Professor Suzannah Lipscomb explores a wide range of historical topics, from the Aztecs to witches, Velázquez to Shakespeare, Mughal India to the Mayflower. Each episode features interviews with historians and experts, revealing incredible stories about one of the most fascinating periods in history. New episodes are released every Wednesday and Sunday. The podcast is produced by History Hit, the world's best history channel.
Episodes
How to Survive the Reformation
What would you feel if the religion and rituals you'd followed all your life suddenly became illegal? How did people from all strata of society adapt when their sacred spaces were destroyed?Tudor England saw decades of religious upheaval, forcing people to navigate shifting doctrines, royal decrees and dangerous questions of conscience.Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Professor Peter M
Rise & Fall of an Elizabethan Pirate
How did a celebrated maritime hero end up betrayed, mutinied against, and dead at sea?As the second Englishman to sail around the world, backed by powerful figures like Sir Walter Raleigh, Cavendish's exploits defined the high-stakes world of Elizabethan privateers. Yet his second voyage spiralled into disaster and a lonely demise.Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Iain Gately to chart t
The Gunpowder Plot
**Contains descriptions of torture**The Gunpowder Plot is one of the hinge events of British history - an act of terror the roots of which stretch back to the Tudor period and Henry VIII's break with Rome. It's a story of Holy War, divided loyalties and religious hatred. And it has never been more timely.Professor Suzannah Lipscomb talks gunpowder, treason and plot with author and historia
True Crime: Assassination of Henry IV of France
Was the shocking assassination of King Henri IV of France in 1610 the act of a lone fanatic, or a sinister conspiracy within the royal court?Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr. Vincent Pitts to unpack the French Wars of Religion, the fragile peace between Catholics and Huguenots, and that fateful afternoon in Paris when an assassin struck down the king.More:True Crime: Medici Murder at th
Witchfinder General
In the aftermath of the Civil War, a remote corner of Essex witnessed the most brutally devastating witch-hunt in English history. A dangerous maverick Matthew Hopkins - the 'Witchfinder General' - hunted down vulnerable people across East Anglia, exploiting the anxiety and lawlessness of the times. Between 1645 and 1647, more than 300 suspects were interrogated and tortured; a third of th
How Persia Influenced Elizabeth I
Could an ancient Persian drama have stopped Mary, Queen of Scots from being executed?When Queen Elizabeth I faced an agonising dilemma over her captive cousin, a performance about Cyrus the Great offered her a provocative lesson: executing an anointed monarch risked shattering divine protection, while mercy signalled ultimate power.Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Ebrahim Joseph whose grou
Thomas, Oliver and the Cromwell Dynasty
From Thomas Cromwell's rise under Henry VIII to Oliver Cromwell’s rule as Lord Protector, how did the faith, ambition, and power of one family shape the course of British history?Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr Miranda Malins to unravel the extraordinary saga and legacy of the Cromwells.MOREOliver Cromwell’s WomenListen on AppleListen on SpotifyWhy Cromwell’s Republic Failed.Listen
Gulliver's Travels
Is Gulliver’s Travels just a whimsical children’s adventure story, or is it a scathing satire designed to expose political hypocrisy?From suppressed Irish resistance allegories to biting parodies of Whig corruption, Enlightenment science, and moral decay, Gulliver's author Jonathan Swift transformed personal exile into a profound critique of human nature.To mark the 300th anniversary of Gulliv
Dark Origins of Fairy Tales
What if the fairy tales you grew up with were never meant for children at all?Long before these stories were transformed into family-friendly animated films, they were forged in the gritty reality of Renaissance Italy and later weaponized by rebellious Parisian aristocrats to challenge systemic oppression.Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Professor Jack Zipes to unearth the dark, strange, a
How to Survive Henry VIII
How did one man survive serving Henry VIII as principal secretary when others lost their heads? Why is the mastermind behind the King’s final, most turbulent decade so often forgotten?Rising through sheer intellect and royal favour, William Paget navigated bitter religious conflict, spiralling crown finances, and looming foreign threats to become Henry VIII’s most indispensable advisor.Professor S
Britain's Slave Traders
How did a risky 16th-century venture evolve into a national enterprise that fuelled the rise of the British Empire? How did a vast network of royalty, politicians, cultural figures, and ordinary citizens finance human exploitation to expand British wealth and naval power?Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Professor William Pettigrew to trace the nation's deep entanglement with the transa
John Dudley, The 'Wicked' Duke
How did the son of an executed traitor rise to become the power behind young Edward VI? Was John Dudley a visionary patriot saving England from crisis or a ruthless opportunist who risked everything for ultimate power?Following the death of Henry VIII, Dudley seized control of the realm. However, his later gamble to put Lady Jane Grey on the throne condemned him to the executioner's block.Prof
How the Americas Transformed Tudor England
In 1588, mathematician Thomas Harriot mapped a doomed colony and drafted the playbook for English empire. But did Indigenous culture reshape Shakespeare's England just as profoundly?Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr. Lauren Working to explore how indigenous knowledge, labour, and resources, from Bolivian silver to North American beaver pelts, vibrant feather work, and Algonquin smoki
Earl of Essex: Rise & Fall of Elizabeth I's Favourite
How did a favourite of Elizabeth I go from royal darling to executed traitor?Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr. Alex Gajda and Dr. Will Tosh to explore the meteoric rise and catastrophic fall of Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex, one of the most glamorous yet volatile figures in Elizabethan England. Together they unpack the true motives behind Essex's rebellion and the surprising propaganda
Dutch Armada: The Last Invasion of England
Why did the Dutch Republic risk everything to launch one of the boldest seaborne invasions in English history and overthrow King James II? Why did England’s defences collapse so quickly? How close did the operation come to disaster?In 1688, William of Orange led a Dutch armada of 16,000 troops across the North Sea, after years of diplomacy, financial manoeuvring and meticulous military planning. Y
Royal Favourites: The Filthy Earl of Rochester
**CONTAINS VERY STRONG LANGUAGE & ADULT THEMES**What really went on behind closed doors in the scandalous court of the "Merry Monarch"? What made John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester, both Restoration England's most notorious debauchee and sharpest literary mind?Rochester's razor-sharp verse sliced through religious hypocrisy, court politics, and even the King’s own reputation, pushing the boundarie
The Rotten End of Henry VIII
Death, death, and more death surrounds Henry VIII's final years.What happens when a monarch is trapped by physical decay, paranoia, and lethal court factionalism? He may have secured an heir and severed ties with Rome, but Henry VIII found no peace. And once he turns away from you, he doesn't turn back.In our series finale, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and Dr. Joanne Paul explore the explosive 1540
Henry VIII's Reign of Terror
**Contains graphic description of execution**What happened when one monarch's personal obsession dismantled an entire international order? How did Henry VIII transform a marriage crisis into the English Reformation—and at what point did royal ambition cross the line into outright tyranny?When papal authority, international diplomacy, and canon law stood between the king and his quest for an heir,
Quest for an Heir: Henry VIII, Aragon and Boleyn
In the 1520s, a dynastic crisis loomed behind the brilliance of Henry VIII's court. Desperate for a male heir after Catherine of Aragon's string of tragic pregnancies, Henry's frustration mounted as his foreign military adventures failed and the pope stalled his annulment. Following grisly executions, public book burnings of Martin Luther's texts, the shocking elevation of an illegitimate son, Hen
Henry VIII: From Cradle to Crown
How did a dazzling young Tudor prince become one of history's most notorious kings? How much of Henry VIII’s later tyranny was shaped by the world into which he was born?Long before the six wives, the Reformation and the executions, Henry started out as the charismatic, highly educated, athletic, second son, who was never expected to inherit the throne. But when his elder brother died in 1502, the
How to Survive as a Tudor Peasant
What was everyday life like for an ordinary person in Tudor times? How did dramatic changes in population, climate, disease and the economy reshape villages across England?Professor Suzannah Lipscomb steps beyond the royal palaces to discover the world most people actually knew. She is joined by Professor Andy Wood who reveals the resilience, relationships and realities that shaped the lives of no
Young Elizabeth I: Princess & Prisoner
How did a child written off by the Tudor court rise to become one of England's most iconic monarchs?Before she became queen, Elizabeth Tudor was surrounded by scandal, suspicion and deadly intrigue. Born to Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII, Elizabeth was a princess by birth, until her mother was executed and her title revoked. Declared illegitimate and caught in a storm of politics, Elizabeth faced thre
Captain Cook: The Voyage that Changed the World
How did Captain James Cook's scientific voyage of 1768 become a mission for the British empire?While expanding knowledge of Pacific geography and natural history, Captain Cook was under secret orders to claim lands for Britain.Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and Dr Sarah Easterby-Smith explore this legendary expedition which combined science, commerce and colonial expansion.MOREWhen Europeans reached
Manhattan’s Most Notorious Couple
Who were the scandalous, defiant couple on the margins of Dutch society who became part of the founding story of New York?Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Professor Alan Mikhail to uncover the extraordinary lives of Anthony “the Turk” and Grietje Reyniers, who arrived in 17th-century New Amsterdam and quickly became infamous. Their story reveals a forgotten, messy and multicultural origin
James V: Scotland's Ambitious Renaissance King
Was James V of Scotland a beleaguered child king or a brilliant Renaissance ruler who mastered the performance of power?Crowned before his second birthday, James curbed powerful magnates, strengthened royal authority and secured Scotland’s place in Europe, holding together a kingdom threatened by faction, England and religious upheaval.Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr Amy Blakeway to re
True Crime: Mass Murderering Artist Cellini
How did a murderous, swaggering, wildly unreliable goldsmith become one of the most celebrated artists of the 16th century? Does genius excuse monstrous behaviour?Benvenuto Cellini's story is as shocking as it is dazzling, taking him from the bloody streets of Florence to the Sack of Rome, papal prisons, accusations of sodomy, spectacular jailbreaks and timeless artistic masterpieces.Professor Suz
C.S. Lewis & Narnia: Renaissance Origins
Why does C.S. Lewis's Narnia - with its images of winter, sacrifice, kingship and renewal - continue to resonate with generations of readers? How did Lewis weave Renaissance symbolism and Christian imagination into one of literature’s best-loved fantasy worlds?Lewis’s deceptively simple children’s stories were shaped by his scholarship in classics, literature and theology. Professor Suzannah Lipsc
The Star Chamber: Murder, Witch & Libel Trials
What really happened inside England’s most feared court? Was the Star Chamber a sinister instrument of royal tyranny, or a vital route to justice for those ignored by ordinary law?From its rise under Henry VII to its abolition in 1641, the Star Chamber heard cases involving murder, witchcraft, libel, corruption, riots, political dissent and scandalous family feuds.Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is jo
William Cecil: The Power Behind Elizabeth I
Who really ruled Elizabethan England?For almost four decades, William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley, guided Queen Elizabeth I through religious turmoil, assassination plots, the threat of the Spanish Armada, the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots, and the unresolved question of succession.Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Jon Culverhouse to explore the life and legacy of the meticulous, fiercely
Witnesses to the French Revolution
What was the French Revolution like for those who lived through it? What can private journals reveal that speeches, pamphlets and official records cannot?From the storming of the Bastille to the Terror and the guillotine, ordinary witnesses recorded the personal impact of 1789, political violence, revolutionary identity and everyday life in Paris.In this final episode of our mini-series on the Fre
New Discovery: Who Really Wrote Elizabeth I's Letters?
Was Elizabeth I really as angry and bad tempered as history has always claimed? How did some of her most secret state letters come to be penned by a Spaniard, while England was at war with Spain?Professor Suzannah Lipscomb breaks the news of groundbreaking research that proves Elizabeth's secretaries - especially her 'spymaster' Francis Walsingham - put words into the Queen's mouth to amplify her
Robespierre & Revolutionary Terror
How did the French Revolution, built on liberty, become ruled by fear? And how did Robespierre - the man who had sent kings, nobles and priests to their deaths - himself end up beneath the blade of the guillotine?Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and Professor Marisa Linton explore the rise and fall of the lawyer, revolutionary, and architect of the Reign of Terror,MORE:Marguerite de Navarre: Mother of
How Protestants Justified Slavery
Was the Protestant Reformation ever truly global? How did radical theology, empire, slavery and missionary ambition collide across the early modern world?The global spread of Christianity was marked by failure, compromise and moral evasion.Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr. Alec Ryrie to uncover the forgotten history of Protestant missions beyond Europe: from Lapland to Chile, from Barba
French Revolution: Storming of the Bastille
What drove a hungry city to storm a fortress? How did the fall of the Bastille become the defining symbol of the French Revolution?In this second episode of our series, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and Professor Marisa Linton visit Paris on the verge of revolt. Together they explore the build-up to the storming of the Bastille, one dramatic day which changed the heartbeat of the French Revolution.M
True Crime: Murder & the Popish Plot
Was a London magistrate, found dead in a ditch in 1678, the victim of a Catholic conspiracy, political convenience, or secrets too dangerous to survive? Why did Edmund Berry Godfrey's murder send England into hysteria?Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr. Andrea McKenzie to reopen the case. Drawing on newly deciphered letters, secret correspondence and neglected archives, they uncover a mur
Who Lit the French Revolution?
How did a kingdom of palaces, privilege and powdered wigs collapse into revolution? What turned hunger into uprising?In this first episode of our series on the French Revolution, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and Dr. Charles Walton discuss the slow-burning crisis that transformed frustration into revolt. Together they explore life in Paris in 1789, where soaring bread prices, royal debt and radical
Bess of Hardwick: Elizabethan England's Richest Woman
How did a Derbyshire gentlewoman become England’s richest woman after Elizabeth I? Why does she still fascinate us as her 500th anniversary approaches?From four marriages and vast wealth to Hardwick Hall, Chatsworth and the Cavendish dynasty, Bess of Hardwick turned survival into power.Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Professor Lisa Hopkins to discover a gripping story of female ambition,
Edmund Halley & His Comet
How did our understanding of the universe begin in a London coffee house? How did a man who had a comet named after him change science forever?From his youthful voyage to St Helena to chart the southern skies, to his pioneering studies of navigation, longitude, gravity, and the Earth’s atmosphere, Edmund Halley’s curiosity knew no bounds.Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by David K. Love to ex
The Mayflower and its Pilgrims
Why did the Pilgrims risk everything in search of a new life and religious freedom? Why does their contested history still matter ahead of the 250th anniversary of American independence?In 1620, the Mayflower carried English religious separatists, across the Atlantic to found Plymouth Colony.Professor Suzannah Lipscomb speaks with Professor John G. Turner about their dangerous Atlantic crossing,
Jamestown: From Colony to Cannibalism
**This episode contains graphic explorations of starvation and cannibalism**What happens when a colony reaches the edge of survival?In this third episode leading up to the 250th anniversary of American independence,Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and Dr Rachel Winchcombe examine the so-called Starving Time of 1609-1610, when Jamestown settlers faced famine, desperation and cannibalism. Together they r
True Crime: Moll Cutpurse - London's Cross-Dressing Criminal
How did one woman scandalise sixteenth century London by refusing to live by its rules?Mary Frith - aka Moll Cutpurse - rejected the expectations of respectable womanhood, wore men’s clothes, smoked a pipe, carried weapons, and frequented London’s taverns, theatres, prisons and courtrooms.Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and Dr. Holly Marsden explore the extraordinary life and afterlife of Moll - pickp
Pocahontas & the Virginian Venture
How did the Stuarts turn fragile American outposts into an empire? How did English settlers, Native peoples - including Pocahontas - and London investors shape 17th-century Virginia, and why do these early colonial encounters still matter as the 250th anniversary of American independence approaches?Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined again by Distinguished Professor Peter C. Mancall to discuss S
How Guns Changed the World
How did the gun become a fashion item in Renaissance Italy? Why do debates over firearms, self-defence and public safety sound so familiar today?Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and historian Catherine Fletcher trace the rise of guns from battlefield technology to coveted courtly accessory. Together they discover how firearms transformed warfare, society and empire-building, and why the history of gun
Elizabethans in America
How did two Indigenous men help shape Elizabethan England's dreams of empire? What do these early encounters tell us about the contested beginnings of colonial America?In the 1580s, English explorers ventured west in search of land, influence and advantage. But this was not an inevitable march toward empire.As the 250th anniversary of American independence approaches, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb a
Great Plague of London
What effect did the Great Plague have on Londoners, their society and the wider state?Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and Rebecca Rideal revisit the summer of 1665, as a few suspicious deaths grew into a crisis that swept through the city with devastating speed. Entire households vanished, fear curdled into suspicion, outsiders were written out of the official record - and Restoration England was resh
Anne Boleyn: Ambition or Faith?
Was Anne Boleyn a seductress, a schemer, or something far more radical? What happens when we look at Anne not through the lens of sex and scandal, but through religion?From Tudor observers to Six the Musical, Anne Boleyn has been labelled the woman who tempted, manipulated and overreached. But Professor Suzannah Lipscomb's guest Reverend Canon Martha Tatarnic, an Anglican priest, instead offers ne
Rise & Fall of James IV of Scotland
How did a teenage rebel become Scotland’s king, and rule a realm riven by feuds and shifting loyalties? James IV balanced chivalry, diplomacy, and danger, yet led his country to catastrophe.Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and Prof. Michael Brown explore how James transformed himself into the most remarkable Renaissance monarch.MOREHenry VIII's Sister, Margaret Queen of ScotsListen on AppleListen on Sp
True Crime: Medici Murder at the Louvre
**Warning: Contains graphic description of the mutilation of corpses**In April 1617, Concino Concini, Marshal of France, was shot dead as he entered the Louvre. But his murder was only the beginning of a terrifying chain of events.How did the assassination of this hated royal favourite unleash mob violence, propaganda and a new political order? And what fate awaited the woman blamed for bending Fr
The Tudors Abroad
What did it mean to be English when merchants, sailors, captives, diplomats, and migrants were constantly crossing borders?Pirates, a Kentish man becoming a Samurai and a king on the warpath; Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and Professor Nandini Das trace tales of reinvention, danger and belonging in this exciting, hugely changing world.MORE:England’s First Ambassador to India: Thomas RoeListen on App
Royal Favourites: Hatton, Elizabeth I's Favourite
How did Sir Christopher Hatton became one of Elizabeth I’s favourites? How true were the rumours that they were lovers?After catching the Queen's eye in 1561, Hatton was quickly promoted to the Privy Council, making a significant impact on Elizabeth's complex religious policy. Yet he has often been overshadowed by her other favourites like Dudley, Cecil and Walsingham.In the final episode o
Battle of the Eras: Medieval v. Early Modern
What if the medieval world did not end with a bang, but with a messy argument over who gets to define history itself? Professor Suzannah Lipscomb spars with Gone Medieval's host Matt Lewis over Gutenberg, the Reformation, witchcraft, plague, the Renaissance, and the Wars of the Roses to ask where medieval ends and early modern begins. The result is a lively, surprising fight over power, change, an
Royal Favourites: Queen Anne & Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough
How did Sarah Churchill become the most powerful woman in Queen Anne’s court? What happens when a royal friendship turns into a political battlefield? How did one absent set of jewels signal the beginning of the end?Professor Suzannah Lipscomb continues her series on royal favourites with biographer Ophelia Field. Together they explore the extraordinary story of Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlbor
Louis XIV: Sun King and Propagandist
How did Louis XIV use his day-to-day life, especially his marriage, to help create the mythology of the Sun King as semi-divine, radiant and unrivalled?In 17th-century France, monarchy was performed, witnessed, and widely circulated. Using portraits, medals, sculptures and official pamphlets, Louis XIV meticulously constructed his own image, appearing as Apollo, Jupiter, Hercules, Neptune, a Roman
Royal Favourites: James I and George Villiers
How did a relatively humble gentleman become the most powerful man in Stuart England?Few figures embodied the glamour and instability of the Jacobean court more completely than George Villiers, who rose to become one of the most influential men in England. To some he was charismatic, brilliant, and irresistible; to others, he was reckless, arrogant, and dangerously powerful.In the second episode o
Hoaxes and Lies in the Enlightenment
How did a ghost story bring London to a standstill? Was it a haunting, a fraud, or something even more revealing about Georgian society? Why did rational, educated people fall for elaborate hoaxes?Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr.Madeleine Pelling, co-host of History Hit’s After Dark podcast, to uncover the darker side of the Age of Enlightenment. Why was this period remembered for scie
Royal Favourites: Robert Dudley, Elizabeth I's Forbidden Love
Passion, scandal, and power collided in the tumultuous relationship between Elizabeth I and Robert Dudley. Rumours of secret trysts between them set the court ablaze, but their love was doomed from the start.In the first of four episodes looking at royal favourites in the Tudor and Stuart courts, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and Dr. Joanne Paul unravel the complex tapestry of Robert Dudley's life,
Anne of Cleves: New Discoveries
What if Henry VIII’s “discarded bride” actually showed real promise as queen?Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr James Taffe to discuss new discoveries about Anne of Cleves’ surviving account book, a rare 200-page record of every pound, shilling and penny that reveals Anne’s queenship through spending, patronage and household life.They discuss the “shadow” household retained after Jane Sey
Francisco de Cuéllar: Spanish Armada Captain
How did a condemned Spanish Armada captain survive shipwreck, betrayal, and war to leave behind one of the most extraordinary first-person accounts of the 16th century?Francisco de Cuéllar was a career officer shaped by the harsh realities of early modern warfare, surviving looting, imprisonment, betrayal, and a brutal overland escape through a hostile landscape. Cuéllar's journey became one of th
Anne Boleyn at Hever Castle
What was Anne Boleyn like before she became the most controversial queen in English history? Can the rooms and gardens at her childhood home reveal more about the world that shaped her?Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr. Owen Emmerson to find out more about the magical place where Anne Boleyn grew up, how Hever shaped her early life, education, language skills, and future role at the cour
Maria Theresa, Habsburg Empress
How did a woman rise to power, and keep it, in the fiercely male-dominated Habsburg Empire?From her distrust of the Enlightenment to her religious intolerance, and from family strategy to imperial power, Maria Theresa was a remarkable ruler driven by discipline, faith, dynastic ambition, and political will.Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Professor Barbara Stollberg-Rilinger to discover ho
Elizabethans in India
How did England’s earliest travellers to India try to win favour in a Mughal golden age that scarcely noticed them?Professor Suzannah Lipscomb speaks with Dr Lubaaba Al-Azami about Tudor and early Stuart England’s turn to global trade after Elizabeth I’s break with Catholic Europe, and why Mughal India—vast, wealthy, and pragmatically governed—had little need for English wool or broadcloth.They tr
Lady Jane Grey
What if becoming queen was the worst thing that could happen to you? What if the crown became your death sentence?Professor Suzannah Lipscomb explores the tragic story of Lady Jane Grey, the brilliant, devout teenager, who was proclaimed queen of England against her will, reigned for less than two weeks, and was executed before her 17th birthday.Drawing on insights from her new two-part History Hi
Grace O'Malley, Ireland's Pirate Queen
She cut off her hair to sail the seas. She divorced her husband by locking him out of his own castle. And when her son was killed by the occupying English, she sailed straight up the Thames to plead for help from Elizabeth I. Or did she?Gráinne Ní Mháille, or Grace O'Malley, the legendary "Pirate Queen" of Ireland, was the head of a seafaring dynasty, while the Tudors tightened their grip, she com
Elizabethan Boy Actresses
Why were Shakespeare’s greatest heroines played by teenage boys? How did they learn their craft? On the Elizabethan stage, highly trained young men progressed from minor parts to play some of the Bard's most famous heroines, including Juliet and Cleopatra.Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Professor Roberta Barker to uncover how these cross-dressing apprentices brought some of the Renaissanc
When the Spanish Armada Reached Ireland
What happens when a fleeing armada meets an unforgiving coast? Shipwreck, slaughter and survival collide as Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and Michael B. Barry uncover the untold Irish chapter of the Spanish Armada. From shattered galleons and mass executions to lost princes and lingering myths on wild Atlantic shores, this is a storm‑lashed saga where the real battle begins after the guns fall silen
Henry Wotton: Outlaw and Royal Spy
Assassination plots, Venetian stand‑offs and a diplomat in disguise: how did one maverick change the course of history?Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and Professor Carol Chillington Rutter uncovers the spy‑thriller life of Henry Wotton, the “honest man sent to lie abroad” for his country. From foiling an attempt on King James VI’s life to pulling Europe back from the brink of war during a showdown b
The Rise and Fall of Pirate Captain Kidd
Was Captain William Kidd a ruthless pirate or a pawn in a royal gamble gone wrong? Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and Debbie Kilroy trace his meteoric rise from privateer to pariah, backed by a secret syndicate of powerful men, including the king. Mutiny, murder, and betrayal follow as power and politics turn Kidd’s royal commission into one of history’s most dramatic downfalls.MORE:Women Pirates o
Plantagenet vs. Tudor: Who was the Rightful King?
Who had a stronger claim to the English throne than Henry VII? When Henry Tudor took the crown on the battlefield at Bosworth, his hereditary claim was fragile. Eighteen Plantagenet descendants had a more legitimate right to rule, while pretenders Lambert Simnel and Perkin Warbeck kept the Tudor court under constant threat. Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Gone Medieval host Matt Lewis
Tudor True Crime: The First Female Serial Killer?
Was there really a 17th century Italian woman who helped hundreds of wives murder their husbands, or is her story a myth born of fear and gossip?Professor Suzannah Lipscomb investigates the legend of Giulia Tofana, the so-called criminal mastermind behind a secret poison network. With historical novelist Cathryn Kemp, she uncovers the blurred line between truth and terror, reveals how the Pope hu
Plots against Elizabeth I
Who wanted Elizabeth I dead, and how close did they come to removing her? Who were the conspirators and rebels who plotted to put Mary, Queen of Scots on the throne?Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Professor Jonathan McGovern to unravel the Northern Rebellion, the Ridolfi and Throckmorton conspiracies, the chilling Babington Plot, and the shadowy intrigues of spies, traitors, and foreign
Colonial Women of the Americas
Warning: This episode contains references to sexual abuseWhat became of the women whose worlds collapsed when the Spanish arrived in Mesoamerica? Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Mexican author Sofia Robleda to uncover the lives of the women who navigated conquest, faith, and colonial law with resilience and strategy.MORE:The Caribbean, Colonisers & ChristianityListen on AppleListen on Spo
Regime Change: From Stuart to Hanover
Who would rule Britain after the childless Queen Anne died in 1714? Why was a distant German Protestant dynasty chosen over closer claimants to the throne?In the final part of our series on the Restoration monarchs, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr. Brent Sirota, to explore what the Hanoverian succession settled and what it left unresolved, defining modern Britain beyond just the crown.
Henry VII: Reign of Jeopardy
Was Henry Tudor a tyrant obsessed with control, or a visionary who created peace and prosperity? How did a penniless exile with a tenuous claim to the crown found a dynasty that reshaped the nation? How did he fight off pretenders to the throne?Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr. Sean Cunningham to explore how Henry VII, from unlikely beginnings, stabilized a kingdom torn apart by decades
Queen Anne: The Last Stuart Monarch
Has history been unfair to Queen Anne, the last Stuart monarch? Was she weak and easily led, or one of Britain’s most determined and underestimated monarchs?In this episode of our Restoration series, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and Queen Anne's biographer Lady Anne Somerset examine a queen whose reputation has long been shaped by caricature.MORE:Sister Queens: Mary II and AnneListen on AppleListen
When Elves & Fairies Lived Among Us
In the mist‑shrouded Highlands, a quiet minister dared to trespass into forbidden realms. Convinced that fairies were not mere fables but a hidden nation with laws and lives of their own, Robert Kirk set out to reveal their secrets, and paid a terrible price. When Kirk died suddenly in 1692, locals whispered he had not died at all, but been taken alive into the Fairy Commonwealth for his betrayal.
Queen Mary II & the Glorious Revolution
What does it take to rule as an equal in a man's world? How did a quiet, devout queen help reshape Britain’s monarchy forever?All this month, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is exploring the Restoration monarchs. In this episode, she focuses on Queen Mary II, England’s first and only joint sovereign, who ruled alongside her husband William of Orange. Far from being a passive partner, Mary was polit
Tudor True Crime: Lynching of the "Duke's Devil"
This episode contains discussions of sexual assault, violence and child abuse. Listener discretion is advised. How did the mob lynching of a notorious astrologer and occultist in June 1628 act as a grim prelude to the demise of King Charles I? Why did John Lambe - accused of witchcraft, sorcery, and moral corruption - become the target for popular anger at a monarchy seen as distant, corrupt, and
James II: The Restoration's Last Catholic King
A king with unyielding faith. A nation on the brink. A crown lost to revolution.King James II is often dismissed as the unfortunate monarch swept aside by William and Mary. But behind the Glorious Revolution lies a story of ambition, devotion, and downfall more dramatic than legend would suggest.Professor Suzannah Lipscomb joins Dr. Breeze Barrington to uncover the man behind the myth. Was Jam
Katherine Howard's Deadly Affairs
Was Henry VIII's fifth wife a promiscuous teenager and then heartless adulteress and schemer? Celebrated, scrutinised, and endlessly talked about at court, Katherine Howard’s reign was dazzlingly brief; within two years of marrying the king, she was accused of adultery and treason and executed.Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Gareth Russell and Dr Nicola Clark to get to know the real young
Charles II: Restoration of the Monarchy
From clinging to a tree while evading capture, his face blackened with soot, to triumphantly sailing home to reclaim his crown — the story of Charles II is one of survival, spectacle, and transformation. Professor Suzannah Lipscomb guides us through the Restoration, tracing life in England from the shadow of civil war to the glittering courts of Restoration London, and discovers how intrigue,
