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Not Just the Tudors

From the Aztecs to witches, Prof Suzannah Lipscomb talks all aspects of the Tudor period

Sounds,112 episodes

Episodes

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Elizabeth Boleyn: The Queen's Mother
What if the most powerful woman in Anne Boleyn’s story never spoke on the record?
08 Jan 2026,43 mins
Henry VIII at War
Why has history forgotten Henry VIII's legacy as a conqueror?
05 Jan 2026,58 mins,
How Poets Spoke Truth to Power
How have the pens of poets given rise to courage and resistance?
01 Jan 2026,61 mins,
Dark Side of the Quakers
How religious zeal, fear and desperation drove people to sometimes terrifying acts.
29 Dec 2025,47 mins
Mother of all Tudors: Lady Margaret Beaufort
Meet one of the most formidable survivors of the Wars of the Roses.
25 Dec 2025,60 mins
Origins of Free Speech
How has freedom of speech been upheld, from the Middle Ages to the American Revolution?
22 Dec 2025,60 mins
Henry VIII's Nemesis, Cardinal Pole
Who was the Cardinal who defied Henry VIII?
18 Dec 2025,46 mins
Tudor True Crime: Who Murdered Lord Darnley?
Was Mary, Queen of Scots involved in the murder of her second husband?
15 Dec 2025,48 mins,
Hans Holbein: New Discoveries
Henry VIII’s commanding gaze, Anne of Cleves’ cautious poise are newly examined.
11 Dec 2025,56 mins
The Rise of St. Paul's Cathedral
How Wren turned the Great Fire's destruction into a building of timeless beauty?
08 Dec 2025,51 mins
What if Guy Fawkes had succeeded?
How might England, and the world, be different if the Gunpowder Plot triumphed?
04 Dec 2025,54 mins
King vs. Emperor: The Battle of Pavia, 1525
One of the most decisive battles of the Renaissance was fought 500 years ago
01 Dec 2025,55 mins
Diary of Samuel Pepys
Unlock the pages of one of the most extraordinary diaries ever written.
27 Nov 2025,47 mins,
Jane Boleyn with Philippa Gregory
Was Anne Boleyn's sister-in-law a villain or just fighting for her own life?
24 Nov 2025,57 mins
When Europe Met Islam
Prof. Suzannah Lipscomb discovers how Islam profoundly influenced early modern Europe
20 Nov 2025,50 mins
How to Stay Alive in Renaissance England
How did ordinary people navigate the perils of sickness and try to live for longer?
17 Nov 2025,55 mins
Voices of Thunder: Radical Women of the 17th Century
In a world where the patriarchy ruled supreme, these women risked everything.
13 Nov 2025,47 mins
Ballads of Magic & Mystery
Songs have always carried stories of love, loss, rebellion and hope.
10 Nov 2025,52 mins,
Henry VIII On Screen: The Historians' Verdict
Where does fiction meet fact? Professor Suzannah Lipscomb investigates
06 Nov 2025,65 mins
The Last Plantagenets in Tudor England
How did the Plantagenets fair after the Wars of the Roses? Prof. Lipscomb investigates
03 Nov 2025,50 mins
Fig Leaves & A Grumpy Jesus: Renaissance to Baroque Art
Why is the Virgin Mary always dressed in blue? Does egg tempera smell?
30 Oct 2025,48 mins,
Rudolf II, the "Mad Habsburg Emperor"
How the most enigmatic Habsburg emperor established the heart of Renaissance creativity
27 Oct 2025,50 mins
Marlowe & Shakespeare: Rivals or Collaborators?
Exploring Dangerous Times: Playwrights, Politics, and Censorship in Elizabethan England
23 Oct 2025,46 mins
Habsburg Women: Matriarchs of Power
Time to turn our attention to the Empresses and Queens of the Habsburg Dynasty
20 Oct 2025,47 mins
Vanity of Henry VIII with Kate Lister
With six wives, Henry VIII must have had something going for him, right?
16 Oct 2025,44 mins,
Charles V, Habsburg Holy Roman Emperor
How the "monarch of the world" defined and shaped 16th-century Europe
13 Oct 2025,48 mins,
Shakespeare's Male Muse: A Mystery Solved?
Could a long-hidden portrait unlock the mystery of Shakespeare’s most intimate poetry?
09 Oct 2025,44 mins
Rise of the Habsburgs
How did a modest Swiss noble house rise to dominate Europe for almost 400 years?
06 Oct 2025,44 mins
Oliver Cromwell v. Charles I
From the decisive Battle of Naseby to the execution of King Charles I
02 Oct 2025,40 mins
The English Civil War
What sparks a nation to turn against its own king?
29 Sep 2025,44 mins