The Tudor Chest Podcast

The Missing Tudor Palaces

In the Footsteps of Anne Boleyn with Dr Sarah Morris

Sarah Morris is a historian, author and also my colleague as co-director of our historic tour company, Simply Tudor Tours. She joins me today for a fascinating discussion based around the book she wrote alongside Natalie Grueninger, In the Footsteps of Anne Boleyn. This book charts the many locations both in England but across Europe which are closely associated with Anne Boleyn, and thanks to Sarah’s encyclopaedic knowledge of what happened and where, she is able to recreate and reimagine spaces that no longer exist or look very different and place us in the 16th century. Whether it’s the room at Windsor Castle in which Anne Boleyn was made Marquess of Pembroke to the sadly lost parts of the Tower of London that Anne Boleyn knew well, Sarah knows it all, and can help us all imagine what is now lost.

The House of Dudley with Dr Joanne Paul

Dr Joanne Paul is a historian, author, broadcaster and former lecturer at Sussex University. She joins me today for a fascinating and at times amusing discussion all about the house of Dudley, the famous family for whom the tower of London and execution would loom large, from the hated Edmund Dudley, to John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, to the charismatic great love of Queen Elizabeth I’s life, Robert Dudley, earl of Leicester. This was a family who came from very humble stock, but who would rise to the very top of the Tudor nobility, witnessing up close all of the drama associated to this most infamous of royal dynasties.

A Gentleman from Japan with Tom Lockley

In September 1588 Sir Thomas Cavendish, an English explorer and pirate arrived back into London following a lengthy trip around the world, but Thomas did not arrive back in England alone, for within his party were two men, Christopher and Cosmos, from Japan. To tell this amazing story, I am pleased to welcome Tom Lockley onto the podcast. Tom is based in Japan and has spent the past eight years researching the story of Christopher, with his book, A Gentleman from Japan, the Untold Story of an Incredible Journey from Asia to Queen Elizabeth’s Court, acting as the basis for our discussion. Join me as we uncover the fascinating and surprising story of the moment when the last Tudor monarch was introduced to the very first person from Japan to ever set foot on British soil.

Who were the Tudors?

They are Britain's most famous royal dynasty, and yet the House of Tudor was one which should never have sat on the throne of England in the first place. Their lineage was noble, but by no means as grand as many other families in England, and yet they managed to eventually succeed in displacing the house of Plantagenet, who had ruled England for over 300 years. So what actually was their lineage? How did they descend from King Edward III, did this give them the right to wear the crown? How did the name of "Tudor" actually make it's way into English history?

Margaret of Anjou - The "She Wolf" of France

Margaret of Anjou was queen of England via her marriage to perhaps England's most inept king, Henry VI. She has become famous as the "she wolf" of France, a spiteful aggressive woman who cut down her enemies and revelled in causing pain, but how accurate is this assessment? Has Shakespeare done the dirty on this fascinating medieval queen, or was she truly the evil shrew we've all been taught?

Anna and the House of Cleves with Dr Heather Darsie

Dr Heather Darsie is an American attorney and historian who specialises in German medieival and Tudor history. She has written extensively on the subject and has released two books, Anna, Duchess of Cleves: The Kings Beloved Sister and Children of the House of Cleves, Anna and her Siblings. She joins me today for a fascinating discussion about the Cleves family, including of course, it’s most famous member, Anna, the fourth wife of Henry VIII known to history as the ugly flanders mare, or was she? Heather’s incredible research has led her to many significant conclusions which entirely re-write the accepted reasons for the breakdown in the marriage between Henry VIII and Anna of Cleves, she is even firmly of the belief that their marriage was fully consummated and that ultimately the one person who is to blame for the breakdown of the couples relationship was neither party, but Anna’s brother, Duke Wilhelm of Julich-Cleves-Berge. Prepare to re-think everything you thought you knew about this fascinating family!

Henry VIII and Hollywood

He's the most famous king in all of British history and has been a staple of Hollywood since the dawn of film, being played by some of the greatest actors to ever walk the earth, including Richard Burton, Keith Michell and Damien Lewis, but which of the many interpretations of Henry VIII are the closest to the real man? Which leave much to be desired? Well I cover it all, with unapologetic frankness in my opinions! Happy listening!

Lady Arbella Stuart - England's Lost Queen with Sarah Gristwood

She's one the lesser known Tudor's, but has a story as dramatic and shocking as many of her more famous relatives. The direct descendant of Henry VII, Lady Arbella Stuart was a one time candidate to succeed Queen Elizabeth I, and yet her story is one seldom explored or discussed at any length. To help me unpack the story of this lost Tudor Princess I am thrilled to welcome Historian, Author and Broadcaster Sarah Gristwood onto The Tudor Chest Podcast. Sarah's book, "Abrella, England's Lost Queen" is the sole in depth examination of this fascinating figure, and so she was the ideal guest to come onto the show. Enjoy! 

Elizabeth Woodville - Queen, Queen Dowager, Survivor

She is known to history as the most beautiful Queen in English history and immortalised for modern audiences as "The White Queen", but who was the real Elizabeth Woodville? How did she rise from being the widow of a mere Lancastrian knight, to becoming the wife and queen of the first Yorkist King in English History?