Renaissance English History Podcast: A Show About The Tudors

The countess who raised a poet: Susan Bertie helped shape Aemilia Lanyer while dodging royal side-eye and surviving two widowhoods. Quick story, big ripples. Born in 1554 to Katherine Willoughby and Richard Bertie, Susan Bertie’s childhood began in Marian exile and continued in a Protestant household at Grimsthorpe under Miles Coverdale. At sixteen she married Reginald Grey, recognized as Earl of Kent in 1572; widowed in 1573, she later married soldier Sir John Wingfield, lived in the Low Countries, and returned after his death at Cadiz in 1596. Remembered as Aemilia Lanyer’s “Mistress of my youth,” Susan’s quiet patronage shaped an early woman poet. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Grey family turns up again and again in late medieval and Tudor history, from Elizabeth Woodville’s first marriage, to Lady Jane Grey’s nine-day reign, to her sisters’ scandals under Elizabeth I. In this episode, we trace the story of the Greys across the centuries, exploring how one family rose from Bedfordshire gentry to the very edge of the throne, only to find that being “almost royal” was as dangerous as it was powerful. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Some Tudor women ignored duty and married scandalously - choices that shocked their families, infuriated kings, and sometimes changed history. In this episode, we’ll look at Katherine of Valois and Owen Tudor, Katherine Willoughby and Richard Bertie, Katherine Parr and Thomas Seymour, Cecily of York and Thomas Kyme, plus Mary Tudor, Lady Mary Grey, and Margaret Tudor. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Going back through the archives... let's discuss John Perrot. Was he Henry VIII's son? Who knows. But he definitely was a pretty ruthless character in Ireland, and he had a surprising downfall. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jane Seymour is often remembered as Henry VIII’s one true love, the wife who gave him a son and the queen he chose to be buried beside. But was she really unique, or was her legacy shaped by timing and myth? In this chat, we explore Henry’s love life, Jane’s brief reign, and how her early death made her the “perfect” wife in history’s eyes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Archaeologist AJ Dair joins me to talk about Henry VIII through the lens of psychology and mental health. We discuss his upbringing, the impact of his jousting accident, and how shifting relationships reveal deeper layers of his mind. Tudorcon From Home tickets at https://www.englandcast.com/TudorconFromHome Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we turn from the famous princes in the Tower to their lesser-known sisters... the daughters of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville. From Elizabeth of York, the Tudor queen who united two warring houses, to Cecily’s scandalous second marriage, Anne’s unhappy union with the Howards, Catherine’s children who would one day alarm Henry VIII, Bridget’s quiet life in a convent, and Mary’s early death, these women shaped the Yorkist legacy in very different ways. Tudorcon From Home tickets at https://www.englandcast.com/TudorconFromHome Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Not every Tudor marriage ended in disaster. In this episode, we look at the rare good guys of Tudor England: from William Cecil’s partnership with Mildred Cooke to Thomas More educating his daughters, Gilbert Talbot’s affectionate letters, and Philip Sidney’s romantic poetry. Even in the sixteenth century, some women didn’t have to settle. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stephen Gardiner, Bishop of Winchester, outlasted Henry VIII, Edward VI, and Mary I. a feat few could match in Tudor England. In this episode, we trace how he survived plots, imprisonment, and shifting regimes to die in power instead of on the scaffold. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're back with another This Week in YouTube where we highlight some recent content from my YouTube channel. This week: The Disturbing Fate of Katherine Parr’s Body; Tudor Body Image - How the Tudors Saw Weight Gain & Loss. Make sure you're subscribed at https://www.youtube.com/@hteysko so you don't miss all the content we put out! Support the podcast for even more exclusive content https://www.patreon.com/englandcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Grammy-nominated lutenist Ronn McFarlane and Richmond guitarist Andrew McEvoy join me ahead of their Tudorcon2025 concert to talk Tudor music, the surprising ties between rock, folk, and the lute, and why court musicians were sometimes accused of being spies. I could have chatted with them for hours - this was such a fun conversation. Check out Ronn McFarlane's website at https://ronnmcfarlane.com/ Andrew McEvoy at https://www.youtube.com/@andrewmcevoy7332 Tudorcon tickets at https://www.englandcast.com/Tudorcon or streaming tix at https://www.englandcast.com/TudorconFromHome Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode explores the forgotten women of the Yorkist dynasty - the sisters of Edward IV and Richard III. Anne of York, Elizabeth of York (Duchess of Suffolk), and Margaret of York (Duchess of Burgundy) each lived through the turbulence of the Wars of the Roses and the rise of the Tudors, but their fates were far from simple. From disastrous marriages and confiscated inheritances to sons who defied the Tudors and foreign alliances that reshaped Europe, their stories reveal how dynastic bloodlines continued to haunt Henry VII and Henry VIII long after Bosworth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lady Dorothy Jocelyn isn’t a household name, but her life sheds light on what it meant to be a Tudor courtier. From serving queens like Jane Seymour and Catherine Howard to supplying garments for Catherine Parr, she moved between ceremony, politics, and business in a world that rarely remembered women’s contributions. This episode was originally released as a members-only minicast in 2024. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1568, Mary, Queen of Scots escaped her island prison at Lochleven Castle with the help of loyal supporters. Within days she was leading an army, but defeat at Langside forced her to flee into England where her freedom ended for good. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're back with another This Week in YouTube where we highlight some recent content from my YouTube channel. This week: Did the Tudors Fear Friday the 13th; Why Edward IV’s Marriage to Elizabeth Woodville Shocked the English Court. Make sure you're subscribed at https://www.youtube.com/@hteysko so you don't miss all the content we put out! Support the podcast for even more exclusive content https://www.patreon.com/englandcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tudor England… and Florida? In this episode, I chat with Misty Biruk about the surprising Elizabethan connections to the American Southeast; from Protestant forts near Jacksonville to the legend of a Welsh prince in Alabama. It’s a side of Tudor history you’ve probably never heard before. Grab your Tudorcon From Home ticket at https://www.englandcast.com/TudorconFromHome to enjoy all our Tudorcon talks live from anywhere in the world! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Paris, August 1572: the bells ring before dawn, and by nightfall thousands of Huguenots are dead. The St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre shocked Europe, hardened Elizabethan England’s view of Catholic powers, and left Francis Walsingham with scars and convictions that would shape his career. Tudorcon From Home tickets: https://www.englandcast.com/TudorconFromHome Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Cliffords ruled northern England for 500 years through loyalty, lawsuits, and superior castle-building skills. From the legendary "Shepherd Lord" who hid in the Lake District for 24 years to Lady Anne Clifford, who fought a 40-year legal battle to inherit four castles and rebuilt them all to prove her point. When neighbors joined rebellions, the Cliffords chose the crown, and it paid off spectacularly. Tudorcon from Home reservations: https://www.englandcast.com/TudorconFromHome Use code EARLYBIRD to join the Privy Council Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mary I’s household wasn’t just filled with courtiers... it was a circle of allies who had stood by her through years of disgrace, danger, and political uncertainty. In this episode, we meet the women who served England’s first queen regnant: fools, noblewomen, governesses, and lifelong companions whose loyalty came at a cost. Tudorcon From Home tickets: https://www.englandcast.com/TudorconFromHome Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're back with another This Week in YouTube where we highlight some recent content from my YouTube channel. This week: The Mob That Hunted Anne Boleyn, Margaret Clifford - The Tudor Heiress Who Was Too Close to the Throne? Make sure you're subscribed at https://www.youtube.com/@hteysko so you don't miss all the content we put out! Support the podcast for even more exclusive content https://www.patreon.com/englandcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices