Renaissance English History Podcast: A Show About the Tudors

Latest Episodes:

[YouTube Drop] Something Different: A Tudor Autumn Romance Oct 14, 2025

Show notes

Today’s episode is something a little different: a cozy Hallmark-style Tudor romance set at Michaelmas, complete with cinnamon, parish gossip, and a blacksmith who broods in a historically accurate forge.

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[YouTube Drop] Tudor Executions Oct 13, 2025

Show notes

In this minicast, we’re diving into Tudor justice: the wild world of public punishments that doubled as community entertainment. From “respectable” noble penalties to crowd-pleasing shaming devices, the Tudors turned law enforcement into a full-on spectacle. We’re keeping it light and curious, exploring how things like ducking stools, gossip-bridles, and dramatic final speeches became part of everyday life.

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[YouTube Drop] Mary of Hungary Oct 12, 2025

Show notes

Mary of Hungary was more than just a Habsburg princess. She ruled Hungary as regent and governed the Netherlands on behalf of her brother, Emperor Charles V. As cousin to Mary Tudor, she sat just outside the Tudor story but still held enough power that Henry VIII had to acknowledge her. This minicast looks at how she ended up in that position, and why even Henry couldn’t ignore her.

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[YouTube Drop] The Illness That Almost Changed Tudor History Oct 10, 2025

Show notes

In October 1562, 29-year-old Queen Elizabeth I fell seriously ill with smallpox at Hampton Court Palace, and for a few terrifying days, it looked like England might lose its queen. With no clear heir to the throne, panic swept through the Tudor court.

In this minicast, we’ll look at what happened during Elizabeth’s illness, how her ladies risked their own lives to care for her, and one of the few times when even the indomitable Elizabeth Tudor seemed mortal.

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[YouTube Drop] Ophelia's Fate Oct 09, 2025

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Taylor Swift’s new album references “the fate of Ophelia”, but who was Ophelia, and why does her story still matter? In this episode, we look at Shakespeare’s tragic heroine, her fate in Hamlet, and what her story shows us about women’s lives in Elizabethan England.

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Episode 311: Fair Rosamund Oct 08, 2025

Show notes

Rosamund Clifford (“Fair Rosamund”) was Henry II’s mistress, remembered more in legend than in fact. This episode traces her real story, the myths of labyrinths and poison that grew after her death, and how the Tudors revived her as a tragic heroine in chronicles, poems, and ballads. From Holinshed to Samuel Daniel, and from her Godstow tomb to Elizabethan nostalgia, Rosamund became one of England’s most enduring romantic legends.

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[YouTube Drop] Chapuys and Tudorcon Recap! Oct 07, 2025

Show notes

Imperial ambassador Eustace Chapuys spent nearly two decades at Henry VIII’s court, recording the gossip, arguments, and scandals that defined the Tudor age. Fiercely loyal to Catherine of Aragon and Princess Mary, and famously hostile to Anne Boleyn, his letters give us some of the most vivid snapshots of Henry’s reign.

Plus, a Tudorcon recap (the first of what will be many, I'm sure!)

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Episode 310: The Parr Family Oct 01, 2025

Show notes

The Parr family rose from Kendal gentry to the heart of the Tudor court, producing Henry VIII’s last queen, Catherine Parr. This episode follows their story from northern service and Wars of the Roses loyalties to Catherine’s queenship, William Parr’s turbulent career, and Anne Parr’s link to the powerful Herbert-Sidney circle.

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[YouTube Drop] Strange Deaths in Tudor England Sep 30, 2025

Show notes

Tudor England was full of dangers, and some deaths were downright bizarre. From accidents with oxen and brewing vats to poisoned mushrooms and infamous executions, these unusual stories reveal the strange and unpredictable side of Tudor life.

Order or preorder the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Strange-Ways-Die-Tudor-Ages/dp/1036108732/

Tudorcon From Home tickets here: https://www.englandcast.com/TudorconFromHome

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[YouTube Drop] Thomas Cromwell’s Mysterious “Lost Years” Sep 29, 2025

Show notes

Before he became Henry VIII’s chief minister, Thomas Cromwell spent nearly twenty years in obscurity. From fighting as a mercenary in Italy to working for a Florentine banker and trading in Antwerp, these mysterious “lost years” shaped the man who would one day change England forever.

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