British History: Royals, Rebels, and Romantics

As Henry made his way through years of various foreign alliances and diplomatic efforts, it was his marital merry-go-round that really shaped his reign. Various family members and wives filled the cou...

1 Juli 202018min

Like so many things, playmaking in Elizabethan England was more than it appeared. History plays could promote the message of the Queen’s reign and Tudor dynasty. But Shakespeare was more interested in...

24 Juni 202020min

Victoria was the youngest Queen England has ever known. It had been more than 100 years since last a Queen had been ruler of the country. There was anticipation and speculation about how this young wo...

17 Juni 202017min

Eleanor of Aquitaine lived for 82 years, an extraordinary accomplishment for someone living in the 12th century. She was Queen of France, Queen of England, a great patroness of the arts, and instrumen...

10 Juni 202016min

The story of the York brothers is part of the story of the English throne. I’m so grateful to Thomas Penn for his wealth of research on the relationships of these brothers. We typically think of the...

10 Juni 202020min

During the late 16th and early 17th centuries, while Shakespeare was writing his plays, the English language was undergoing many changes. Words were coming in from Greek and Roman texts, as well as wo...

2 Juni 202017min

More than 830,000 square feet of floor space, nearly 800 bedrooms, and 78 bathrooms; nearly 200 years of being the home of the Royal Family--is there more to the story for Buckingham Palace? Queen Vi...

30 Maj 202016min

Travel back in time to the birthplace of modern espionage: the court of Queen Elizabeth I and sneak into the world of Tudor Spies! The chaos in religious policy and its political implications laid th...

30 Maj 202015min