The Manosphere vs Tudor England: Have We Heard This Before?

I recently watched Louis Theroux' documentary "Inside the Manosphere", in which he interviewed several members of the online Manosphere, a community of influencers promoting controversial views of women. And I couldn’t stop thinking about Tudor England, because as I listened to these modern influencers, their ideas about women - what they expect, how they judge, and how they define women’s roles - felt strangely familiar. It connected directly with something I’ve been exploring recently: how women like Anne Boleyn and Elizabeth Woodville have been labelled as the seductress and the witch, and how history is full of women branded as she-wolves, unnatural, or dangerous. In this video, I explore:

How Manosphere views on women compare to attitudes in the medieval and Tudor periods
The historical roots of double standards around sex, power, and control
Whether these modern ideas are echoes of the past, or something even more extreme

And I ask:

Are these attitudes really new, or have we heard them all before?
And why are some voices trying to turn back the clock?

A big thank you to my Privy Council channel members for their insights during our recent Zoom discussion, some of which helped shape this video. Sources:
Louis Theroux: Inside The Manosphere, Netflix
Adultery in the Middle Ages by Jo Geisen - https://sites.up.edu/earlybritishsurvey/adultery-in-the-middle-ages/
Women in Early Modern England by Sara Mendelson and Patricia Crawford

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(1003)

Was Henry VIII really catfished by Anne of Cleves?

It's one of the most famous stories surrounding Henry VIII's fourth marriage. Hans Holbein the Younger was supposedly sent to Cleves to paint Anne's portrait, produced an image that made her look far ...

29 Jul 26min

Did Christina of Denmark REALLY Say "If I Had Two Heads..."?

Did Christina of Denmark really tell Henry VIII, "If I had two heads, one would be at His Majesty's disposal"?It's one of the most famous quotations associated with Henry VIII's search for a fourth wi...

23 Jul 10min

Why Couldn't Henry VIII "Do It" With Anne of Cleves?

Did Henry VIII Have Erectile Dysfunction? The Anne of Cleves Bedroom MysteryDid Henry VIII and Anne of Cleves ever actually "do it"?Henry claimed that his marriage to Anne was never consummated becaus...

21 Jul 28min

Did Henry VIII Almost Take Anne of Cleves Back?

Why did so many people believe Henry VIII would remarry Anne of Cleves after Catherine Howard's fall?While researching my forthcoming event, The Rise and Fall of Catherine Howard, I noticed something ...

15 Jul 8min

Should We Stop Diagnosing Henry VIII?

Was Henry VIII a narcissist? A psychopath? A sociopath?These labels are increasingly applied to England's most famous king, but after years of researching Henry VIII and reading contemporary sources, ...

5 Jul 14min

Henry VIII: Not Like Other Kings

Why did Henry VIII marry so differently from other European monarchs? Most Renaissance kings married for diplomacy, alliances and dynastic advantage. Personal attraction might have mattered, but poli...

28 Jun 29min

Was Anne Boleyn Really the Love of Henry VIII's Life?

People often call Anne Boleyn the love of Henry VIII's life, but was she really? In this video, I'm taking a closer look at one of the most romanticised relationships in Tudor history and asking whet...

22 Jun 16min

People Were Protesting Immigration in England 500 Years Ago

The history of immigration in England is far older than many people realise. Immigration in Tudor England, medieval England and even Roman Britain helped shape the nation we know today. People often ...

16 Jun 28min