Not Just the Tudors
History Hit
Professor Suzannah Lipscomb talks about everything from the Aztecs to witches, Velázquez to Shakespeare, Mughal India to the Mayflower. Not, in other words, just the Tudors, but most definitely also the Tudors.Each episode Suzannah is joined by historians and experts to reveal incredible stories about one of the most fascinating periods in history, new releases every Wednesday and Sunday.A podcast by History Hit, the world's best history channel and creators of award-winning podcasts Dan Snow's History Hit, The Ancients, and Betwixt the Sheets.Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.
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Episodes
Mentioned books
Feb 26, 2026 • 43min
When Elves & Fairies Lived Among Us
Rachel Morris, historian and author who studies early modern magic, religion and emerging science. She unpacks Robert Kirk’s belief that fairies were a hidden, law‑bound people. Short takes cover second sight, Kirk’s parish fieldwork, Scotland’s uncanny landscape, continuities between elite and popular magical thought, and the strange afterlife of Kirk’s manuscript.
Feb 23, 2026 • 54min
Queen Mary II & the Glorious Revolution
Dr Holly Marsden, Assistant Research Curator at Kensington Palace and Stuart-era historian, explores Mary II as a politically astute, devout joint sovereign. Short takes cover her overlooked role in power, the Glorious Revolution, her regency and naval leadership, intimate female friendships, cultural patronage and porcelain tastes, and the tensions and legacy surrounding her reign.
Feb 19, 2026 • 58min
Tudor True Crime: Lynching of the "Duke's Devil"
Alastair Bellany, historian of Stuart politics, outlines the 1628 mob killing of occultist John Lambe and its ripple effects. He traces Lamb’s violent reputation and legal controversies. Short scenes cover apprentice moral policing, pamphlet politics, links to Buckingham, and how the murder became a symbol of failing royal authority.
Feb 16, 2026 • 52min
James II: The Restoration's Last Catholic King
Dr Breeze Barrington, historian of the Stuart era, brings sharp analysis of James II. Short scenes cover his traumatic exile and military career. Then his controversial use of royal power, the panic over a Catholic succession, the birth scandal that sparked revolt, and his exile, Irish campaign and slow decline.
Feb 12, 2026 • 55min
Katherine Howard's Deadly Affairs
Gareth Russell, historian and author, offers sharp commentary on Catherine Howard and court figures like Thomas Culpepper. Dr Nicola Clarke, senior lecturer in Early Modern History, explains Catherine’s upbringing and household life. They discuss her childhood instability, early relationships, rise to queenship, risky meetings at Lincoln, the investigations and trials that sealed her fate.
13 snips
Feb 9, 2026 • 57min
Charles II: Restoration of the Monarchy
Dr Laura Engel, specialist in British literature, theatre and performance, explores the vibrant Restoration stage. She talks about the reopening of theatres, the bold arrival of actresses, and how court culture reshaped performance. Short, lively conversations capture spectacle, scandal, and the theatrical reinvention of London’s public life.
Feb 5, 2026 • 1h 10min
Why Cromwell's Republic Failed
Dr. Miranda Malins, historian and novelist on Cromwell’s family; Dr. Jonathan Healey, Oxford historian of revolutionary England; Professor Ronald Hutton, expert on the Civil Wars and folklore. They probe why the republic collapsed. Short planning, army dominance, unrest across England, Scotland and Ireland, heavy war costs, shaky succession and a constitution that failed to win popular consent.
10 snips
Feb 2, 2026 • 53min
"Bloody Mary": Debunking the Myths
Anna Whitelock, historian of monarchy and early modern Britain, offers a fresh take on Mary I. She unpacks how Foxe and Elizabethan politics forged the "Bloody Mary" label. Topics include gendered criticism of a crowned queen, Mary’s political and legal achievements, the Spanish marriage, the Marian burnings in context, and how her health and legacy were misread by later generations.
Jan 29, 2026 • 47min
Ireland Under the Brutal Tudors
Dr David Edwards, historian of early modern Ireland at University College Cork, outlines how Tudor martial law reshaped daily life. He explains the wide powers of commissions, who wielded them, and why they persisted. He also discusses the human cost: raids, scorched earth tactics, famine and lasting legal and social legacies.
8 snips
Jan 26, 2026 • 48min
Elizabeth I's Doctor - & Poisoner?
Dr. Samia Errazouki, historian of early modern Iberian and North African links, brings new research on Rodrigo Lopez. She traces his Portuguese Jewish origins, rise to Elizabeth’s physician, and the fraught mix of religion, court rivalries, espionage and Anglo‑Moroccan diplomacy. Short, vivid accounts explore prejudice, political intrigue, and newly found Moroccan connections.
