Henry VI became king of England at the age of just nine months old, never knew his father and in many ways never truly grew up. His life was managed by a series of competing and often self-serving councillors. His many mental health issues placed incredible pressure on the court he nominally oversaw and thanks to his eventual overthrow at the hands of Edward, Earl of March, later Edward IV, we think of Henry as a largely inept, useless and pitiful figure, but was he? Well to discuss this fascinating man I am pleased to welcome back Lauren Johnson onto the podcast for a discussion all about him. Lauren’s book, Shadow King, the life and death of Henry VI acts as the basis of our conversation.

New portrait discoveries are always exciting, and when its a controversial figure from the reign of queen Elizabeth I and moreover one that may have been the gay lover of William Shakespeare, that's even more exciting! I am speaking of the recent discovery of a miniature by Nicholas Hilliard of Henry Wriothesley, Earl of Southampton. Today I am thrilled to welcome back art historians Emma Rutherford and Elizabeth Golding onto the podcast to discuss this miniature with me, from its highly androgynous appearance to the fact that it was deliberately defaced! Carry on listening to find out how and why!

On the 27th May 1541 the 67 year old Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury was escorted out onto the small green inside the walls of the Tower of London and beheaded in an execution which became infamous for how badly botched it was. This was the final dreadful act in a period known as the Exeter Conspiracy, which saw a total of 13 arrests and eight executions, with Margaret being the most notable victim, but what actually was the Exeter Conspiracy? Where did it start? Who was involved, and is there any truth to the accusations made?

Agnes Tilney, Dowager Duchess of Norfolk is a truly fascinating but often overlooked figure, a woman who for a time was one of the most powerful women in England, but by her dotage was overseeing a household which has been described as something akin to a noble whorehouse, the place in which her step-granddaughter, Katheryn Howard, may very well have lost her virginity. So, who was Agnes what were her early days like, what role did she play at court and what became of her once her name was tarnished in the wake of Katheryn Howard’s execution?

Long before she was Queen Mary I, or more infamously to her detractors as Bloody Mary, there was a young girl, born a princess, the first born child of King Henry VIII to reach adulthood, Mary, by his first with, Katherine of Aragon, so what was Mary’s young life like? Who was involved in her christening, spoiler, what were the many marriage prospects created, and did she ever blame her father rather than Anne Boleyn for what befell her? Well to discuss all of this and much more I am pleased to welcome back Dr Peter Stiffell onto the podcast for a discussion all about his favourite figure from history!

Courtly love was a game, a game in which figures of the Tudor court would happily indulge in, despite sometimes failing to recognise its pitfalls, one key example being Anne Boleyn herself. But what was courtly love, what were the rituals, where did it all begin as a concept? Well to discuss this very topic, I am honoured to have historian, author and broadcaster Sarah Gristwood onto the podcast for a discussion based on her book, The Tudors in Love!

Kings and Queens are undoubtedly one of the most fundamental aspects of British history. A question we often ponder is who was the best and who was the worst, but what if we approached it differently and asked which monarchs are grossly overrated and which for various reasons are repeatedly underrated? Well to discuss this question precisely, I am thrilled to welcome Dr Tim Hames onto the podcast to discuss his book, Measuring Monarchy, The Most Overrated and Underrated British Kings and Queens. Was King Stephen really all that bad? Why should we not throw so much love Richard I’s way and was Gloriana, Queen Elizabeth I herself, all that she's cracked up to be?

Elizabeth I famously never married or produced children. The subject of her succession was an almost constant conversation and concern for her councillors and courtiers, made more problematic by factionalism, for there were actually a great many people with a strong claim to the throne of England. To discuss these very people, I am pleased to welcome historian and author Beverley Adams onto the podcast. Her upcoming book is The Race for Elizabeth I’s Throne and acts as the basis for our conversation today. Who were the younger grey sisters and why did Elizabeth so clearly dislike them, what of their cousins, the Clifford's, who was the seldom discussed but fabulously named Ferdinando Stanley, one of the few men alive at the time with a strong claim, and why, in the end was James VI of Scotland always going to be the inevitable successor?

Coins are a physical tangible link to the past, history in metal that we can carry in our very hand. Coinage is central to the history of Great Britain, made more fascinating still because of our long and rich monarchical history. In todays episode, the 100th episode, I am pleased to talk to Gregory Edmund from Spink auctioneers. An expert in coinage, Gregory joins me to discuss something known collectively as the Carrington collection, a remarkable 130 piece collection of coins starting way back with King Henry III, through the hundreds years war, the wars of the roses and ending with Queen Elizabeth I herself. 

This week, I am thrilled to welcome Dr Elizabeth Norton back to the podcast for the third time as we dive into the stories behind her upcoming book, Women who Ruled the World, 5000 Years of Female Monarchy. In this book, as you can probably guess, Dr Norton looks at female rule over the past five millennia, from Cleopatra of Egypt to Empress Wu of China, Catherine the Great to Elizabeth II, this book has it all - political pawns, fighters, murderers, victims, but all of them have something in common, they dared to rule, often in a world where the very notion was deemed impossible .