Betwixt The Sheets

Thomas Cromwell: Ultimate Tudor Traitor

43K views · 2d ago · 40:24

Guest: Thomas Cromwell

Forget celebrities running around the Highlands... come back to the 16th century Tudor court when being a traitor meant literally losing your head. Joining Kate today is Tudor historian and author Nicola Tallis, to expose the ultimate Tudor traitor: Thomas Cromwell.

Topics: Why did Henry VIII turn on Anne Boleyn? · Who was the real Thomas Cromwell? · Rise to power and the royal marriage fixer · Inventing the Church of England · Cromwell’s religious beliefs · Dissolution of the monasteries and the cash grab

Why Are Vampires Sexy?

58K views · 1w ago · 48:39

Demonic blood-sucking creatures have existed for thousands of years before Dracula showed up as alluring, suave and problematic. Who were these figures who inspired what we know today as vampires? Why are a lot of these supernatural creatures female figures? And why did left-handed red heads once get stakes through the heart!?

Topics: Why are vampires so appealing? · Bloodsucking figures in ancient mythology · Slavic folklore and the origin of the word vampire · Pre-modern burial practices and anti-vampire rituals · Early European vampire panics · Colonial anxiety and imperialist themes in gothic horror

Why Fairies Are Way Scarier Than You Think

150K views · 2w ago · 42:38

Forget what you think about fairies... they are not cute and definitely not harmless. In today's episode we're going back centuries to a time when fairies could take human form. They were even mentioned as part of the witch trials.

Topics: The myth of the Tinkerbell fairy · The matriarchy of folklore · Why fairies sought out humans · The ballad of Thomas the Rhymer · Fairies in Scottish witch trials · Celtic roots of fairy beliefs

King Tut's Mummified Member

38K views · 3w ago · 43:14

What happened to King Tut's 'Little Tut' during mummification? The rumour is that he took a hard one to the afterlife, but what can we know after several millennia and a very rough excavation? Dr Campbell Price came into the studio to bust a few myths about the boy Pharaoh. But not to worry, for every myth busted, Campbell has another golden nugget!

Topics: Unwrapping the body of King Tutankhamun · The real purpose of mummification · How Howard Carter extracted the body · What is the black goo · Addressing the myth of King Tut’s proud manhood · Conceptions of initimacy and afterlife in ancient Egypt

Why Were Nazis Obsessed with Birth Rate?

198K views · 1mo ago · 41:07

Guest: Birth Rate

Did the Nazis run a eugenicist breeding program? How did they encourage larger families? And what was their surprising angle on extramarital pregnancies? In essence, what was the Lebensborn policy? Taking us through Nazi family policy today is Lisa Pine. Lisa is Fellow of the Institute of Historical Research, School of Advanced Study, University of London and Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.

Topics: Nazi family policy and population decline · Introducing Dr Lisa Pine · Academic origins and researching Nazi social policy · What was the Lebensborn programme? · Quality of care in Lebensborn homes · The demographic crisis and Nazi birth incentives

The Execution of England's Teenage Queen

104K views · 1mo ago · 1:00:49

To many she's known as Lady Jane Grey, but history should remember her as Queen Jane I. She was only queen for 9 days in 1553, but this made her the first ever queen of England when she was just 16. What happened in her short life that made her suddenly the most powerful woman in England? How did 'Bloody Mary' Tudor react? And how did it all go so wrong?

Topics: Who Was Lady Jane Grey? · Edward VI: Boy King · Jane's Marriage to Guildford Dudley · Jane Is Told She's Queen · Mary fights her for the throne · Mary Marches Into London

18th Century Fashion: Get Ready With Marie Antoinette

81K views · 1mo ago · 1:01:57

Marie Antoinette famously spent quite a lot of money and time on her outfits and make-up. But what would it feel like to actually wear it? Kate is joined by the amazing Casta Hex, historical drag queen, embroiderer and textiles artist for film and TV. Casta creates all her costumes using historically accurate fabrics and techniques.

Topics: Welcoming historical drag queen Casta Hex · Marie Antoinette as a misunderstood historical figure · 18th-century makeup techniques and ingredients · The morning ritual at the French court · The truth about the famous pouf hairstyle · The shift: history and purpose of 18th-century undergarments

How Saucy Were The Ancient Romans?

137K views · 1mo ago · 35:43

Were the Ancient Romans as debauched as we think they were? Or was this just a Victorian myth? Joining Kate to get behind the bacchanalia is fan-favourite Emma Southon, whose new book is 'Servus: How Slavery Made the Roman Empire'.

Topics: Did they actually happen? · Origins of the Roman stereotype · History of the word and pagan rights · Art in Roman Pompeii · Were the Romans uniquely obsessed it? · Roman attitudes to gender

The REAL Love Affairs Onboard The Titanic

82K views · 1mo ago · 58:42

It's the most famous sunken ship in history, but its story is surrounded by a lot of myth. Were the working classes locked below deck and doomed to drown? Could the Titanic have avoided the iceberg? And most importantly (to us, at least), what sex and scandals took place on board?

Topics: The enduring obsession with Titanic · Gender and class survival statistics · The controversial women and children first rule · Busting common Titanic conspiracy theories · Were lifeboats meant for full evacuation? · Speed, protocol, and the fog myth

Mary Queen of Scots & Her Sh*thead Husband

165K views · 1mo ago · 52:39

Mary Queen of Scots has gone down in history for her power struggle with her cousin, Elizabeth I. But this was just one of the challenges she faced. Another was that Mary's second husband, Lord Darnley, was one of history’s worst husbands.

Topics: Mary, Queen of Scots and Lord Darnley · Estelle's thoughts on Mary, Queen of Scots · Who was Mary, Queen of Scots? · Why did Mary return to Scotland? · Mary’s short reign as Queen of France · Searching for a second husband

Medieval Affair SO BAD She Became A Nun!

156K views · 1mo ago · 39:48

This is the wild story of a 12th century French philosopher, Abelard, who fell in love with his student, Heloise. There are a lot of problematic issues going on. Not least their age gap, the resulting power dynamic, and, oh yes—Abelard was castrated.

Topics: A Medieval affair · The greatest love story ever? · Life in the 12th century Renaissance · Who was Eloise? · The affair begins · Pregnancy and refusal to marry

Eleanor Janega Explains Bizarre Medieval Witchunting

171K views · 1mo ago · 45:01

Malleus Maleficarum may sound like a spell but it is actually almost the opposite. This book was nicknamed the Hammer of Witches, and today we're finding out if it really started the European witch hunts. Kate is joined by the wonderful Eleanor Janega to talk all things Heinrich Kramer, the monk who wrote the Malleus. Where did his obsession come from? And did his colleagues in the Catholic church support his views?

Topics: European witch trials history · Introducing Dr Eleanor Janega · What is the Malleus Maleficarum? · Who was Heinrich Kramer? · What did an inquisitor do? · The papal bull and Heinrich Kramer

Dan Snow On The Naughty Nelson and Lady Hamilton

76K views · 1mo ago · 46:44

Lord Nelson is remembered as one of history's greatest military commanders. His victories at the Battle of the Nile, the Battle of Copenhagen and the Battle of Trafalgar cemented his legendary status, as did his dramatic death mid-battle.

Topics: The early life of Emma Hamilton · Rising through the ranks of Regency society · Charles Greville and Sir William Hamilton · The rise of Admiral Lord Nelson · Nelson and Emma Hamilton meet in Naples · Nelson’s marriage and the affair begins