A relaxed, conversational episode where Rachel and Kat discuss the fictional characters that have inspired them and proven difficult in their own right and the quotes we love. Also, tattoos, Therapy Treehouse segues and some good old-fashion ridiculousness!

After watching her family murdered off one-by-one and successfully navigating the male-driven world of Roman politicking, Agrippina is finally the Empress of Rome. For a short time, she’ll become the nightmare of male Roman egos and get a taste of unprecedented power as a woman, maneuvering through spaces previously denied to every other woman in Rome, all to ensure her son lands on the the Imperial throne. But her downfall comes from the most unlikely, and ungrateful, of places.

In this episode you’ll hear a tale of incest, poison, listening in on senate meetings behind a veil (gasp!) and more than one assassination attempt from her own son. Join us for the absolutely insane story that inspired the creation of the Difficult Damsels podcast.

Rome is wack, y’all.

#staydifficult

Roman historians did not write about women very often, but when they did it was only when they were very, very good or very, very bad. Agrippina the Younger was very, very bad.

Sister to one emperor, wife to another and mother to perhaps the most notorious Roman Emperor of them all, Agrippina refused to be shut out from the power structures men dominated. And history vilified her for it.

Join us for The Rise, where we discuss all the crazy drama that lead to Agrippina becoming the most powerful and notorious woman in the history of the Roman Empire. This episode has it all: Murder, mayhem, ridiculous name changes and yes . . . even incest.

Rachel and Kat really bash the patriarchy in this one as we navigate the insanity that was the Roman Empire.

Artemisia I of Caria was said to terrorize the open seas in the Aegean Sea during the 5th century BC. She is one of the few women in history remembered completely on the merits of her own exploits independent of a relationship to a husband or son. As one of King Xerxes I’s most trusted advisors, Artemisia made a name for herself as one of the Persian army’s most fearsome naval commanders in their attack on Greece. Come along with us as we retell the story of the second Persian invasion into Greece and listen to Rachel talk about her favorite history daddy and the epic Battle of Salami.

And yes, as always, we have maps!

As an onna-musha, Tomoe Gozen was one of the rare few female warriors to participate in offensive warfare if the stories are to be believed. Join us again for another tale set during the Genpai War. The same tale of family drama and betrayal – this time from the side of Minamoto no Yoshitaka and the warrior that would go on to inspire generations of samurais. In this choose-your-own-ending adventure, we’ll tell the story of Tomoe’s final stand and speculate over what happened to this deadly, decapitating difficult damsel after the stories all end.

Oh, and if you should ever come across the ghost of Tomoe Gozen on horseback with a naginata in hand? Run. Definitely run.

Known to history as the Shogun Nun, Hōjō Masako’s rise to power in Medieval Japan tends to be overshadowed by her husband and Japan’s first official Shogun, Minamoto no Yoritomo. Yet, long after her husband died and she shaved her head in the style of Japanese widows of the time, Masako remained a formidable and ruthless figure in the Kamakura shogunate. Thanks to this Difficult Damsel, the Hōjō Clan would go on to rule the shogunate 100 years after her death.

Also in this episode, Rachel and Kat start their own Therapy Treehouse.

Thanks to the skillful pen of Shakespeare, Margaret of Anjou’s reputation has been forever sullied by the Elizabethan poet. In the last part of our series on the she-wolves of Medieval England, we delve into the Lancastrian side of the English civil war known as The War of the Roses. Join us as we take a look at one of England’s most vilified queens and try to determine if her reputation is well deserved. Spoiler alert: the answer is, eh ... sort of. Also, we have ... family trees? Family trees!

Peasant. Prophet. Martyr. Saint.

The Hundred Years War has left the French country in ruins, divided amongst each other and drained of hope. Until 17-year-old Joan of Arc receives the first of her visions from God. These visions of a victorious France will eventually take her to the French Dauphin, Charles VII and lead France into victory with the Maid sent from the King of Heaven leading the charge against the English and the Burgundies. Did she really have visions from God? Did she really lead an army in to battle? Some said she was a prophetess. Others called her a witch. In part 2 we discuss Joan’s imprisonment, her public and private trials and her eventual death at only 19 years old at the hands of the Catholic Church and the English. We then discuss her final triumph – the legacy that would go on to outlast the Kings of both England and France.

Rachel also gets a little better at pronouncing French words!

Peasant. Prophet. Martyr. Saint.

The Hundred Years War has left the French country in ruins, divided amongst each other and drained of hope. Until 17-year-old Joan of Arc receives the first of her visions from God. These visions of a victorious France will eventually take her to the French Dauphin, Charles VII, and lead France into victory with the Maid sent from the King of Heaven leading the charge against the English and the Burgundies. Did she really have visions from God? Did she really lead an army in to battle? Some said she was a prophetess. Others called her a witch. In part 1, Rachel and Kat discuss Joan’s rise to fame, her triumph at the battle of Orleans and her inevitable capture by the enemy. Also in this episode: Rachel struggles with more French words.

Dedicated in memory to Chad Smith.

Vilified as the “She-Wolf of France” – a power hungry Machiavellian femme fatale who succeeded in usurping the throne of England from her husband and placing her son on the throne with her as Queen Regnant. But is it truly that simple? Was Isabella a shameless and ruthless vixen or is there more to this Difficult Damsel? Isabella is one of the most notorious Queen Consorts in English history, responsible for challenging not one but two thrones, influencing events in England and France one hundred years after her death.