Enslaved Children in 16th Century Spain
Following the Second Granada War (1568-70), thousands of Moriscos in Spain were exiled, imprisoned or enslaved. Moriscos were former Muslims who had been compelled to convert to Roman Catholicism. But...
15 Maj 202344min
Witches of St Osyth
In March 1582, a number of women from the small Essex village of St Osyth, were hanged for the crime of witchcraft. Several others, including one man, died in prison, in what was a shocking and highly...
11 Maj 202357min
Louis XIV and his Mistresses
Louis XIV ruled France for more than 72 years, the longest recorded reign of any monarch of any sovereign country in history. Despite the devotion of his wife Maria Theresa of Spain, Louis took a seri...
8 Maj 202351min
Coronations of Charles I and Charles II
What could be more topical this week than looking back at the coronations of the first two Kings Charles. Charles I’s reign is best remembered for the events of the English Civil War, a conflict over ...
4 Maj 202334min
Lady Jane Grey
On a cold February morning in 1554, Lady Jane Grey was beheaded for high treason. Named by King Edward VI as his successor, Queen Jane had reigned for just 13 tumultuous days before being imprisoned i...
1 Maj 202351min
England’s First Ambassador to India: Thomas Roe
When Thomas Roe arrived in India in 1616 as James I's first ambassador to the Mughal Empire, the English barely had a toehold in the subcontinent. Roe was representing a kingdom that was beset by fina...
27 Apr 202353min
Mary Rose: Henry VIII’s Foreign Crew
In the 16th century, “strangers” was the name used in England for people who were born in territories not controlled by the Tudor monarchy. Thinking about Henry VIII’s armed forces, we might not expec...
24 Apr 202335min
Bess's Hardwick Hall
Hardwick Hall is a triumph of Elizabethan architecture. Built in the late sixteenth century, its halls, corridors and staircases embody the magnificence of the Renaissance period in England. But they ...
20 Apr 202338min
