Vulgar History: Tudors

Latest Episodes:

Women Leaders, part 7: The Madness of Juana La Loca (Rerelease) Mar 05, 2025

Show notes

Juana I of Castile (1479-1555) was the third child of Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon. She's remembered now for being "Juana La Loca/Juana The Mad" but, in fact, that reputation was just part of a larger scheme that found her caught between her ambitious and terrible husband and her ambitious and terrible father.

References:

Sister Queens: The Noble, Tragic Lives of Katherine of Aragon and Juana, Queen of Castile by Julia Fox

Juana I: Legitimacy and Conflict in Sixteenth-Century Castile by Gillian B. Fleming

—

Get 15% off all the gorgeous jewellery and accessories at common.era.com/vulgar or go to commonera.com and use code VULGAR at checkout

—

Get Vulgar History merch at vulgarhistory.com/store (best for US shipping) and vulgarhistory.redbubble.com (better for international shipping)

—

Support Vulgar History on Patreon

—

Vulgar History is an affiliate of Bookshop.org, which means that a small percentage of any books you click through and purchase will come back to Vulgar History as a commission. Use this link to shop there and support Vulgar History.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Women Leaders, part 6: Genocidal Warrior Queen, Isabella I (Rerelease) Feb 26, 2025

Show notes

Isabella I of Castile was one of the most significant figures in world history in some of the worst possible ways. in this throwback episode from 2020, we follow her journey from little girl trapped in a ghost castle to teenage war mediator to PR stunt inventor to genocidal dictator! This is a heavy one, so get ready.

References:

Isabella of Castile: Europe's First Great Queen by Giles Tremlett

Isabella: The Warrior Queen by Kirstin Downey

—

RSVP to the Vulgar History Minneapolis meet-up!

—

Get 15% off all the gorgeous jewellery and accessories at common.era.com/vulgar or go to commonera.com and use code VULGAR at checkout

—

Get Vulgar History merch at vulgarhistory.com/store (best for US shipping) and vulgarhistory.redbubble.com (better for international shipping)

—

Support Vulgar History on Patreon

—

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Jewish Lady Gangster Who Ran New York City Feb 19, 2025

Show notes

Fredericka "Marm" Mandelbaum was a Jewish mother of four, a gracious society hostess, a beloved member of her community—and the first widely renowned crime boss in America. Friend of the podcast Allison Epstein joins us to discuss this historical icon. Plus: BIG NEWS!!

Order a copy of Allison's new book, Fagin the Thief.

—

RSVP to the Vulgar History Minneapolis meet-up!

—

Reference for today's episode:

The Talented Mrs. Mandelbaum by Margalit Fox

—

Get 15% off all the gorgeous jewellery and accessories at common.era.com/vulgar or go to commonera.com and use code VULGAR at checkout

—

Get Vulgar History merch at vulgarhistory.com/store (best for US shipping) and vulgarhistory.redbubble.com (better for international shipping)

—

Support Vulgar History on Patreon

—

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Women Leaders, part 5: Almost-Queen Matilda (Rerelease) Feb 12, 2025

Show notes

Empress Matilda (1102 - 1167) was the daughter, wife, and mother of Kings. She also should have been England's first crowned female monarch, but the patriarchy got in the way. She also once escaped by camouflaging herself in white cloaks in the snow!! A true legend.

References:

Matilda: Empress, Warrior, Queen by Catherine Hanley

She-Wolves by Helen Castor

—

Get 15% off all the gorgeous jewellery and accessories at common.era.com/vulgar or go to commonera.com and use code VULGAR at checkout

—

Get Vulgar History merch at vulgarhistory.com/store (best for US shipping) and vulgarhistory.redbubble.com (better for international shipping)

—

Support Vulgar History on Patreon

—

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Beyoncé of the Antebellum, Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield Feb 05, 2025

Show notes

Before the American Civil War, Black opera singer Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield reigned supreme on Northern stages—even performing at Buckingham Palace. Novelist Tiffany L. Warren joins us this week to talk about the Beyoncé of the Antebellum, who features as the star of Tiffany's new novel The Unexpected Diva.

Buy a copy of The Unexpected Diva by Tiffany L. Warren.

—

Get 15% off all the gorgeous jewellery and accessories at common.era.com/vulgar or go to commonera.com and use code VULGAR at checkout

—

Get Vulgar History merch at vulgarhistory.com/store (best for US shipping) and vulgarhistory.redbubble.com (better for international shipping)

—

Support Vulgar History on Patreon

—

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Author Interview: Surekha Davies (Humans: A Monstrous History) Jan 29, 2025

Show notes

In an age when corporations increasingly see people as obstacles to profits, Surekha Davies's book Humans: A Monstrous History traces the long, volatile history of monster-making to chart a better path for the future. The result is a profound, effervescent, empowering retelling of the history of the world for anyone who wants to reverse rising inequality and polarization. This is not a history of monsters, but a history through monsters.

Buy a copy of Humans: A Monstrous History.

—

RSVP to the Vulgar History meetup in Fort Myers, Florida!

—

Get 15% off all the gorgeous jewellery and accessories at common.era.com/vulgar or go to commonera.com and use code VULGAR at checkout

—

Get Vulgar History merch at vulgarhistory.com/store (best for US shipping) and vulgarhistory.redbubble.com (better for international shipping)

—

Support Vulgar History on Patreon

—

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Author Interview: Helen King (Immaculate Forms: A History of the Female Body in Four Parts) Jan 22, 2025

Show notes

Breasts, clitoris, hymen, and womb. Across history, these body parts have told women who they are and what they should do. Although knowledge of each part has changed through time, none of them tells a simple story. Author Helen King is here to tell all, as we discuss her new book Immaculate Forms: A History of the Female Body in Four Parts.

Buy a copy of Immaculate Forms by Helen King.

—

RSVP to the Vulgar History meetup in Fort Myers, Florida!

—

Get 15% off all the gorgeous jewellery and accessories at commonera.com/vulgar or go to commonera.com and use code VULGAR at checkout

—

Get Vulgar History merch at vulgarhistory.com/store (best for US shipping) and vulgarhistory.redbubble.com (better for international shipping)

—

Support Vulgar History on Patreon

—

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Author Interview: Elle Machray (Remember, Remember) Jan 15, 2025

Show notes

Black British history reaches all the way back to the Roman age, so why do many people assume it began with the 20th-century Windrush generation? Author Elle Machray joins us to discuss the real Black British history that inspired their 18th-century historical novel Remember, Remember.

Order a copy of Elle's book Remember, Remember.

—

Get 15% off all the gorgeous jewellery and accessories at commonera.com/vulgar or go to commonera.com and use code VULGAR at checkout

—

Get Vulgar History merch at vulgarhistory.com/store (best for US shipping) and vulgarhistory.redbubble.com (better for international shipping)

—

Support Vulgar History on Patreon

—

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Haitian Revolution: The First and Last King of Haiti Jan 08, 2025

Show notes

No discussion of 18th-century revolutions is complete without including the Haitian Revolution. We're joined this week by Marlene L. Daut to learn about Henry Christophe, a key leader in the Haitian Revolution and the only monarch of the Kingdom of Haiti.

Order a copy of Marlene's book, The First and Last King of Haiti: The Rise and Fall of Henry Christophe.

—

Get 15% off all the gorgeous jewellery and accessories at commonera.com/vulgar or go to commonera.com and use code VULGAR at checkout

—

Get Vulgar History merch at vulgarhistory.com/store (best for US shipping) and vulgarhistory.redbubble.com (better for international shipping)

—

Support Vulgar History on Patreon

—

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Women Leaders, part 4: Killing Vikings With Murder Bees (Rerelease) Jan 01, 2025

Show notes

Æthelflæd, Lady of the Mercians was a significant figure in English history. Not only did she repel Viking invaders through the clever use of BOILING BEER and BEES, she also worked alongside her brother Edward to see through their father's goal of a united England. Also: BEES.

Episode image is a statue of Æthelflæd, erected in Tamworth in 2018. Artist is Luke Perry (not that one).

References:

Founder, Fighter, Saxon Queen: Aethelflaed, Lady of the Mercians by Margaret C. Jones

Æthelflæd: Lady of the Mercians by Tim Clarkson

Æthelflæd: England's Forgotten Founder (A Ladybird Expert Book) by Tom Holland

—

Get 15% off all the gorgeous jewellery and accessories at commonera.com/vulgar or go to commonera.com and use code VULGAR at checkout

—

Get Vulgar History merch at vulgarhistory.com/store (best for US shipping) and vulgarhistory.redbubble.com (better for international shipping)

—

Support Vulgar History on Patreon at patreon.com/annfosterwriter

—