The Tudor Chest Podcast

Kings and Queens are undoubtedly one of the most fundamental aspects of British history. A question we often ponder is who was the best and who was the worst, but what if we approached it differently and asked which monarchs are grossly overrated and which for various reasons are repeatedly underrated? Well to discuss this question precisely, I am thrilled to welcome Dr Tim Hames onto the podcast to discuss his book, Measuring Monarchy, The Most Overrated and Underrated British Kings and Queens. Was King Stephen really all that bad? Why should we not throw so much love Richard I’s way and was Gloriana, Queen Elizabeth I herself, all that she's cracked up to be?

Elizabeth I famously never married or produced children. The subject of her succession was an almost constant conversation and concern for her councillors and courtiers, made more problematic by factionalism, for there were actually a great many people with a strong claim to the throne of England. To discuss these very people, I am pleased to welcome historian and author Beverley Adams onto the podcast. Her upcoming book is The Race for Elizabeth I’s Throne and acts as the basis for our conversation today. Who were the younger grey sisters and why did Elizabeth so clearly dislike them, what of their cousins, the Clifford's, who was the seldom discussed but fabulously named Ferdinando Stanley, one of the few men alive at the time with a strong claim, and why, in the end was James VI of Scotland always going to be the inevitable successor?

Coins are a physical tangible link to the past, history in metal that we can carry in our very hand. Coinage is central to the history of Great Britain, made more fascinating still because of our long and rich monarchical history. In todays episode, the 100th episode, I am pleased to talk to Gregory Edmund from Spink auctioneers. An expert in coinage, Gregory joins me to discuss something known collectively as the Carrington collection, a remarkable 130 piece collection of coins starting way back with King Henry III, through the hundreds years war, the wars of the roses and ending with Queen Elizabeth I herself. 

This week, I am thrilled to welcome Dr Elizabeth Norton back to the podcast for the third time as we dive into the stories behind her upcoming book, Women who Ruled the World, 5000 Years of Female Monarchy. In this book, as you can probably guess, Dr Norton looks at female rule over the past five millennia, from Cleopatra of Egypt to Empress Wu of China, Catherine the Great to Elizabeth II, this book has it all - political pawns, fighters, murderers, victims, but all of them have something in common, they dared to rule, often in a world where the very notion was deemed impossible .

Born the fourth son of the mighty John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, Guildford Dudley was a member of the nobility, but being the fourth son, was by no means deemed particularly significant, that is, until his marriage to the girl who would go on to become England’s shortest reigning monarch, so who was Guildford Dudley, what was his early life like and is there any truth in the theory that he and Jane Grey hated each other?

Anne Boleyn portraiture remains a fascinating but highly contentious subject! We are blind as to what Anne Boleyn truly, beyond all doubt looked like, due to a lack of confirmed contemporary portraits of her, but there is a sketch in the royal collection, drawn by Hans Holbein which for many historians is categorically Anne. I have always struggled to accept this conclusion and so I am thrilled that todays guest, Karen L Davies not only agrees, but has produced a mountain of extremely compelling evidence to back it up. In the process, she has also landed on a theory surrounding a sketch long suggested to portray Amalia of Cleves, that it could, in fact be the face of Anne Boleyn all along! So sit back and listen in as Karen dismantles much that has been said by historians, hopefully kickstarting a reassessment of Anne’s image.

Helen Carr joins me again today to discuss the rest of her most recent book, Sceptred Isle. Today we discuss the reigns of Kings Edward III and Richard II, from Edward’s early reign in which he was bullied by his mothers domineering lover to becoming viewed as the greatest Plantagenet king, through to his feckless grandson, Richard II, who all but destroyed trust in the monarch to such a degree that he was forced from the throne, acting as a pre-cursor to the momentous drama that would engulf England in the next century, a period known to us all as the wars of the roses

Historalia are changing the game when it comes to putting on large history themed musicals, hosting them in the grounds of historic buildings closely tied to the subjects of their plays. There latest and very first British musical is just around the corner and its all about everyones favourite Tudor MVP, Anne Boleyn! Anne Boleyn the Musical will take place in a specially designed theatre in the grounds of the stunning Hever Castle, Anne’s iconic childhood home. To discuss the musical with me, I am thrilled to welcome its director, Roxana Silbert and writer Rebecca night onto the show!

From portraits to plays, films to fables, Anne Boleyn is a Tudor poster girl, easily the most studied, the most followed and the most divisive of the six wives of King Henry VIII. Her creation as an icon of history has built over time, both from those who knew her personally and ever since. To discuss how Anne’s image has been created, I am very pleased to welcome back Helene Harrison onto the podcast. Helene’s latest book, the many faces of Anne Boleyn acts as the basis for our conversation, so sit back and listen in as we discuss the many facets of this endlessly fascinating queen, Anne Boleyn.

Almost from the moment her head was severed from her body, Jane Boleyn, Viscountess Rochford has been an easy scape goat for all of the drama surrounding the downfall of her husband George, sister in law Anne and the teenage queen she was executed alongside, Katheryn Howard. In reality, there is basically nothing to support the long held belief that Jane actively plotted against the family she had married into. To discuss this fascinating woman with me, I am thrilled to welcome Julia Fox onto the podcast for the first time. Julia joins me today to discuss Janes story, the truth of her role in May 1536, what on earth she was thinking when aiding in Katheryn Howard's adultery and what her actual legacy should be.