The Tudor Chest - The Podcast

Dr Eleanor Jackson is a curator at the British Library, responsible for creating the incredible new exhibition they have on display, Medieval Women, Voices and Visions. This remarkable exhibition brings together artefacts including letters, statues, trial records, table wear and so much more, beautifully telling the stories of medieval women. Many of the items have ties to some of the most iconic women from history, including the Empress Matilda, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Margaret of Anjou and even Joan of Arc. Equally, there are tales of your every day medieval woman, from a girl who broke a rib whilst ice-skating to a court case against a 14th century sex worker, who though born male, lived, identified and worked as a woman, so join me as we journey back through four hundred years of medieval history brought together in this remarkable exhibition.

Natalie Grueninger is a historian and author, known for her incredible podcast series, talking tudors. A couple of years ago Natalie released her book, the final year of Anne Boleyn, which as the title suggests, charts the final year of Anne Boleyn’s life and how many of the seeds that eventually brought her down were sown long before May 1536. In writing this book, Natalie uncovered aspects of Anne’s story that are either seldom explored, unknown or massively misunderstood, from Anne’s miscarriages, how her arrest played out and indeed what happened to Anne’s remains after she was beheaded. All will be covered in this episode!

Dr Helen Castor is a historian, author and broadcaster who is best known for her work on some of histories most fascinating women, from Eleanor of Aquitaine to Joan of Arc, Isabella of France to Lady Jane Grey, however, her most recent book, published only a few weeks ago breaks the mould, for in it she explores the life of two of medieval England’s kings. The eagle and the hart, the tragedy of Richard ii and Henry iv is this book, a remarkable and highly detailed exploration of these very very different kings and how, as the title suggests, their lives and more accurately their reigns descended into tragedy. I am thrilled to welcome Helen onto the podcast today to discuss her book, this is a long episode folks, so buckle in as we hop out of the world of the Tudors and into that of the Plantagenets.

It's Halloween, and so it's only right that this week I explore the stories of Tudor ghosts! From Anne Boleyn to the Princes in the Tower, Margaret Pole to Walter Raleigh, I'm thrilled to welcome this weeks guest, Lizzie Goff onto the podcast to walk me through some of the most famous Tudor spooks said to be out there. Lizzie runs the popular Historical Gal Instagram and TikTok, and has spent a lot of time exploring the stories of some of histories most infamous figures and their apparitions which are said to haunt some of England’s most famous historical sites!

A letter, said to have been written or dictated by Anne Boleyn, as she languished in the tower of London, awaiting execution, is one of the most famous artifacts associated with Henry VIII’s doomed second wife. My guest today, author, historian and researcher, Sandra Vasoli, has been working on and researching this letter for the past 12 years, discovering remarkable clues to assert its authenticity, and her research is far from over, she’s even bringing AI into the mix to help bring more intelligence forward. We discuss the letters provenance, what is written and Sandi shares insight into the research she is undertaking. Sandi also discusses her own views on why she believes the letter is authentic, and what she believes Anne was hoping to achieve when she wrote it.

A letter, said to have been written or dictated by Anne Boleyn, as she languished in the tower of London, awaiting execution, is one of the most famous artifacts associated with Henry VIII’s doomed second wife. My guest today, author, historian and researcher, Sandra Vasoli, has been working on and researching this letter for the past 12 years, discovering remarkable clues to assert its authenticity, and her research is far from over. Sandi will discuss the letter, its provenance, what is written and shares insight into the research she is undertaking, as well as her own views on why she believes the letter is authentic, and what she believes Anne was hoping to achieve when she wrote it.

Jane, Katherine and Mary Grey were the three sisters who, via their mother, were royal princesses of the house of Tudor. Jane, the eldest, is of course famous as the nine days queen, with her life ending on the executioners scaffold, the stories of her younger sisters are far less well known, despite their prominence at the royal court and the dramas that both women would go through. Today, I am pleased to welcome historian and author Leanda de Lisle onto the show for a discussion all about these three, fascinating sisters. What were their early days like, who did they marry, and why did these marriages result in both sisters spending time in prison?

She goes by many names, Elizabeth Cavendish, Elizabeth Talbot, the Countess of Shrewsbury, but is perhaps best known as Bess of Hardwick. Although not born to great wealth or even a great name, she would become one of the most significant women of Elizabeth I’s reign, and would also count two prominent claimants to the throne as members of her family, but who actually was Bess of Hardwick? How did she become such a key figure in the reign of Elizabeth I, and what exactly where the business ventures she took on, that in many respects broke the mould for a woman of the time?

In 1502 the Tudor throne was rocked by a series of catastrophes which greatly troubled the security of King Henry VII’s grip on power. To help quash further unrest, he and his queen, Elizabeth of York embarked on a long progress through the south west of England and the south east of Wales. Today I am pleased to welcome my friend and business partner, Dr Sarah Morris onto the show for a discussion about this progress. Sarah will walk us through what a progress actually was, what impact it would have on the local area, what the significance of the places we are visiting were to Henry VII, plus much more!

Tudor portrait discoveries are always exciting, and even more exciting when it’s a tudor we don’t have many portraits of to start with! I was therefore thrilled when earlier this year a portrait by Nicholas Hilliard of Lady Arbella Stuart, a one time major contender to the English throne was unearthed and identified by historians Elizabeth Goldring and Emma Rutherford. Today, I have the pleasure of having both Elizabeth and Emma onto the show for a discussion all about this painting, from how they found it, how they identified who it was and what the portrait can tell us about both the court of Queen Elizabeth I and Arbella Stuart’s position within it.