In early 1554 a rebellion against queen Mary I broke out over fears that her impending marriage to Philip II of Spain would plunge England into becoming nothing more than an extension of Spain. This rebellion has become known as Wyatt’s rebellion, for one of its key architects was Thomas Wyatt the younger. The rebellion would end in failure, but what actually was it and who was involved, how serious was the threat against Queen Mary and why was its biggest casualty Lady Jane Grey, despite her not being remotely involved?

Much of Katharine of Aragon’s story is dominated by the end of her marriage to King Henry VIII, but we seldom explore where it all started, back in her native homeland of Spain. What was Katharine of Aragon's ancestry, how did her marriages into the English royal family come about, and how did Katharines mother Isabella work with Henry VII to help legitimise each others claims to their respective thrones? Well to answer all of this I welcome back historian, author and attorney Heather Darsie onto the show. Heather’s latest book, Katharine of Aragon, Spanish Princess, which comes out next month in the UK, is the basis for our conversation. Prepare to learn a lot about Katharine of Aragon that you did not know!

She is the woman who started it all, the Tudor dynasty's matriarch, Margaret Beaufort, mother of King Henry VII and a truly fascinating figure in her own right. In recent years thanks to historic fiction, she has become a figure of controversy, portrayed as an evil religious zealot, obsessed with getting her son on the throne, but is this interpretation of her in any way accurate? Well today I am thrilled to welcome historian and author Lauren Johnson onto the podcast for the first time. Lauren’s upcoming book, Margaret Beaufort, Survivor, Rebel, Kingmaker, is the backbone of this conversation, so join Lauren and I as we explore the life of Margaret Beaufort and smash apart some of the long held beliefs about her life, and life story.

Lady Jane Grey hit the headlines a couple of weeks ago when news broke that a portrait, quite possibly of Jane, painted from life had resurfaced. Today, I welcome Rachel Turnbull, Senior Collections Conservator in Fine Art for English Heritage onto the podcast. Rachel was the person at the very centre of this discovery and examination. She joins me to discuss the research, what new features from the portrait were discovered and how changes were made, likely long after the original painting was completed, to change the way the sitter is presented.

We all know that the Tudors took the throne from King Richard III at the battle of Bosworth, thus ending the decades long wars of the roses, but, who actually were the two sides of this ongoing battle, how did the families of Lancaster and York split off, who were they, what was their royal descent, and of course the big question, who had the better overall claim? Well to discuss this and a whole lot more about this fascinating period of history, I am thrilled to welcome back historian and author Gareth Streeter onto the podcast to tells me all you need to know about who exactly were the houses of Lancaster and York.

In todays episode I am delighted to be welcoming back Dr Elizabeth Norton for a discussion all about Jane Seymour, with our conversation based around Elizabeth’s book, Jane Seymour, Henry VIII’s True Love. We discuss Jane’s early life, what roles she played at court, how she behaved as queen and ask the questions, just what would have happened to Jane had she lived longer, or more crucially, if she had failed to deliver a son, so sit back and enjoy as I discuss, by Elizabeth Norton’s own admission, the wife of King Henry VIII who is perhaps the least popular, but had a monumental impact on his reign nonetheless.

When we hear the name Boleyn, we naturally jump to the world of the Tudors and one of the most famous women in British history, Anne Boleyn, but, Anne and her family didn’t just pop out of the ground, there were of course many generations of Boleyn’s before her, so who were they? Well today I am thrilled to welcome Dr Claire Martin onto the podcast for a discussion on this very subject. We discuss how the Boleyn family started out, what led to Boleyn involvement in the wars of the roses and how Anne’s great-grandfather, Geoffrey became one of the most important men in London.

Charles Brandon is the man who was Henry VIII’s best friend, a career courtier who owed basically all of his rise to the house of Tudor, preferment that eventually led to his being made Duke of Suffolk. He is famous for his scandalous marriages, from dumping one intended wife to marry her much older and much richer aunt, to marrying Henry VIII’s own sister in secret, but what about the man beyond the marriages? Who was he, how did he get his place at court and is there an argument that actually his soul mate, in a totally platonic way, was, in fact, Henry VIII? Today historian Michael Hoy joins me to chat all about this fascinating figure, a true survivor of Henry VIII's court.

Elizabeth Boleyn, Countess of Wiltshire is famous as the mother of Queen Anne Boleyn, and yet Elizabeth herself remains an extremely elusive figure. So much of her story is unknown, which is why I was so excited to learn that the very first book about Elizabeth Boleyn has been written and will be released later this year. I am thrilled to say that the books author, Sophie Bacchus Waterman is this weeks podcast guest. She joins me to discuss this fascinating but hugely overlooked figure, and although much still remains unknown, Sophie has discovered some new insights which do help us piece together something of who this woman was, so join Sophie and I as we explore the life of this remarkable woman, the mother of England’s most infamous queen consort.

When you think about Queen Mary I it’s probably Antonis Mor’s famous portrait of her that instantly pops into your head, or maybe its the stunning image of Mary in her 20s on display at the national portrait gallery. The truth however is that Mary is depicted in literally hundreds of different images, from portraits and sketches to legal documents and of course in coinage. To discuss Mary’s imagery I am thrilled to welcome Dr Peter Stiffell onto the podcast. Peter is an expert in the story of Mary I and has catalogued all known images of her, enabling him to gain incredible insight into the life of the very first queen regnant in English history.

If there is one thing about Anne Boleyn that fascinates almost everyone who loves Tudor history, its discussing what on earth she actually looked like. All we have to go on, at least for now, is a series of portraits painted after Anne Boleyn’s death and that damaged medal which was struck in 1534, but, is it just possible that a portrait of Anne Boleyn, painted from life has been hiding in plain sight all along? Today I speak to Elizabeth LaVasse, who has been researching Anne’s many images and has developed what I think could be an incredible theory, which if true, will take the world of Anne Boleyn portraiture by storm.

Brigitte Barnard is a Tudor fictional author and fully qualified midwife who joins me today for a fascinating discussion all about Tudor midwifery. We cover the stories of Tudor women from the very top of society right down to the poorest. From the rules around confinement to bizarre birthing rituals, to the things that remain as prominent in giving birth today as they did for those in the 16th century. We also explore some of the stories told about the ramifications of Henry VIII’s wives pregnancies, from what ultimately killed Jane Seymour to a theory around Henry’s blood type being the root cause for much of his wives pregnancy misfortunes!

Sylvia Barbara Soberton is a historian and author who joins me today for a discussion all about Anne Boleyn and witchcraft! Many historians refute claims that Anne was actually accused of being in a witch during her downfall in May 1536, but Sylvia has uncovered evidence which gives us pause for thought on this front, and that actually there is much more to the story than initially believed. Today we cover this all and much more as we explore the notions of exactly what witchcraft was in the context of Anne Boleyn’s story.

Hello and welcome back to the first episode of the tudor chest podcast for 2025! This week I am thrilled to welcome tudor food historian Brigitte Webster onto the show for a discussion all about how the tudors ate and drank. We look at table manners, Henry VIII’s favourite foods, what influence foreign cuisine had and even discuss the fact that the tudors had takeaways, yes, you heard that right! Brigitte is at the very top of her field and is remarkably knowledgeable, you’re in for quite a treat, so sit back and listen as we explore all things tudor food and drink!

Jackson van Uden is a historian and one of the key personnel involved in the Katherine of Aragon festival which takes place each year at Peterborough Cathedral, the location of Katherine’s grave, and Peterborough Museum. From talks to tours, light displays and even a commemoration to Katherine with representatives from Rome involved, its a spectacular event and one that has been going on, surprisingly, for literally hundreds of years in one way or another! Today Jackson and I discuss this festival and more around Katherine’s story, and explore why we believe her story is one that is often misrepresented.

Dr Estelle Paranque is an associate professor in history at Northeastern University London and is also a historian, broadcaster and author, who joins me today for a discussion about Catherine de Medici and Queen Elizabeth I. Estelle’s book, Blood, Fire and Gold is the basis for todays conversation, so sit back and enjoy as we discuss how these two formidable women, one a queen regnant and the other a queen consort and then queen mother went head to head across their momentous reigns.

Today I am talking to historian and author Emily Murdoch Perkins about her latest book, Regina - the queens who could have been. In this book, Emily charts the lives of royal women from over 1,200 years of English history and asks the question, would any of them made good queens regnant? From very well known figures such as Empress Matilda and Elizabeth of York, to characters seldom explored or discussed, including a medieval princess who pleaded with her father to be able to lose her virginity and to another who appeared completely naked before the entire court to prove she did not suffer from leprosy. Buckle in to explore the lives of so many remarkable royal women, many of whom remained in the shadows, until now!

This week I am talking to historian and author Wendy Dunn all about Catherine Carey, the daughter of Mary Boleyn. Wendy has written a full length biography of Catherine Carey, and believes firmly that she was not the daughter of Mary Boleyn’s first husband William Stafford, but was, in fact, an illegitimate child of King Henry VIII’s. Wendy and I discuss Catherine’s upbringing, her role at the royal court, whether there is any truth in the legend that she accompanied her aunt Anne Boleyn to the scaffold and how she grew to be one of the most trusted and admired figures at the court of Queen Elizabeth I, who, following Catherine’s death granted her a funeral so lavish that it may well prove the theory that Catherine was not Elizabeth’s cousin, but may have been her half-sister instead.

Dr Eleanor Jackson is a curator at the British Library, responsible for creating the incredible new exhibition they have on display, Medieval Women, Voices and Visions. This remarkable exhibition brings together artefacts including letters, statues, trial records, table wear and so much more, beautifully telling the stories of medieval women. Many of the items have ties to some of the most iconic women from history, including the Empress Matilda, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Margaret of Anjou and even Joan of Arc. Equally, there are tales of your every day medieval woman, from a girl who broke a rib whilst ice-skating to a court case against a 14th century sex worker, who though born male, lived, identified and worked as a woman, so join me as we journey back through four hundred years of medieval history brought together in this remarkable exhibition.

Natalie Grueninger is a historian and author, known for her incredible podcast series, talking tudors. A couple of years ago Natalie released her book, the final year of Anne Boleyn, which as the title suggests, charts the final year of Anne Boleyn’s life and how many of the seeds that eventually brought her down were sown long before May 1536. In writing this book, Natalie uncovered aspects of Anne’s story that are either seldom explored, unknown or massively misunderstood, from Anne’s miscarriages, how her arrest played out and indeed what happened to Anne’s remains after she was beheaded. All will be covered in this episode!