British History: Royals, Rebels, and Romantics - TopPodcast.com

View Top 200 Chart

Back to Rankings Page

British History: Royals, Rebels, and Romantics — History
British History: Royals, Rebels, and Romantics

Weekly podcast, British History: Royals, Rebels, and Romantics, available on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, or wherever you find your podcasts. Meet famous and infamous characters, walk with playwrights and peasants, and wander through castles and cathedrals. New episodes every Wednesday. Have a question about British history, something you’ve always wanted to know? Just ask! Let’s explore history together.

Copyright: © 2024 British History: Royals, Rebels, and Romantics

Latest Episodes:

The Exes and In-Laws of Henry VIII Jul 01, 2020

Show notes

As Henry made his way through years of various foreign alliances and diplomatic efforts, it was his marital merry-go-round that really shaped his reign. Various family members and wives filled the court and sounded the opposition.
In addition to a succession of wives through his reign, Henry VIII also had a wide variety of in-laws. From Kings and Queens to rising courtiers, Henry's in-laws provided him with eager supporters and unwelcome resisters, depending on his relationship with a particular wife.
According to the rhyme, just one of Henry's wives survived the big guy: Katherine Parr. But actually there was another: Anne of Cleves. She turned out to be the most successful of all his ex-wives, turning her post-marriage life into a time of wealth and extravagance.

Support the show

History reveals what's possible.

Shakespeare, Richard II, and the Essex Rebellion Jun 24, 2020

Show notes

Like so many things, playmaking in Elizabethan England was more than it appeared. History plays could promote the message of the Queen’s reign and Tudor dynasty. But Shakespeare was more interested in breaking down leadership and all the expectations people had of leaders.
In Richard II, Shakespeare pulls the curtain back on Richard’s thinking. He brings us right into Richard’s mind and heart. We hear Richard speak from his heart. Shakespeare gives Richard some of the most poetic speeches in any his plays. Some of the things Richard says about his worth, his identify, his value in the world are heart-breaking because they ring true for all of us.
Supporters of the Essex rebellion arranged for a special playing of Richard II in hopes of stirring up support for their cause. This performance included a censored scene--the one where Richard gives up his crown. The Queen herself recognized the power of the image of replacing an unpopular monarch, declaring, "I am Richard II; know ye not that?"
Richard II was censored because theatre is so powerful. Censorship attempts to silence voices with messages that challenge those in power. It happened in Shakespeare’s time, and it happens today. The story of Richard II and the Earl of Essex reminds us that art is powerful enough to be silenced, which means it is powerful enough it must be heard.

Support the show

History reveals what's possible.

Queen Victoria's Very Bad Year Jun 17, 2020

Show notes

Victoria was the youngest Queen England has ever known. It had been more than 100 years since last a Queen had been ruler of the country. There was anticipation and speculation about how this young woman would manage her responsibilities.
As a single reigning Queen, Victoria was confident. She embraced her opportunity to serve her country, something she had been anticipating for years. She happily cast off the stifling influence of her mother, the Duchess of Kent, and Sir John Conroy.
In 1839, the episodes regarding Lady Flora Hastings and the Ladies of the Bedchamber drew Victoria’s youth, immaturity, and inexperience into sharp focus. The Queen was shown to be unable to set her personal feelings aside to make fair judgments. And Lord Melbourne, who should have advised her to make better choices, instead went along with and encouraged the Queen’s selfish choices. The public seemed to be turning against the Queen.
Victoria was despondent. She had been trying to prove she was Queen, to exercise her influence and demonstrate her ability to reign. Instead, she had acted out of spite and selfishness, and had seen the country turn against her. Her joyful and successful coronation must have seemed a world away.
The Queen would have one more opportunity to make the right decision that year.

Support the show

History reveals what's possible.

Band of Brothers: Edward IV, Richard III...and George Jun 10, 2020

Show notes

The story of the York brothers is part of the story of the English throne. I’m so grateful to Thomas Penn for his wealth of research on the relationships of these brothers.
We typically think of the Wars of the Roses as a cousins’ war, which at times it was. We think of it as York versus Lancaster, which is part of it. But it’s also the story of the three York brothers, of York versus York, brother versus brother, uncle versus nephew. And I think an important and usually overlooked element of the story is the brother we don’t usually think about: George.
When George does show up in the story, he’s typically dismissed as feckless or weak. He’s a malcontent who betrays his brother Edward and then betrays his father-in-law Warwick. He’s most remembered for the method of his death: he’s rumored to have been drowned in a butt of malmsey wine.
I think there’s more to George than that. And I think taking a closer look at George might give us a little bit of insight into the choice Richard makes after Edward’s death.

Support the show

History reveals what's possible.

Eleanor of Aquitaine Jun 10, 2020

Show notes

Eleanor of Aquitaine lived for 82 years, an extraordinary accomplishment for someone living in the 12th century. She was Queen of France, Queen of England, a great patroness of the arts, and instrumental in the legend and success of Richard the Lionheart. She wielded power in a time when most people thought women incapable of doing so. Her influence was felt throughout England and France, and through Europe as well. Eleanor traveled the world, leaving her mark wherever she went. She is buried between the two men whose reigns she helped define: her husband, Henry II, who expanded his empire and influence through their marriage; and her son, Richard I, whose image as the successful English hero King she helped create.

Support the show

History reveals what's possible.

15 Fascinating Facts about Shakespeare's First Folio Jun 02, 2020

Show notes

During the late 16th and early 17th centuries, while Shakespeare was writing his plays, the English language was undergoing many changes. Words were coming in from Greek and Roman texts, as well as words from other languages, came into the language. Exploration of the new world and new discoveries in science and astrology led to new ideas and new objects—all needing to be put into words. Shakespeare and other writers were adopting new words and creating new words to describe the changing world. These words were written into the plays, performed over years, and coming into our language.
For 400 years, four centuries, Shakespeare’s plays have been making the rounds in our world. And they are still filmed and performed and read and loved and hated and discussed and absolutely present in our lives today. All thanks to the First Folio.

Support the show

History reveals what's possible.

Home Sweet Home: Buckingham Palace May 30, 2020

Show notes

More than 830,000 square feet of floor space, nearly 800 bedrooms, and 78 bathrooms; nearly 200 years of being the home of the Royal Family--is there more to the story for Buckingham Palace?
Queen Victoria, the first British monarch to live in Buckingham Palace, moved in in 1837. The next year, she was the first sovereign to leave from the Palace to travel to Westminster Abbey for her coronation. Buckingham Palace has been the official residence of the Royal family ever since. And the Palace has seen it all--from the glories of celebrating weddings and wartime victories to legends of drug use and wild rock concerts. State rooms, and ball rooms, and nearly 80 bathrooms. What else will you find in our tour of Buckingham Palace?

Support the show

History reveals what's possible.

The Wars of the Roses and John of Gaunt's Love Life May 30, 2020

Show notes

One way to look at the Wars of the Roses is how the descendants of the mistress knock the descendants of the first wife off the top branch of the family tree.
The Wars of the Roses was about the history of a nation and a monarchy. It's also about a family. What was at stake wasn’t simply a series of battles between York and Lancaster. These events shattered the norms that had held the English monarchy together for hundreds of years. The Wars of the Roses kept asking the same question: Is it ok to get rid of the King? Sometimes the answer was “yes.” It’s the story of one man and how the descendants of his wife and the descendants of his mistress played nearly all the key roles in this giant power struggle. Just one man. John of Gaunt.

Support the show

History reveals what's possible.

Tudor Spies May 30, 2020

Show notes

Travel back in time to the birthplace of modern espionage: the court of Queen Elizabeth I and sneak into the world of Tudor Spies!
The chaos in religious policy and its political implications laid the foundation for treachery, betrayal, and deception. And one element made this time, particularly as we move into the reign of Elizabeth I, a hotbed of what was then called “spiery”: that element was literacy. People now had the ability to deliver messages across distances and in large groups.
Literacy became a weapon in the war of religion. Once literacy makes communication this widespread, there’s an immediate desire to control it. Enter the spies.

Support the show

History reveals what's possible.

Tudor Queens and Coronations May 30, 2020

Show notes

Experience the pageants and ceremonies of the royal coronations of Tudor Queens: Mary I and Elizabeth I!
The Tudor dynasty has a high percentage of crowned queens. Never before, and never since, have two back-to-back crowned monarchs been single women. The ceremonies and pageants that made up the coronations of Mary I and Elizabeth I give us great insight into these two half-sisters made and their reigns.

Support the show

History reveals what's possible.

Related Podcasts