The Real Virgin Mary

We think we know the Vikings, but how well do we really know them?From the insignia we think they wear, to the names they call themselves and the way they spoke to each other, there's a lot to uncover.Joining Kate today is Dr. Caitlin Ellis, historian and Associate Professor at the University of Oslo, to take us back to this world and find out more.This episode 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.

5 Apr 202440min

Of all the taboo topics covered on Betwixt the Sheets, this one might make you wince the most.But it cannot be denied that poo and our management of it through history has massively shaped human civilisation.What are the evolutionary reasons why we're so repulsed? What would happen if you came across the Aztec poo goblin? And what does the future hold for us and our poo?Joining us today is the marvellous Suzie Edge, author of History Stinks!: Poo Through The Ages to tell us more.This episode was edited by Tom Delargy. The producer was Stuart Beckwith and 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.

2 Apr 202435min

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

This is the story of one of the most notorious women of the Ancient world.Phrynne was a sex worker in the 4th century BC who came from an impoverished background to be one of the most talked about, and wealthiest, women in Greece.What do we know about her remarkable life? Was it true that by exposing her breasts in court, she was acquitted from a potential death penalty? And how has her influence been felt in the centuries since then?Joining Kate today is Melissa Funke, author of Phryne: A Life in Fragments, to find out more.This episode 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.

19 Mar 202448min

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