The Celebrity Sex Worker of Ancient Greece

We've been fascinated by royalty for hundreds of years, but what do we know about their sex lives? Quite a lot, it turns out.Today we're revisiting an episode Kate recorded with bestselling author Eleanor Herman to find out about what it took to not just be a mistress of a royal, but keep competitors at bay, too.This episode was edited by Tom Delargy and Matt Peaty. It was produced by Stuart Beckwith and Sophie Gee, the senior producer was Charlotte Long.Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for £1 per month for 3 months with code BETWIXT sign up at https://historyhit/subscription/You can take part in our listener survey here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

29 Mar 202442min

Whilst ballet is undoubtedly one of the most graceful and elegant art forms, it also has a long and dark history of sexual exploitation.How did King Louis XIV's love of the ballet fundamentally change it? What was the patronage system and how did dancers use it to their advantage? And who were some of the female pioneers who embraced sexuality within the ballet?Joining Kate today is Deirdre Kelly, author of Ballerina: Sex, Scandal and Suffering Behind the Symbol of Perfection, to find out more.This podcast was edited by Tom Delargy and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for £1 per month for 3 months with code BETWIXT sign up at https://historyhit/subscription/You can take part in our listener survey here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

26 Mar 202455min

Abraham Lincoln is often thought of as the most loved president in America's history, but how much do we know about his personal life?Furthermore, how much do we know about his sexuality, and the potential he might have been gay?Joining Kate today are Callie Hawkins and Joan Cummins, who work at Lincoln Cottage, where he lived for over a quarter of his presidency.They also host their podcast, Q&Abe, which covers questions that visitors to the cottage often ask them, including whether he was gay or not.This podcast was edited and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for £1 per month for 3 months with code BETWIXT sign up at https://historyhit/subscription/You can take part in our listener survey here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

21 Mar 202438min

The Vikings have a fair claim to being the most overly-eroticised group of people in history. It's fair to say this is somewhat reductive.What forms did sexuality take in Viking society? How was magic a part of their understandings of sexuality? And what were their attitudes to sexual violence?Joining Kate today to tell us more is Marianne Hem Eriksen, Associate Professor of Archaeology at Leicester University. Marianne is also leader of Body Politics, a research project which is looking at, amongst other things, sexuality in the Viking Ages.This episode was edited by Tom Delargy. The producer was Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for £1 per month for 3 months with code BETWIXT sign up at https://historyhit/subscription/You can take part in our listener survey here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

15 Mar 202448min

Whether it's a declaration of love, anger or rebellion against the government, graffiti can give us incredible insight into the social history of everyday people.By the 18th century it's recognised by authorities a serious social problem and a threat to their positions of power.How was graffiti used to fuel political unrest? How was it used to aid the sex trade? And how was it used in solving a murder trial? Joining us today is Maddy Pelling, co-host of sister podcast After Dark and author of the book Writing on the Wall: Graffiti, Rebellion and the Making of Eighteenth-Century Britain, released on March 28th and available for pre-order now.This episode was edited by Tom Delargy. The producer was Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for £1 per month for 3 months with code BETWIXT sign up at https://historyhit/subscription/ You can take part in our listener survey here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

12 Mar 202448min

How did a peasant girl go on to lead French armies at the age of 17?To mark International Women's Day on March 8th, Kate's joined by Eleanor Janega, co-host of sister podcast Gone Medieval, to explore the life of the formidable Joan of Arc.How did her visions of saving France from the English play a part in her life? Why was it significant that she wore men's clothes and led armies? And what's her legacy today?This episode was edited and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.Eleanor's book, The Once and Future Sex, is out now in paperback.Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for £1 per month for 3 months with code BETWIXT sign up at https://historyhit/subscription/You can take part in our listener survey here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

8 Mar 202448min

Come with us back to Renaissance England, when writers were playing with ideas of sexuality in interesting ways.How much of a filth bag was Shakespeare? How did he play with the ideas of power dynamics for pleasure in his plays? And what were other writers doing to explore non-traditional ideas of sex, fantasy and desire?Joining Kate today are Joseph Gamble and Gillian Knoll, co-editors of the forthcoming book The Kinky Renaissance, which explore questions of sexual history through modern-day kink cultures. This episode was edited by Tom Delargy. The producer was Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for £1 per month for 3 months with code BETWIXT sign up at https://historyhit/subscription/ You can take part in our listener survey here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

5 Mar 202445min