Episode notes
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…
Podcast
Not Just the Tudors
History Hit · History · English
<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
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E553 · 3 Aug 2026 · 53 min
Witnesses to the French Revolution
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E552 · 30 Jul 2026 · 44 min
New Discovery: Who Really Wrote Elizabeth I's Letters?
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…
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E551 · 27 Jul 2026 · 1 hr 8 min
Robespierre & Revolutionary Terror
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…
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E550 · 23 Jul 2026 · 53 min
How Protestants Justified Slavery
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…
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E549 · 20 Jul 2026 · 55 min
French Revolution: Storming of the Bastille
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,…
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E547 · 13 Jul 2026 · 54 min
Who Lit the French Revolution?
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…
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E546 · 9 Jul 2026 · 45 min
Bess of Hardwick: Elizabethan England's Richest Woman
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…
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E545 · 6 Jul 2026 · 57 min
Edmund Halley & His Comet
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…
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E544 · 2 Jul 2026 · 48 min
The Mayflower and its Pilgrims
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…
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E543 · 29 Jun 2026 · 57 min
Jamestown: From Colony to Cannibalism
**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…
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