddaughter come to the throne, providing an amazing arc from Victoria to Queen Elizabeth II.

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Mad North North West? North by Shakespeare (ep 53) Apr 28, 2021

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Rogue scholar Dennis McCarthy has relied on plagiarism software, travels through Europe, and an obsession to find the truth to continue his quest for a new source of Shakespeare's plays. He concludes that Tudor courtier and author Thomas North, whose family was at the center of political intrigue for years, wrote plays that Shakespeare used as source material.
Award-winning journalist and author Michael Blanding traces the journey of McCarthy, the so-called "Steve Jobs of the Shakespeare community." Blanding takes us on a journey with McCarthy through the Elizabethan court, through trips to France and Italy, and through an imaginative reenactment of North's influence on the world's most famous playwright.
North by Shakespeare, a Rogue Scholar's Quest for the Truth Behind the Bard's Work is a lively discussion of forgotten journeys, newly discovered manuscripts, political intrigue, and possible new ways of seeing stories we thought we knew.

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Shakespeare's London: The Temple, the Tavern, and the Tower (ep 52) Apr 21, 2021

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We know London was very important to Shakespeare and his evolution from life in Stratford in the 1580s when he married and had children to the early 1600s when his company became the favored actors of the King and he dressed in the King’s livery. Shakespeare’s London was a place where fortunes were made and lost, where reputations were forged and destroyed, and where life could expand to include appearances and applause at court but could also be extinguished in a street fight or the executioners axe.
London was where Shakespeare lived for 20 years (at least). We know he was there by 1592 when disparaging comments were published by Robert Greene in his A Groat’s Worth of Wit. He wrote and acted in London; his plays were performed there. He lived in Shoreditch and Southwark. He successfully petitioned for the award of Shakespeare family coat of arms in his father’s name. He became a shareholder in the Lord Chamberlain’s Men and was involved in the building of the Globe Theatre. He purchased property in London. His reputation grew as his company was favored by James I. The company acquired Blackfriars Theatre, allowing them to put on indoor plays to a more affluent audience. Sometime around 1608 he returned to live in Stratford, although he kept ties with London and his company and continued writing plays. He retired around 1613, possibly related to the burning of the Globe Theatre—an event which was said to have devastated him. He died in 1616 in Stratford and was buried in the Holy Trinity Church.
The 20 years in London shaped his life and work. His history plays, some of his early successes, were based in London and told the story of the city and the country. The theater allowed Shakespeare to explore the questions of violence, religious chaos, population growth, an influx of foreigners, and new opportunities for economic and social success that were happening around him. Let’s take a look at three of the places that were especially important to Shakespeare and his plays: the Temple, the tavern, and the Tower.
London was more than a home for Shakespeare: it was a library, a laboratory, a playground. He lived and worked and watched and listened. And the world of London, as the examples of the Temple, the tavern, and the Tower demonstrate, shape the essence of his plays.

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Shake Up Spring with Shakespeare (episode 51) Apr 14, 2021

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It’s spring! Time for fun! Time to be outside! Time to play sports! Time to enjoy flowers and birds! Time for picnics! Time for Shakespeare!
Wait…what? Shakespeare fun? Isn’t Shakespeare serious and impossible to understand and boring and old, and irrelevant, and pretty much the opposite of fun?
In a word: no. Shakespeare can be boring and old and serious and irrelevant, but it doesn’t need to be. In fact, Shakespeare started out as a guy who moved to London to pursue the career he wanted, which was to dress up and act and write stories that appealed to all kinds of people and make money by creating popular entertainment. His plays were full of naughty jokes and silly characters and recognizable family drama and challenges to authority. The people watching the plays were eating and drinking while they watched, and even threw a bit of food at the actors if things got a bit dull.
Shakespeare shook things up in the reigns of Elizabeth I and James I. Joined by fellow playwrights and actors, Shakespeare made English theatre a vibrant part of London life. Despite the plague closing the theatres for months at a time and cynical censors who didn’t want anyone questioning authority, Shakespeare created worlds out of words that are fun and tragic and controversial and full of family and friends and enemies and armies.
We are ready to shake up spring with Shakespeare.

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