Not Just the Tudors

If you think that the female spy is a 20th century phenomenon - be it Mata Hari, Mrs Zigzag or Eve Polastri - think again! Accounts of numerous 17th century 'she-intelligencers' have lain undiscovere...

27 Maj 202441min

Six wives - six lives that we think we know everything about. But beyond their mostly doomed marriages to Henry VIII and, in most cases, tragic ends, here were six women who shaped history in their o...

23 Maj 202438min

Margaret Tudor - daughter of King Henry VII, sister to Henry VIII - was married at 13 to James IV of Scotland, learning the skills of statecraft that would enable her to survive his early death and to...

20 Maj 202441min

The acclaimed TV series Shogun, now screening on Disney+, is based on true events. Its main character John Blackthorne is modelled on William Adams, the English pilot of a Dutch ship that arrived on J...

16 Maj 202431min

Fans of historical fiction and crime novels have been saddened to learn of the recent death of the award-winning, best-selling author C.J. Sansom, just days before the release of Shardlake - the TV se...

13 Maj 202436min

**This episode contains conversation about sexual behaviour**In early modern Europe, acting upon same-sex desires was forbidden. We only know of many of the cases because of records of criminal trial...

9 Maj 202451min

Sir Walter Raleigh remains one of the most famous men of the Elizabethan era. He was a true Renaissance man - a statesman, soldier, writer, explorer and a favourite of Queen Elizabeth I. In 1594, Ral...

6 Maj 202425min

In 1603, Queen Elizabeth I died and King James VI of Scotland, became King James I of England. Elizabeth was a hard act to follow for the Scottish newcomer who faced a host of problems in his first y...

1 Maj 202443min