Deconstructed History

In this episode, we’re going to explore the man known to history as the pretender to the English throne, Perkin Warbeck. I’m covering the pieces of contemporary evidence which suggests that maybe we shouldn’t trust everything the Tudors tell us. At least, not when it comes to making their enemies look bad in front of the history books.

For full show notes head to http://deconstructedhistory.com/perkin-warbeck/

Resources and Links

• “The Princes in the Tower: Solving History’s Greatest Cold Case” by Philippa Langley (2023). Langley is treating the Princes’ story as a cold case missing person’s report, summing up five years of research.
• “Perkin: A Story of Deception” by Ann Wroe (2003). Written to compare the confession to the contemporary evidence, where each differs and shares similarities.

This episode aims to give you an overview of five Ancient Greek constellations seen in the night sky, and what story the Ancient Greeks themselves attributed to them.

We’ve all heard of Greek myths, whether that’s the story of Orpheus and Eurydice, or Theseus and the Minotaur. But the stories the Greeks themselves told about the natural world particularly fascinates me. How did they explain the stars in the sky and the natural satellites they saw?

Read the full show notes at www.DeconstructedHistory.com/greek-constellations/

Resources and Links

• “The Secret World of Stargazing” by Adrian West (2021). I went to see him give a talk with my parents; you can tell he’s enthusiastic about the subject of making astronomy accessible. His book (my father bought a signed copy) is an easy read which is also illustrated.

Today we’re diving into a topic I think the Tudors largely overshadow, vilify, or ignore in favour of certain other members of the family. And with the Boleyns, no-one really talks about George Boleyn.

For the full show notes, head to http://deconstructedhistory.com/george-boleyn/

Resources and Links

• “George Boleyn: Tudor Poet, Courtier & Diplomat” by Clare Cherry & Claire Ridgway (2014).
• “Among the Wolves of Court: The Untold Story of Thomas and George Boleyn” by Lauren Mackay (2021).

If you’ve heard of the Ancient Egyptians, it’s probably something about the gods, or the pyramids, or Cleopatra. But how often do we think about what it was like to live in the Ancient Egyptian world?

The period we call Ancient Egypt lasted for five thousand years, and all of it was pretty much under one governmental system. We’re talking from the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt in 3,000 BCE all the way to the Roman occupation in the 30s CE. In that time, even if some other religion came along, it all came back to the Pharaonic rule. So how did they do it?

For full show notes, head to http://deconstructedhistory.com/ancient-egyptian-world/

Resources and Links

• “Ancient Egyptian Magic: A Hands-On Guide” by Christina Riggs (2020). An easy-to-understand book on just how engrained every aspect of magic was in the life of an Ancient Egyptian.
• “An Introduction to the Ancient World” by L. de Blois and R.J. van der Spek (2019). A fantastic textbook on Ancient Egypt if you want to understand the basics and don’t know where to begin.
• Interactive timeline and map of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The green dates are the construction of each wonder, the red their destruction.

In this episode, we’re looking at one of the most well-known motifs in Arthurian legends: the Holy Grail. I have a love-hate relationship with the Grail, mostly because of the emphasis placed on it when compared to other aspects of the legends. As a literary device, it’s fantastic. When held against other parts of the legends? Well, I prefer my heroes not overshadowed by a single item of magical power.

For full show notes, head to http://deconstructedhistory.com/holy-grail/

Resources and Links

• “Le Morte d’Arthur” by Thomas Malory, rendered by Keith Baines (2010). A tough read due to how many independent factors, but Malory is the creator of many myths we’re familiar with.

This episode is about a god. But not just any god “Hijacked by Jesus” and forced into the role of villain. Oh no. This god starred as the villain and/or antihero in another god’s heroic quest to prove his worth. I am, of course, talking about Loki.

For full show notes, head to http://deconstructedhistory.com/loki/

Resources and Links

• “Norse Mythology” by Neil Gaiman (2017). A fantastic retelling of the original myths. He said he tried to avoid later attestations while writing it.
• “Loki’s gender fluidity and bisexuality in Norse mythology and in modern adaptations by Alice Martinelli (2022).” An academic article (possibly a dissertation) on the topic of Loki and his portrayal in multiple forms of media.

In this episode, we’re looking at the legendary figure of Orpheus and what his myths can tell us about the world. The Ancient Greeks and Romans believed Orpheus was a real person. He had the ability to create music so beautiful it could make rocks cry. There’s one version where he plays his lyre and the rock someone threw at him just refused to hit him. He was that great at it. These days, musicians have to work a lot harder if they want to be blessed enough to make rocks emote.

For full show notes, head to http://deconstructedhistory.com/podcast/orpheus/

Resources and Links

• “Jason and the Golden Fleece” by Apollonius of Rhodes (Oxford World’s Classics, 2009). An updated version of the original published in 1993. It was recommended for its readability, accuracy to the original text, and with annotations within the same chapter. Also, it comes with maps.
• The game “Hades” by Supergiant Games. A single-player game released for macOS, Nintendo Switch, and Windows following an early access release in December 2018. Later released for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S in August 2021. Released for iOS in 2024 through Netflix Games.
• “Hadestown Original Broadway Cast Recording” by Anaïs Mitchell (2019). Represents the Broadway show in its entirety. The deluxe 2-CD set comes with a 64-page booklet, including full libretto and production photos.

In this episode, we’re looking at how legitimate the claim Henry Tudor made for the throne was, after he claimed the throne through conquest on 30th October 1485. Don’t worry, I’ll try to keep my irritation at him at bay long enough to get through his episode.

For full show notes, head to http://deconstructedhistory.com/podcast/henry-tudor/

Resources and Links

• “The Princes in the Tower: Solving History’s Greatest Cold Case” by Philippa Langley (2023). Langley uses contemporary sources rather than later Tudor ones to establish just what was going on in the period before and the aftermath of the Battle of Bosworth.

There’s a common misconception out there about what Old English actually is. Whenever I ask someone what they think about Shakespeare (because I’m a nerd), they always go off on a rant about how Old English is totally incomprehensible and why couldn’t I have asked about something else?

For full show notes, head to http://deconstructedhistory.com/old-middle-english/

Resources and Links

• “Beowulf” Translated by John Porter (2022). A side-by-side literal translation of the poem. Great if you love a challenge.
• “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” by Simon Armitage (2008). A beautiful translation in easy-to-understand plain old English. (Tolkien is rather fanciful in his translation.)

In the grand scheme of things, you probably haven’t heard of the Mycenaeans. That’s okay, we all get that Ancient Greek democracy and theatre overshadows everything and all.

The Mycenaeans were the people who lived in mainland Greece between approximately 1750 to 1050 BCE. They represent the first distinctively Greek civilization in mainland Greece. They had palatial states, urban organization, distinctly Olympian gods, and the first Greek writing system. This was the last of the Greek Bronze Age, when the city states of Sparta and Athens started to emerge.

For full show notes, head to http://deconstructedhistory.com/the-mycenaeans/

Resources and Links

• “An Introduction to the Ancient World” by L. de Blois and R.J. van der Spek (2019). Not quite as far back as the Mycenaeans, but a great overview of such a vast period of time none the less.