Rex Factor

Rex Factor episodes:

• 04.26.2024

  S3.63 Prince Albert: Review

  After a full biography episode last week, this time we review Prince Albert, scoring him on the factors and deciding whether or not he has the Rex Factor. Sign up for ad-free episodes and lots of bonus content at https://www.patreon.com/rexfactor Learn more...

  
• 04.19.2024

  S3.62 Prince Albert: Biography

  In the first of two episodes, we do a full episode just looking at the life and consortship of Prince Albert, husband to Queen Victoria, with a full review episode to come next time. One of the most famous names...

  
• 04.16.2024

  Feed Swap: History Daily

  We are off for Easter for a couple of weeks before getting back to Prince Albert, so this week we're doing a feed swap with the History Daily Podcast, which releases c. 15 minute episodes every weekday covering an event...

  
• 03.22.2024

  Linda Porter: Mistresses of Charles II

  We speak to the historian Dr Linda Porter about some of the most notable mistresses of Charles II (Lucy Walter, Barbara Villiers, Frances Stuart, Nell Gwynn, Hortense Mancini), discussing why we know so much about them, what they tell us...

  
• 03.08.2024

  S3.61 Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen

  Adelaide is probably one of the least famous of Britain's consorts, wife of William IV. A very different character to her predecessor, Queen Caroline, Adelaide was quiet and kind but faced the challenge of an eccentric and uncouth husband in...

  
• 02.23.2024

  S3.60 Caroline of Brunswick

  If Ali still had his scandal bell, this episode might break it! It's Caroline of Brunswick this week, consort to George IV despite his spending their entire marriage trying to prevent that eventuality. A poorly matched couple, Caroline lived life...

  
• 02.09.2024

  S3.59 Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

  This week we review Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the wife and consort of King George III. We look at how she came to be queen at all, what was her role as consort and how her life was turned up...

  
• 01.26.2024

  S3.58 Caroline of Ansbach

  It's the first Hanoverian consort proper this week with Caroline of Ansbach, queen consort to George II. She's not so famous now, but Caroline was a highly influential consort, loved and respected by her husband and enjoying great influence through...

  
• 01.12.2024

  S3.57 Sophia Dorothea of Celle

  Sophia Dorothea of Celle was the wife of King George I but she was not, technically, a consort. We'll explain why this was the case, taking in dynastic politics, an unhappy marriage, a passionate romance, high drama and a new...

  
• 12.29.2023

  Royals at War: We Have Ways Fest 2022 (Live)

  A little bonus to finish 2023, we've dipped into the archives and pulled out this recording of a live show we did at the We Have Ways of Making You Talk Festival in July 2022. We Have Ways of Making...

  
• 12.15.2023

  Messages and Previews 6

  Before we get started on the Hanoverian consorts, we read through various listener correspondence as well as sharing previews of our bonus content, including our new special episode on Edgar the Ætheling. You can sign up to join the Privy Council...

  
• 12.01.2023

  Male Consorts (Dr Ellie Woodacre)

  We speak to Dr Ellie Woodacre again, this time about male consorts. Our last mini series had two male consorts (Philip II and Prince George of Denmark) as well as covering the time period of Elizabeth I (with no consort)...

  
• 11.17.2023

  Emma Southon: A History of the Roman Empire in 21 Women

  We speak to Dr Emma Southon for the second time on the podcast, this time discussing her new book A History of the Roman Empire in 21 Women (or A Rome of One's Own in the US), a fascinating look...

  
• 11.03.2023

  Leah Redmond Chang (Young Queens)

  We speak to the author and historian Lead Redmond about her book 'Three Renaissance Women and the Price of Power', which looks at the lives of Catherine de' Medici (Queen Consort and Mother of France), Elisabeth de Valois (Queen Consort...

  
• 10.20.2023

  Right to Reply: Stuart Consorts

  Having finished our mini-series on the Stuart consorts (plus a couple of others), we go through some of your messages, responding to corrections, points of debate and whatever else comes up. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  
• 10.06.2023

  S3.56 Prince George of Denmark

  It's the last of the Stuart consorts this time with the consort of Queen Anne, Prince George of Denmark. Often maligned by contemporaries, George nevertheless had a significant role as the first male consort not to be king. Derided by...

  
• 09.22.2023

  S3.55 Mary of Modena

  Mary of Modena is not one of the more famous names for English consorts but subject to one of the most notorious incidents as mother to the so-called 'bedpan baby'. We look at the truth of this as well as...

  
• 09.08.2023

  S3.54 Catherine of Braganza

  Catherine of Braganza has often been overshadowed by Charles II's numerous mistresses, but she has an interesting story in her own right. She faced a difficult start in England, finding her own space in a court where the mistresses were...

  
• 08.25.2023

  S3.53 Elizabeth Cromwell

  Elizabeth Cromwell was the wife to one of the most (in)famous figures in British history, but Oliver Cromwell's wife is something of a forgotten figure. Though the evidence for her life is limited, we track her from Essex and East...

  
• 08.11.2023

  S3.52 Henrietta Maria

  Henrietta Maria of France was the highly controversial queen of Charles I. An avowed Catholic in an increasingly Puritanical country, her efforts to promote her religion were one of the factors that led to the Civil War. A forceful character,...

  
• 07.28.2023

  S3.51 Anne of Denmark

  We start the Stuarts proper with Anne of Denmark, consort to James I, though originally to James VI of Scotland. Anne had quite a difficult time getting to Scotland, then found herself caught up in various controversies when she did...

  
• 07.14.2023

  Susan Doran: Elizabeth I's Suitors

  Elizabeth I famously never married, but there were various suitors for her hand who came close to becoming Elizabeth's consort. We spoke to Professor Susan Doran about Elizabeth I and the marriage question, with a particular question on her relationship...

  
• 06.30.2023

  S3.50 Philip II of Spain

  It's our first chap of the consort series in the form of Philip II of Spain. A powerful king in his own right, and notorious in England as the man who launched the Spanish Armada against Elizabeth I, it's often...

  
• 06.23.2023

  The Six Wives of Henry VIII (Live at Ludlow)

  As a lovely finale to our mini-series on the Six Wives of Henry VIII, we share our live podcast recorded at the Ludlow Assembly Rooms on Saturday 17 June 2023 in which we review all six of Henry VIII's wives...

  
• 06.09.2023

  Messages and Previews 5: June 2023

  Before we get started on the Stuart consorts, we read through various listener correspondence as well as sharing previews of our bonus content, including our new special episode (also out today) on Catherine De' Medici. You can sign up to join...

  
• 05.26.2023

  The Seven Kings of Rome (Partial Historians)

  This week, we chat with Dr Fiona Radford and Dr Peta Greenfield (AKA Dr Rad and Dr G, the Partial Historians) about their new book Rex: The Seven Kings of Rome. Much to Ali's surprise, before the Emperors and before...

  
• 05.17.2023

  Live Show in Ludlow News

  Just a quick message to say that we are going to be doing a live show at the Ludlow Fringe on Saturday 17 June at 19:00 (BST), where we will be looking at all of the Six Wives of Henry...

  
• 05.12.2023

  Suzannah Lipscomb

  Following our mini-series on the Six Wives of Henry VIII, we chat to Professor Suzannah Lipscomb about all things Henry VIII - what was he about? How did he change and why? Plus we get Suzannah's thoughts on the Six...

  
• 05.01.2023

  The History of the Coronation

  In a feature-length special episode, we chart the history of the coronation of the English monarchy from Alfred the Great to Elizabeth II. We learn about how and why the coronation ceremony started, why it is the way that it...

  
• 04.14.2023

  Dean Irwin: The Anglo-Jews in Medieval England

  We chat to Dr Dean Irwin, long-time listener to the podcast and co-curator of the episode 'History According to Ali', about the history of the Jews in medieval England. We discuss the origins of a Jewish community in England along...

  
• 03.31.2023

  Right to Reply: Six Wives of Henry VIII

  Having finished our mini-series on the Six Wives of Henry VIII, we go through some of your messages and answer questions about the podcasts, the queens, Henry, and whatever else comes up. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn...

  
• 03.17.2023

  S3.49 Katherine Parr

  We come to the end of the Six Wives of Henry VIII odyssey with Katherine Parr. Often neglected but a fascinating character: previous marriages, the Pilgrimage of Grace, and the navigating the treacherous, divided court of Henry VIII's final years....

  
• 02.24.2023

  S3.48 Katherine Howard

  Katherine Howard was the fifth of the Six Wives of Henry VIII. Young and pretty, she quickly caught Henry's eye while he was extricating himself from his marriage to Anne of Cleves, but Henry's infatuation turned to devastation when revelations...

  
• 02.10.2023

  S3.47 Anne of Cleves

  The fourth of the six wives of Henry VIII, Anne of Cleves is often recalled as the 'Flanders Mare' but we dig deeper into the true story of where things went wrong between Anne and Henry, why this nickname is...

  
• 01.27.2023

  S3.46 Jane Seymour

  We move on to the third of Henry VIII's six wives - one of the least famous and yet Henry's favourite, so where does Jane really deserve to rank in the annals of history? She experience life under Katherine of...

  
• 01.13.2023

  S3.45 The Fall of Anne Boleyn

  Although we've reviewed Anne Boleyn, we felt that we needed one final episode to look in more detail about the fall of Anne Boleyn, and to answer the question of why it happens (and why she dies). Was she actually...

  
• 12.23.2022

  S3.44 Anne Boleyn: Review

  After an in-depth biography episode last time, this week we review Anne Boleyn. There's a lot to discuss: her impressive rise to power and the personal battles she had to fight to get there; the wealth of scandal laid at...

  
• 12.09.2022

  S3.43 Anne Boleyn: Biography

  Our Odyssey through the Six Wives of Henry VIII now turns to Anne Boleyn, the most controversial of Henry's consorts. Anne has been cast as the definitive 'other woman', turning Henry's head away from Katherine of Aragon and helping to...

  
• 11.11.2022

  S3.42 Katherine of Aragon: Review

  After a separate biography episode, this time we review Katherine of Aragon by the factors: a regency defeating the Scots; resisting Henry in the divorce; was she being truthful about her first marriage? Lots to talk about, but the key...

  
• 10.28.2022

  S3.41: Katherine of Aragon: Biography

  We kick-off the Six Wives of Henry VIII with Katherine of Aragon, whose story is so dramatic that we had to split it into two. In this episode, we look at her biography, charting her life from her upbringing in...

  
• 10.21.2022

  Intelligent Speech Conference 2022: Rexy Panel

  In June 2022, we were a keynote speaker at the online Intelligent Speech Conference, and also took part in a Rexy Panel, discussing podcasting with the Rex Factor format alongside Rob and Jamie from Totalus Rankium and Bry from Pontifacts....

  
• 10.07.2022

  Messages and Previews - September 2022

  As Graham gets started on the research for the Six Wives of Henry VIII, we have a one-off episode going through lots of listener correspondence and sharing some previews of our bonus content. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more...

  
• 09.23.2022

  Nicola Tallis (Margaret Beaufort)

  We speak to the historian Dr Nicola Tallis about Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry VII who lived a dramatic life, enduring the trials and tribulations of the Wars of the Roses to ultimately see her son, against all odds, become...

  
• 09.13.2022

  Remembering Elizabeth II

  Following the sad death of Queen Elizabeth II, we wanted to record our thoughts on her life and reign and some of the feelings that her death has evoked. We do a recap of her life and reign as originally...

  
• 08.26.2022

  Nathen Amin (House of Beaufort)

  We speak to historian Nathen Amin about the House of Beaufort, the initially illegitimate line of John of Gaunt who enjoyed great power and influence under the Lancastrian kings and were major players in the Wars of the Roses. We...

  
• 08.12.2022

  Matt Lewis

  We start a new round of interview podcasts, kicking off with Matt Lewis, Chair of the Richard III Society. Matt spoke to us, appropriately enough, about Richard III, suggesting alternative ways of interpreting Richard's character and motivation, what he was...

  
• 07.29.2022

  Right to Reply: Yorkist Consorts

  In our second Right to Reply episode, we look back at the Yorkist consorts Elizabeth Woodville, Anne Neville and Elizabeth of York, comparing their scores and lives before then going through listener correspondence on the queens. Hosted on Acast. See...

  
• 07.15.2022

  S3.40 Elizabeth of York

  The last of our Yorkist consorts (though technically first of the Tudors), Elizabeth of York was the daughter of Elizabeth Woodville and Edward IV, experiencing all the drama and tribulations of the Wars and the Roses and Richard III before...

  
• 07.01.2022

  S3.39 Anne Neville

  One of the more obscure English queens, despite being married to one of the most famous kings in Richard III, Anne Neville certainly had a dramatic life: daughter of Warwick the Kingmaker, married into the Lancastrian and Yorkist royal families,...

  
• 06.17.2022

  S3.38 Elizabeth Woodville

  We move onto the Yorkist consorts with Elizabeth Woodville, Queen Consort to Edward IV. Originally a Lancastrian, she was an unlikely and controversial consort, who had to endure great hardship and loss through the Wars of the Roses, facing off...