Rudolf II, the Holy Roman Emperor, was an obsessive collector — of art, of rare and expensive artifacts, of scientific equipment, of natural curiosities. (He claimed he had a siren's jaw and a phoenix feather.) But religious tension and foreign invasion was tearing his empire apart at the seams, and Rudolf's response was to retreat further into his own private world.

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The World Inside of Rudolf II's Cabinet of Curiosities

Author Dana Schwartz explores the stories of some of history&rsquo;s most fascinating royals: the tyrants and the tragic, the murderers and the murdered, and everyone in between. Because when you&rsquo;re wearing a crown, mistakes often mean blood.

Society & Culture

Personal Journals

History

Philosophy

Places & Travel

CW: murder, gore.
Sister Virgina (born Marianna) had made a terrible choice in secret lovers. When a young secular boarder at the convent where she was a nun threatened to expose her illicit relationship with a neighboring nobleman, the man killed the young boarder. Together they tried to cover up the crime, but there would be no way for Marianna to run from her sins forever.
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The Nun of Monza, Part 2

For plenty of young women in the early modern era, if their families couldn't afford their dowries, they simply shipped them off to a nunnery. That was the case for Marianna, a young girl who rose in the ranks of her monastery as an exemplary nun... until she crossed paths with the rakish nobleman who lived in the estate next door. 

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The Nun of Monza, Part 1

Why did the Roman Empire do away with kings? Simone de Beauvior would write that, through women, "certain historical events have been set off, but the women have been pretexts rather than agents. The suicide of Lucretia has had value only as symbol." CW: Sexual assault, suicide

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Lucretia as a Symbol

History is fascinated by the possible escape of Anastasia Romanov, the Grand Duchess killed alongside her family in the Russian Revolution. But there was a Grand Duchess that DID escape - Anastasia's aunt, Olga Alexandrovna, who would hold onto hope that her favorite niece escaped as well.
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A Grand Duchess Above the Barber Shop

Very Special Episodes is a new podcast hosted by Dana Schwartz, Zaron Burnett, and Jason English. Follow us down a different rabbit hole every Wednesday.
In 2011, after many delays, one of the most anticipated musicals in theater history finally opened on Broadway. The show was Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark. The powerhouse creative team included an up-and-coming playwright, a MacArthur Genius, and Bono. But its downfall would be long and treacherous. Here's the story of what went wrong — and why we're still pushing for a revival.
Go follow Very Special Episodes! Drop in on the night someone poisoned the cast and crew of James Cameron's Titanic; unravel a 130-year-old mystery surrounding the Pledge of Allegiance; go inside the illicit black market moon rock trade. And more!
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CREDITS
Hosted by Dana Schwartz, Zaron Burnett, and Jason English
Written by Joe Kinosian
Produced by Josh Fisher 
Editing and Sound Design by Chris Childs
Additional Editing by Emily Marinoff
Mixing and Mastering by Baheed Frazier
Story Editors are Josh Fisher and Marisa Brown
Research and Fact-Checking by Austin Thompson and Joe Kinosian
Original Music by Elise McCoy
Show Logo by Lucy Quintanilla
Executive Producer is Jason English
If you're enjoying the show, leave us a rating and review on your favorite podcast platforms.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The World Inside of Rudolf II's Cabinet of Curiosities

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