<p>Professor Suzannah Lipscomb talks about everything from the Aztecs to witches, Velázquez to Shakespeare, Mughal India to the Mayflower. Not, in other words, just the Tudors, but most definitely also the Tudors.</p><br><p>Each episode Suzannah is joined by historians and experts to reveal incredib
How did a risky 16th-century venture evolve into a national enterprise that fuelled the rise of the British Empire? How did a vast network of royalty, politicians, cultural figures, and ordinary citizens finance human exploitation to expand British wealth and naval power? Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Professor William Pettigrew to trace the nation's deep entanglement with the transatlantic slave trade and explore why its legacy was systematically obscured. MORE How Protestants Justified Slavery Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify British Barbary Slaves Listen on Apple Listen on…
How did the son of an executed traitor rise to become the power behind young Edward VI? Was John Dudley a visionary patriot saving England from crisis or a ruthless opportunist who risked everything for ultimate power? Following the death of Henry VIII, Dudley seized control of the realm. However, his later gamble to put Lady Jane Grey on the throne condemned him to the executioner's block. Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and Dan Snow explore John Dudley's meteoric rise and catastrophic fall. Watch Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and Dan Snow's new series How The Tudors Lost Their Heads now on Nat…
In 1588, mathematician Thomas Harriot mapped a doomed colony and drafted the playbook for English empire. But did Indigenous culture reshape Shakespeare's England just as profoundly? Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr. Lauren Working to explore how indigenous knowledge, labour, and resources, from Bolivian silver to North American beaver pelts, vibrant feather work, and Algonquin smoking customs, infiltrated Tudor fashion and society. MORE Elizabethans in America Listen on Appl Listen on Spotify Pocahontas & the Virginian Venture Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Presented by…
How did a favourite of Elizabeth I go from royal darling to executed traitor? Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr. Alex Gajda and Dr. Will Tosh to explore the meteoric rise and catastrophic fall of Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex, one of the most glamorous yet volatile figures in Elizabethan England. Together they unpack the true motives behind Essex's rebellion and the surprising propaganda role played by William Shakespeare. Watch Prof. Suzannah Lipscomb's new series How The Tudors Lost Their Heads now on Nat Geo and Disney+ MORE Henry Wotton: Outlaw and Royal Spy Listen on Apple…
Why did the Dutch Republic risk everything to launch one of the boldest seaborne invasions in English history and overthrow King James II? Why did England’s defences collapse so quickly? How close did the operation come to disaster? In 1688, William of Orange led a Dutch armada of 16,000 troops across the North Sea, after years of diplomacy, financial manoeuvring and meticulous military planning. Yet victory was never guaranteed. Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr Arthur de Weduwen, to uncover the Dutch perspective on the revolution that reshaped Britain and Europe. MORE Queen Mary…
**CONTAINS VERY STRONG LANGUAGE & ADULT THEMES ** What really went on behind closed doors in the scandalous court of the "Merry Monarch"? What made John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester, both Restoration England's most notorious debauchee and sharpest literary mind? Rochester's razor-sharp verse sliced through religious hypocrisy, court politics, and even the King’s own reputation, pushing the boundaries of royal patience further than anyone else dared. Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and Rebecca Rideal explore the outrageous life of the ultimate libertine. MORE Charles II: Restoration of the…
Death, death, and more death surrounds Henry VIII's final years. What happens when a monarch is trapped by physical decay, paranoia, and lethal court factionalism? He may have secured an heir and severed ties with Rome, but Henry VIII found no peace. And once he turns away from you, he doesn't turn back. In our series finale, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and Dr. Joanne Paul explore the explosive 1540s to ask: was Henry’s legacy a sovereign nation, or a traumatised, ruined kingdom? MORE The Death of Henry VIII Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Henry VIII's Conscience and Contradictions Listen…
**Contains graphic description of execution ** What happened when one monarch's personal obsession dismantled an entire international order? How did Henry VIII transform a marriage crisis into the English Reformation—and at what point did royal ambition cross the line into outright tyranny? When papal authority, international diplomacy, and canon law stood between the king and his quest for an heir, Henry did not yield. Instead, he rewrote the legal and religious fabric of the realm. In the third episode of our series on Henry VIII, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and Dr. Joanne Paul enter the…
In the 1520s, a dynastic crisis loomed behind the brilliance of Henry VIII's court. Desperate for a male heir after Catherine of Aragon's string of tragic pregnancies, Henry's frustration mounted as his foreign military adventures failed and the pope stalled his annulment. Following grisly executions, public book burnings of Martin Luther's texts, the shocking elevation of an illegitimate son, Henry stood at a dangerous crossroads. Join Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and Dr. Joanne Paul to explore all this, plus the entrance of Anne Boleyn to the Tudor court... MORE Henry VIII's Billionaire…
How did a dazzling young Tudor prince become one of history's most notorious kings? How much of Henry VIII’s later tyranny was shaped by the world into which he was born? Long before the six wives, the Reformation and the executions, Henry started out as the charismatic, highly educated, athletic, second son, who was never expected to inherit the throne. But when his elder brother died in 1502, the spare suddenly became the heir. Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and Dr. Joanne Paul begin a four-part journey through the entire life of Henry VIII, starting with Henry’s childhood and the experiences…
What was everyday life like for an ordinary person in Tudor times? How did dramatic changes in population, climate, disease and the economy reshape villages across England? Professor Suzannah Lipscomb steps beyond the royal palaces to discover the world most people actually knew. She is joined by Professor Andy Wood who reveals the resilience, relationships and realities that shaped the lives of normal folk. MORE Normal Women with Philippa Gregory Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Tudors & Their Dogs Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Presented by Professor Suzannah Lipscomb. The researcher…
How did a child written off by the Tudor court rise to become one of England's most iconic monarchs? Before she became queen, Elizabeth Tudor was surrounded by scandal, suspicion and deadly intrigue. Born to Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII, Elizabeth was a princess by birth, until her mother was executed and her title revoked. Declared illegitimate and caught in a storm of politics, Elizabeth faced threats from all sides. Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr. Nicola Tallis to trace Elizabeth’s incredible transformation from disgraced daughter to Queen of England. MORE: Robert Dudley:…
How did Captain James Cook's scientific voyage of 1768 become a mission for the British empire? While expanding knowledge of Pacific geography and natural history, Captain Cook was under secret orders to claim lands for Britain. Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and Dr Sarah Easterby-Smith explore this legendary expedition which combined science, commerce and colonial expansion. MORE When Europeans reached Australia Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Magellan: The First Man to Sail the World Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Presented by Professor Suzannah Lipscomb. The researcher is Max Wintle,…
Who were the scandalous, defiant couple on the margins of Dutch society who became part of the founding story of New York? Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Professor Alan Mikhail to uncover the extraordinary lives of Anthony “the Turk” and Grietje Reyniers, who arrived in 17th-century New Amsterdam and quickly became infamous. Their story reveals a forgotten, messy and multicultural origin story of New York City, one far stranger than the myths America later told about itself. MORE The Birth of New York City Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Jamestown: From Colony to Cannibalism…
Was James V of Scotland a beleaguered child king or a brilliant Renaissance ruler who mastered the performance of power? Crowned before his second birthday, James curbed powerful magnates, strengthened royal authority and secured Scotland’s place in Europe, holding together a kingdom threatened by faction, England and religious upheaval. Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr Amy Blakeway to reassess a monarch who navigated politics, diplomacy and danger, while presiding over a dazzling court that embraced ceremony, humanist learning and spectacle. MORE Rise & Fall of James IV of…
How did a murderous, swaggering, wildly unreliable goldsmith become one of the most celebrated artists of the 16th century? Does genius excuse monstrous behaviour? Benvenuto Cellini's story is as shocking as it is dazzling, taking him from the bloody streets of Florence to the Sack of Rome, papal prisons, accusations of sodomy, spectacular jailbreaks and timeless artistic masterpieces. Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr. Noah Charney to explore Cellini's outrageous life. MORE Vasari: Inventor of Artistic Genius Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Michelangelo Listen on Apple Listen on…
Why does C.S. Lewis's Narnia - with its images of winter, sacrifice, kingship and renewal - continue to resonate with generations of readers? How did Lewis weave Renaissance symbolism and Christian imagination into one of literature’s best-loved fantasy worlds? Lewis’s deceptively simple children’s stories were shaped by his scholarship in classics, literature and theology. Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Professor Alister McGrath, to uncover the intellectual and historical influences behind these much-loved books. MORE The Man who Wrote Robinson Crusoe Listen on Apple Listen on…
What really happened inside England’s most feared court? Was the Star Chamber a sinister instrument of royal tyranny, or a vital route to justice for those ignored by ordinary law? From its rise under Henry VII to its abolition in 1641, the Star Chamber heard cases involving murder, witchcraft, libel, corruption, riots, political dissent and scandalous family feuds. Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr. Daniel Gosling to explore the dramatic history of one of the most controversial institutions in Tudor and Stuart England. MORE Ireland's Witchcraft Trials Listen on Apple Listen on…
Who really ruled Elizabethan England? For almost four decades, William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley, guided Queen Elizabeth I through religious turmoil, assassination plots, the threat of the Spanish Armada, the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots, and the unresolved question of succession. Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Jon Culverhouse to explore the life and legacy of the meticulous, fiercely Protestant statesman who became the indispensable power behind the Tudor throne. More Royal Favourites: Hatton, Elizabeth I's Favourite Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Elizabeth I's Spymaster,…
What was the French Revolution like for those who lived through it? What can private journals reveal that speeches, pamphlets and official records cannot? From the storming of the Bastille to the Terror and the guillotine, ordinary witnesses recorded the personal impact of 1789, political violence, revolutionary identity and everyday life in Paris. In this final episode of our mini-series on the French Revolution, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb finds out more from historian Michaela Kalcher. More: French Revolution: Storming of the Bastille Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Robespierre &…
Was Elizabeth I really as angry and bad tempered as history has always claimed? How did some of her most secret state letters come to be penned by a Spaniard, while England was at war with Spain? Professor Suzannah Lipscomb breaks the news of groundbreaking research that proves Elizabeth's secretaries - especially her 'spymaster' Francis Walsingham - put words into the Queen's mouth to amplify her tough image. Suzannah finds out more from Dr. Clodagh Murphy and Professor Nadine Akkerman. MORE Spycraft: From the Elizabethans to the Restoration Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Plots against…
How did the French Revolution, built on liberty, become ruled by fear? And how did Robespierre - the man who had sent kings, nobles and priests to their deaths - himself end up beneath the blade of the guillotine? Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and Professor Marisa Linton explore the rise and fall of the lawyer, revolutionary, and architect of the Reign of Terror, MORE: Marguerite de Navarre: Mother of Renaissance France Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify True Crime: Medici Murder at the Louvre Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Presented by Professor Suzannah Lipscomb. The researcher is Max…
Was the Protestant Reformation ever truly global? How did radical theology, empire, slavery and missionary ambition collide across the early modern world? The global spread of Christianity was marked by failure, compromise and moral evasion. Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr. Alec Ryrie to uncover the forgotten history of Protestant missions beyond Europe: from Lapland to Chile, from Barbados to Taiwan. MORE What did Henry VIII Believe? Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Dissolution of the Monasteries Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Presented by Professor Suzannah Lipscomb. The…
What drove a hungry city to storm a fortress? How did the fall of the Bastille become the defining symbol of the French Revolution? In this second episode of our series, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and Professor Marisa Linton visit Paris on the verge of revolt. Together they explore the build-up to the storming of the Bastille, one dramatic day which changed the heartbeat of the French Revolution. MORE Who Lit the French Revolution? Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Marie Antoinette Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Presented by Professor Suzannah Lipscomb. The researcher is Max Wintle,…
Was a London magistrate, found dead in a ditch in 1678, the victim of a Catholic conspiracy, political convenience, or secrets too dangerous to survive? Why did Edmund Berry Godfrey's murder send England into hysteria? Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr. Andrea McKenzie to reopen the case. Drawing on newly deciphered letters, secret correspondence and neglected archives, they uncover a murky world of espionage, faction, coded messages and lethal knowledge, where truth itself became dangerously unstable. MORE Charles II: Restoration of the Monarchy Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify…
How did a kingdom of palaces, privilege and powdered wigs collapse into revolution? What turned hunger into uprising? In this first episode of our series on the French Revolution, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and Dr. Charles Walton discuss the slow-burning crisis that transformed frustration into revolt. Together they explore life in Paris in 1789, where soaring bread prices, royal debt and radical new ideas pushed ordinary people to imagine a different world. MORE Montaigne: Philosopher of the French Renaissance Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Molière: Satire, Scandal & the Stage Listen on…
How did a Derbyshire gentlewoman become England’s richest woman after Elizabeth I? Why does she still fascinate us as her 500th anniversary approaches? From four marriages and vast wealth to Hardwick Hall, Chatsworth and the Cavendish dynasty, Bess of Hardwick turned survival into power. Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Professor Lisa Hopkins to discover a gripping story of female ambition, marriage, captivity, betrayal and court politics. MORE Bess's Hardwick Hall Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Mary, Queen of Scots: The Material Evidence Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify…
How did our understanding of the universe begin in a London coffee house? How did a man who had a comet named after him change science forever? From his youthful voyage to St Helena to chart the southern skies, to his pioneering studies of navigation, longitude, gravity, and the Earth’s atmosphere, Edmund Halley’s curiosity knew no bounds. Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by David K. Love to explore the remarkable life of one of the great figures of the Scientific Revolution. MORE Isaac Newton: The Man at the Centre of Gravity Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Sir Christopher Wren…
Why did the Pilgrims risk everything in search of a new life and religious freedom? Why does their contested history still matter ahead of the 250th anniversary of American independence? In 1620, the Mayflower carried English religious separatists, across the Atlantic to found Plymouth Colony. Professor Suzannah Lipscomb speaks with Professor John G. Turner about their dangerous Atlantic crossing, and the human stories behind the legendary Pilgrim Fathers. MORE The Bible Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Walter Raleigh’s Quest for El Dorado Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Presented by…
**This episode contains graphic explorations of starvation and cannibalism** What happens when a colony reaches the edge of survival? In this third episode leading up to the 250th anniversary of American independence, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and Dr Rachel Winchcombe examine the so-called Starving Time of 1609-1610, when Jamestown settlers faced famine, desperation and cannibalism. Together they reveal the complex human story behind early colonial America’s most infamous crisis. MORE Raleigh and the Lost Colony of Roanoke Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Trading British Brides for…
About Not Just the Tudors
Professor Suzannah Lipscomb talks about everything from the Aztecs to witches, Velázquez to Shakespeare, Mughal India to the Mayflower. Not, in other words, just the Tudors, but most definitely also the Tudors. Each episode Suzannah is joined by historians and experts to reveal incredible stories about one of the most fascinating periods in history, new releases every Wednesday and Sunday. A podcast by History Hit, the world's best history channel and creators of award-winning podcasts Dan Snow's History Hit, The Ancients, and Betwixt the Sheets. 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 . History Hit is part of Little Dot Studios, a Certified B Corp™ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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