Wife-Swapping Magician of the Tudor Court

Wife-Swapping Magician of the Tudor Court

The 16th century was a dangerous time to be talking about magic and hidden forces, so how did John Dee end up being invited into Elizabeth I's court?


He was an astronomer, occultist and alchemist who dedicated his life to understanding how celestial activity influenced life on earth.


What happened when he thought angels told him to swap wives with another mystic? How did his influence impact the Tudor court? And why was he never accused of witchcraft?


Joining Kate today is Rachel Morris, author of The Years of the Wizard: The Strange History and Home Life of Renaissance Magicians.


This episode was edited by Tom Delargy and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.


Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.


You can take part in our listener survey here.


All music from Epidemic Sounds.


Betwixt the Sheets: History of Sex, Scandal & Society is a History Hit podcast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episoder(400)

How Filthy Were The Romans?

How Filthy Were The Romans?

Some of the key remnants of the Roman Empire are their public baths - huge complexes, multiple different rooms, the basis of many of our modern spas. But were the Romans clean?How regularly did they w...

2 Jan 36min

How Sexy Was Shakespeare?

How Sexy Was Shakespeare?

There's a bit of interest around Shakespeare at the minute - can we call this the Paul Mescal effect?The Bard’s work featured many references to sex and sexuality - some more obvious than others. But ...

30 Des 202547min

How Hot Was Lord Byron?

How Hot Was Lord Byron?

How 'mad, bad and dangerous to know' was Lord Byron really?We know the Romantic poet had a bit of a reputation, but how true was it? And how unusual would his behaviour have been?In this episode from ...

26 Des 202542min

How Has Porn Changed Through History?

How Has Porn Changed Through History?

With Christmas around the corner and everything being oh-so wholesome, we thought we would offer an episode from the archives of something not-so wholesome: a history of porn.What did porn look like b...

23 Des 202546min

Who Was The Virgin Mary?

Who Was The Virgin Mary?

Despite virginity being a myth, why has Mary’s virginity been considered so important?What does this tell us about the relationship between Christianity and sex? And what else do we know about this wo...

19 Des 202541min

The Truth About Sigmund Freud

The Truth About Sigmund Freud

It's the one we've all been waiting for!The Oedipus Complex; the oral, anal and phallic stages; penis envy; psychoanalysis - we've all heard of Sigmund Freud's work. But who was he?What did Freud real...

16 Des 202553min

Inside the Royal Harems of the Ottoman Empire

Inside the Royal Harems of the Ottoman Empire

You can't move for people talking about the Roman Empire or the British Empire, but what about the Ottoman Empire?It spanned a huge period of time and at the heart of it was the Royal harem: enslaved ...

12 Des 202550min

The Mother of All Tudors: Child Bride to Kingmaker

The Mother of All Tudors: Child Bride to Kingmaker

Ever heard of Margaret Beaufort? Probably not. But whilst her name has been overshadowed by those of her son, grandson and great-grandchildren, her impact on history remains.Lauren Johnson joins Kate ...

9 Des 202550min

Populært innen Historie

rss-dette-ma-aldri-skje-igjen
henrettelsespodden
historier-som-endret-norge
rss-benadet
rss-historiske-romanser
med-egne-oyne
sektledere
rss-katastrofe
rss-nadelose-nordmenn-gestapo
aftenposten-historie
historier-som-endret-verden
rss-strid-de-norske-borgerkrigene
historiepodden
historiepodden-ww2
rss-frontkjemperne
rss-historiepodden-ww2
rss-gamle-greier
liberal-halvtime
rss-alt-var-bedre-for
undersattene