Not Just the Tudors

Could an ancient Persian drama have stopped Mary, Queen of Scots from being executed?

When Queen Elizabeth I faced an agonising dilemma over her captive cousin, a performance about Cyrus the Great offered her a provocative lesson: executing an anointed monarch risked shattering divine protection, while mercy signalled ultimate power.

Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Ebrahim Joseph whose groundbreaking research shows how early modern England turned to Persian history to navigate existential political threats, foreign policy, and the dangerous limits of crown authority.

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When Europe met Islam

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The Elizabethans and Islam

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Presented by Professor Suzannah Lipscomb. The researcher is Max Wintle, audio editor is Amy Haddow and the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds.

Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcast

History Hit is part of Little Dot Studios, a Certified B Corp™

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week PLUS early access, ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From Thomas Cromwell's rise under Henry VIII to Oliver Cromwell’s rule as Lord Protector, how did the faith, ambition, and power of one family shape the course of British history?

Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr Miranda Malins to unravel the extraordinary saga and legacy of the Cromwells.

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Oliver Cromwell’s Women

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Why Cromwell’s Republic Failed.

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Presented by Professor Suzannah Lipscomb. The researcher is Max Wintle, audio editor is Amy Haddow and the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds.

Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcast

History Hit is part of Little Dot Studios, a Certified B Corp™

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week plus ad-free podcasts, PLUS early access, ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is Gulliver’s Travels just a whimsical children’s adventure story, or is it a scathing satire designed to expose political hypocrisy?

From suppressed Irish resistance allegories to biting parodies of Whig corruption, Enlightenment science, and moral decay, Gulliver's author Jonathan Swift transformed personal exile into a profound critique of human nature.

To mark the 300th anniversary of Gulliver’s Travels, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Professor David Womersley to unmask the "savage indignation," political turmoil, and risk of censorship that drove Swift’s writing.

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C.S. Lewis & Narnia: Renaissance Origins

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Creator of Don Quixote: Cervantes

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Presented by Professor Suzannah Lipscomb. The researcher is Max Wintle, audio editor is Amy Haddow and the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds.

Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcast

History Hit is part of Little Dot Studios, a Certified B Corp™

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week plus ad-free podcasts, PLUS early access, ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What if the fairy tales you grew up with were never meant for children at all?

Long before these stories were transformed into family-friendly animated films, they were forged in the gritty reality of Renaissance Italy and later weaponized by rebellious Parisian aristocrats to challenge systemic oppression.

Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Professor Jack Zipes to unearth the dark, strange, and deeply political origins hidden behind our favourite folklore.

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The Man who Wrote Robinson Crusoe

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Practical Magic: Spells, Prayers & Cunning Folk

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Presented by Professor Suzannah Lipscomb. The researcher is Max Wintle, edited by Amy Haddow and the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds.

Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcast

History Hit is part of Little Dot Studios, a Certified B Corp™

Want even MORE fascinating history? Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week PLUS early access, ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How did one man survive serving Henry VIII as principal secretary when others lost their heads? Why is the mastermind behind the King’s final, most turbulent decade so often forgotten?

Rising through sheer intellect and royal favour, William Paget navigated bitter religious conflict, spiralling crown finances, and looming foreign threats to become Henry VIII’s most indispensable advisor.

Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr. Andrew Johnston to unpack the astonishing career of this forgotten Tudor mastermind who shaped the monarch’s final years.

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The Rotten End of Henry VIII

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Cardinal Wolsey: His Rise and Fall

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Presented by Professor Suzannah Lipscomb. The researcher is Max Wintle, audio editor is Amy Haddow and the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds.

Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcast

History Hit is part of Little Dot Studios, a Certified B Corp™

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week plus ad-free podcasts, plus early access, ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How did a risky 16th-century venture evolve into a national enterprise that fuelled the rise of the British Empire? How did a vast network of royalty, politicians, cultural figures, and ordinary citizens finance human exploitation to expand British wealth and naval power?

Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Professor William Pettigrew to trace the nation's deep entanglement with the transatlantic slave trade and explore why its legacy was systematically obscured.

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How Protestants Justified Slavery

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British Barbary Slaves

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Presented by Professor Suzannah Lipscomb. The researcher is Max Wintle, audio editor is Amy Haddow and the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds.

Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcast

History Hit is part of Little Dot Studios, a Certified B Corp™

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week plus ad-free podcasts, PLUS early access, ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How did the son of an executed traitor rise to become the power behind young Edward VI? Was John Dudley a visionary patriot saving England from crisis or a ruthless opportunist who risked everything for ultimate power?

Following the death of Henry VIII, Dudley seized control of the realm. However, his later gamble to put Lady Jane Grey on the throne condemned him to the executioner's block.

Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and Dan Snow explore John Dudley's meteoric rise and catastrophic fall.

Watch Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and Dan Snow's new series How The Tudors Lost Their Heads now on Nat Geo and Disney+

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Death, Desire, Power & Scandal: The House of Dudley

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Lady Jane Grey

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Presented by Professor Suzannah Lipscomb. The researcher is Max Wintle, audio editor is Amy Haddow and the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds.

Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcast

History Hit is part of Little Dot Studios, a Certified B Corp™

Want even MORE fascinating history? Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week PLUS early access, ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 1588, mathematician Thomas Harriot mapped a doomed colony and drafted the playbook for English empire. But did Indigenous culture reshape Shakespeare's England just as profoundly?

Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr. Lauren Working to explore how indigenous knowledge, labour, and resources, from Bolivian silver to North American beaver pelts, vibrant feather work, and Algonquin smoking customs, infiltrated Tudor fashion and society.

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Elizabethans in America

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Pocahontas & the Virginian Venture

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Presented by Professor Suzannah Lipscomb. The researcher is Max Wintle, audio editor is Amy Haddow and the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds.

Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcast

History Hit is part of Little Dot Studios, a Certified B Corp™

Want even MORE fascinating history? Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week PLUS early access, ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How did a favourite of Elizabeth I go from royal darling to executed traitor?

Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr. Alex Gajda and Dr. Will Tosh to explore the meteoric rise and catastrophic fall of Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex, one of the most glamorous yet volatile figures in Elizabethan England. Together they unpack the true motives behind Essex's rebellion and the surprising propaganda role played by William Shakespeare.

Watch Prof. Suzannah Lipscomb's new series How The Tudors Lost Their Heads now on Nat Geo and Disney+

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Henry Wotton: Outlaw and Royal Spy

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Robert Dudley: Elizabeth I's Forbidden Love

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Presented by Professor Suzannah Lipscomb. The researcher is Max Wintle, audio editor is Amy Haddow and the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds.

Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcast

History Hit is part of Little Dot Studios, a Certified B Corp™

Want even MORE fascinating history? Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week PLUS early access, ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why did the Dutch Republic risk everything to launch one of the boldest seaborne invasions in English history and overthrow King James II? Why did England’s defences collapse so quickly? How close did the operation come to disaster?

In 1688, William of Orange led a Dutch armada of 16,000 troops across the North Sea, after years of diplomacy, financial manoeuvring and meticulous military planning. Yet victory was never guaranteed.

Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr Arthur de Weduwen, to uncover the Dutch perspective on the revolution that reshaped Britain and Europe.

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Queen Mary II & the Glorious Revolution

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William III & the Persecution of Sodomites

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Presented by Professor Suzannah Lipscomb. The researcher is Max Wintle, audio editor is Aliza Dams and the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds.

Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcast

History Hit is part of Little Dot Studios, a Certified B Corp™

Want even MORE fascinating history? Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week PLUS early access, ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.