Renaissance English History Podcast: A Show About the Tudors
Kanaal Besonderhede
Renaissance English History Podcast: A Show About the Tudors
Renaissance England was a bustling and exciting place...new religion! break with rome! wars with Scotland! And France! And Spain! The birth of the modern world! In this weekly podcast I'll explore one aspect of life in 16th century England that will give you a deeper understanding of this most excit...
Onlangse Episodes
586 episodes
The Tudors Didn't Know How It Would End Either
We talk a lot about living through uncertain times, especially now. New technology nobody fully understands. Institutions that keep changing the rules...
What’s in a Tudor Woman’s Bag? Court Essentials vs. Servant Survival
If you emptied the pockets of a Tudor woman in 1535, what would spill out?
In this episode, we’re opening the drawstring purses, apron fo...
The Times Mary Tudor Almost Fled England
There were moments in Mary Tudor’s life when escape seemed like the safest choice. Imperial ambassadors discussed secret routes to the coast. Ships wa...
How the Tudors Celebrated Valentine’s Day (Love, Letters, and Candlemas Traditions)
Did the Tudors celebrate Valentine’s Day? And if so, what did it actually look like before chocolates, roses, and greeting cards?
In this...
How Tudors Started the Day: Morning Routines in the 1500s
What did a typical morning look like in Tudor England?
There were no alarm clocks, no hot showers, and no coffee waiting in the kitchen....
From Pancakes to Fasting: Shrovetide and Lent in Tudor England
Late February was one of the hardest times of year in Tudor England. Food stores were running low, the weather was damp and cold, and spring still fel...
The Marriage That Could Have Saved Mary I | Tudor Alternate History
What if Mary I had listened to her people instead of her heart?
When Mary Tudor took the throne in 1553, she was a survivor who had beate...
Arbella Stuart’s Escape: Disguised as a Man, Chased by the Crown
Arbella Stuart was born with royal blood, raised under watch, and treated as a possible queen her entire life. She never claimed the throne, but her l...
How Cold Were Tudor Houses? The Reality of Life Without Heat
If you’ve ever visited a Tudor palace in winter and wondered why it feels so cold inside, the answer is simple: it always was.
In this ep...
What If the Gunpowder Plot Had Succeeded? England After November 5, 1605
In November 1605, the Gunpowder Plot came terrifyingly close to reshaping England’s future. This episode explores what would have happened if Parliame...
The Death and Funeral of Henry VIII: Ritual, Power, and a Vanishing Tomb
When Henry VIII died at Whitehall Palace in January 1547, England faced a dangerous moment. His heir was nine years old, power was about to shift, and...
Women Who Anchored Empire: Ireland, Roanoke, and the Jamestown Brides | Tudorcon Talk
What role did women actually play in England’s early colonial experiments?
In this Tudorcon 2025 talk, Colleen Parker explores the overlo...
The King in the Mill: The Strange Death of James III
In the summer of 1488, a King of Scots lay dying in a flour mill, allegedly murdered by a man disguised as a priest. But how did James III - a man who...
What Was Wolsey Thinking? The Slow, Fatal Unraveling of Henry VIII’s Greatest Minister
At the height of his power, Thomas Wolsey stood at the center of Europe’s grandest spectacle - the Field of Cloth of Gold. Ten years later, he was alo...
What If Elizabeth I Had Married Early? One Decision That Changes Everything
Elizabeth I’s decision not to marry shaped the entire character of her reign. But what if she had chosen differently, early on, when the pressure was...
A Monster Winter Storm, Tudor Style: How People Coped Without Forecasts
As a major winter storm is hitting much of the United States, it’s hard not to think about how dependent we are on forecasts, alerts, and advance warn...
What Was Katharine Parr Thinking? The Conversation That Almost Got Her Arrested
In the final years of Henry VIII’s reign, even conversation could be dangerous.
Katharine Parr was not simply a dutiful queen consort. Sh...
How to Die in Tudor England
When we think about death in Tudor England, we usually picture executions, plague, or war. But for most people living in 16th-century England, death c...
What If Anne Boleyn Had Become Henry VIII’s Mistress Instead of Queen?
What if Anne Boleyn had agreed to become Henry VIII’s mistress instead of his queen? This thought experiment explores how a single private decision mi...
The Forgotten History of Breakfast (The Tudors Didn’t Eat It Like We Do)
Breakfast feels ancient. It isn’t. In Tudor England, breakfast was optional, lightly eaten, and sometimes frowned upon. No bacon, no eggs, no fixed ho...
Episode 323: What the Tudors Really Thought About History
Speak at Tudorcon 2026: https://tudorcon.englandcast.com/speak-at-tudorcon/
The Tudors did not see history as distant or neutral. They believed...
Thomas Cromwell in 1540: The Year He Knew He Was Finished
In early 1540, Thomas Cromwell was still powerful, but he knew something had shifted.
Today we look at the final year before Cromwell’s fall, no...
The One Choice That Could Have Changed Tudor England Forever
What if Catherine of Aragon had agreed to an annulment in 1527?
Today we explore a Tudor what-if with enormous consequences. If Catherine...
![[YouTube Drop] A Day in the life of a Yeoman Farmer](https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/73e144f4-f14c-11f0-a062-93815ec6d51e/image/645bf122796a6130e0950a08c1ffb734.jpeg?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress)
[YouTube Drop] A Day in the life of a Yeoman Farmer
In this minicast, we spend twenty-four hours with a yeoman farmer and his family, the solid middle of Tudor society. From waking before dawn to fieldw...
A Tudorcon 2025 Talk: The Magic of Holbein
This talk was recorded live at Tudorcon 2025.
In this lecture, Mallory Jackson explores the work of Hans Holbein the Younger, the artist whose p...
Juana of Castile: The Queen Who Was Never Allowed to Rule
Juana of Castile is remembered by history as “Juana the Mad,” but that label explains far less than it hides. In this episode, we step away from biogr...
![[YouTube Drop] Henry Beaufort](https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/75799f0a-f14c-11f0-a062-ff2a932cd852/image/9cb770058bc7f6acefd6f0f3689ba446.jpeg?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress)
[YouTube Drop] Henry Beaufort
Henry Beaufort is rarely the most famous Beaufort, but he may have been the most influential.
A son of John of Gaunt and Katherine Swynford, Bea...
![[YouTube Drop] Three Twelfth Nights at the Tudor Court (1512–1582)](https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/75fa4970-f14c-11f0-a062-2ff3433f0f8a/image/a7631c1bbb7d8f6d0ca774454c6d0aab.jpeg?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress)
[YouTube Drop] Three Twelfth Nights at the Tudor Court (1512–1582)
At the Tudor court, Twelfth Night was more than the end of Christmas. Using specific recorded celebrations from across the sixteenth century, this min...
![[YouTube Drop] Henry VIII Did Pardon People.](https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/767a57fa-f14c-11f0-a062-4bf8e0244c12/image/482c1434f7d69c3dc2c6e811bbc109db.jpeg?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress)
[YouTube Drop] Henry VIII Did Pardon People.
Henry VIII is famous for executions, but he did issue pardons; rarely, strategically, and always on his own terms. Starting with the pardon of Geoffre...
![[YouTube Drop] Henry's Abraham Tapestries](https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/770ffada-f14c-11f0-a062-7b956322340e/image/23a7cf66cafc641f7f6aa2e3c3a4769b.jpeg?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress)
[YouTube Drop] Henry's Abraham Tapestries
When you step into the Great Hall at Hampton Court Palace, the walls tell a story. In this minicast, we explore Henry VIII’s Abraham tapestries: vast,...
A Tour of Tudor York
This tour of Tudor York was originally a Members Only video from two years ago. I’m making it public today so everyone can explore it. Patrons and cha...
Christmas Eve with the Tudors | Winter Traditions, Feasting & Faith
Because it’s Christmas Eve, I’m taking the day to be with family. In place of something new, this episode brings together several Christmas and winter...
![[YouTube Drop] Terms of Adornment with Terry Jones](https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/78b2e104-f14c-11f0-a062-631c530126b6/image/6178c0a57cbde35b9ebfb62895b2b3a4.jpeg?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress)
[YouTube Drop] Terms of Adornment with Terry Jones
This episode features a live Tudorcon talk by Terry Jones, longtime docent at Agecroft Hall, exploring how jewelry functioned in Tudor and early Stuar...
![[YouTube Drop] The Letter That Took 383 Years](https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/7938e4a2-f14c-11f0-a062-97ed721b8d8a/image/f4b9a36ace986c60272c700c76e9c746.jpeg?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress)
[YouTube Drop] The Letter That Took 383 Years
In 1602, Elizabeth I wrote a formal letter to the Emperor of China, hoping to open peaceful trade between their two realms. The letter was sent with a...
![[YouTube Drop] Tudor Justice After the Verdict](https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/79cbe8c4-f14c-11f0-a062-8b00ebff0cfc/image/998a215a5408f280888a800953b8e909.jpeg?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress)
[YouTube Drop] Tudor Justice After the Verdict
Yesterday we chatted about how crimes were solved. Today, we look at convictions.
What happened after conviction in Tudor England? This minicas...
![[YouTube Drop] Who Solved Crimes in Tudor England?](https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/7a4dfdb4-f14c-11f0-a062-87506b2a7470/image/158d3fee7ebedbf488175fb424d5f199.jpeg?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress)
[YouTube Drop] Who Solved Crimes in Tudor England?
How did Tudor England solve crimes without police or forensic science? This episode explores how murder and suspicion were investigated through commun...
Episode 321: The Tudor Body: Health, Illness, and Balance in Tudor England
The Christmas Character quiz is here: https://www.englandcast.com/christmas-character-quiz/ - I'd love to see what you got!
And the ecard site i...
![[YouTube Drop] A “Lady Jane Grey” Portrait That Isn’t Jane Grey at All](https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/7b80fd80-f14c-11f0-a062-0f2c5a0bd712/image/ebf0c3f05f6a9706085b888c97c72d0e.jpeg?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress)
[YouTube Drop] A “Lady Jane Grey” Portrait That Isn’t Jane Grey at All
For more than three centuries, a restrained Tudor portrait was confidently labeled as Lady Jane Grey. But the woman in the painting is almost certainl...
![[YouTube Drop] Bad meat, or poison?](https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/7c1627b6-f14c-11f0-a062-33579309a9d1/image/de7de32a4c043858a5d10f754046089b.jpeg?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress)
[YouTube Drop] Bad meat, or poison?
Poison was the rumor that never died in Tudor England. In this episode, we look at the deaths that Tudor contemporaries believed were “too convenient”...
Episode 320: Lady Margaret Douglas
Margaret Douglas, niece of Henry VIII, spent her entire life at the center of Tudor politics. In this episode I look at her childhood in the royal nur...