The Tudor Chest - The Podcast

Tudor portrait discoveries are always exciting, and even more exciting when it’s a tudor we don’t have many portraits of to start with! I was therefore thrilled when earlier this year a portrait by Nicholas Hilliard of Lady Arbella Stuart, a one time major contender to the English throne was unearthed and identified by historians Elizabeth Goldring and Emma Rutherford. Today, I have the pleasure of having both Elizabeth and Emma on...

Elizabeth Fremantle is an author whose hugely popular book, Queens Gambit about Katherine Parr has now been adapted into a major film starring Alicia Vikander and Jude Law as Katherine and King Henry VIII respectively. In todays episode I chat to Elizabeth all about the book, how she came up with the idea, why she took certain character decisions and we dive into the film itself, from casting, costumes and character choices, includ...

Inside the tower of London two young boys, initially held in great splendour, are being seen less and less. History knows them as the princes in the tower, and their disappearance is one of, if not the greatest royal mystery in Great Britain's long and dramatic history. Although few doubt that they met their end in the Tower of London, more recently there has been a re-examination, with some believing the boys not only escaped the ...

Henry VIII had three royal nieces, and yet where Margaret Douglas and Frances Brandon are well known figures of the time, his third niece, Eleanor Clifford, Countess of Cumberland is all but unknown, despite her royal blood and the importance of her place in the line of succession. Despite her proximity to the crown, and the difficulty this often placed on people, Eleanor led a mostly happy and successful life, and yet her story is...

People having their heads cut off is totally and utterly intrinsically tied to Tudor history, this was, after all, the period of history which gave us a king who beheaded two of his wives! Helene Harrison, a historian and researcher has released a fascinating new book, Tudor Executions, from the Nobility to the Block, in which she explores fourteen of the most significant executions from across the Tudor era, so buckle in for a dis...

Cynthia Hand is the co-author behind the fabulous My Lady Jane book series which has now been adapted into a major television series by Prime Studios. I welcome Cynthia onto the podcast today for a discussion all about the story of My Lady Jane, from how she came up with the idea, character choices, how and what the ethian storyline came to be, so buckle in for a fun and fascinating chat, all about the bonkers world of My Lady Jane

Dr Adam Busiakiewicz is an art historian who has taken the Tudor world by storm in the past few weeks, thanks to his discovery of a portrait of King Henry VIII that was thought to be long lost! Like most big discoveries, it was hiding in plain sight all along! The piece was part of a 22 portrait set by Ralph Sheldon, and painted during the reign of Henry VIII’s daughter, Queen Elizabeth I. Adam joins me today to discuss how he foun...

Dr Linda Porter is a historian and author who has just released her sixth book, the thistle and the rose - the extraordinary life of Margaret Tudor. She joins me today for a discussion all about King Henry VIII’s older sister, who reigned as Queen of Scotland beside her husband King James IV. Margaret weathered many storms, including the difficulty of her first husband going to war against her native homeland, and then the disaster...

Dr. Charlotte Bolland is Senior Curator of Research and 16th Century Collections at the National Portrait Gallery. Today, she joins me for a discussion all about the remarkable new exhibition at the national portrait gallery which Charlotte organised and curated. Featuring an incredible array of portraits and artefacts, Charlotte has brought together a cohesive and fascinating tale which tells the story of the six queens of Henry V...

Anne Boleyn and Elizabeth I, mother and daughter, both viewed as traitors for a time, Anne Boleyn lost her life, but Elizabeth got her liberty and went on to become perhaps England’s most iconic queen. Their relationship is one seldom explored, and yet both Anne and Elizabeth showed quiet signs of support for each other, even though mother and daughter were ripped apart following Anne’s execution. Today, Dr Sarah Morris joins me fo...

For many the greatest depiction of Anne Boleyn on screen came at the end of 1969, when Anne of the Thousand Days was released in cinemas across the world. An epic historical drama based on the life of Queen Anne Boleyn starring Genevieve Bujold in the titular role alongside Richard Burton, as King Henry VIII. In this weeks bonus episode I will be taking a look back on Anne of the Thousand Days, looking at how it was made, behind th...

With Wolf Hall Series 2 having completed filming and hopefully on our screens soon, I thought the time would be right to explore the lives of two of the men who owed much of their success to Cromwell, but would eventually go on to turn against him, these men being Thomas Wriothesley and Richard Rich. Both would become infamous for their unscrupulous and frankly cruel behaviour, using whatever means possible to reach their goals, bo...

There are two sketches by Hans Holbein which are said to depict Anne Boleyn. One is in the British Museum, while the other is in the royal collection. The latter sketch is the more controversial, as the sitter is in a state of undress, has what appears to be blonde hair and a decidedly full double chin, and yet, the inscription labelling the sketch as her, is believed to have been added by Sir John Cheke, a man who personally knew ...

Dr Nikki Clark is a historian and lecturer at Chichester University. Sher joins me today for a fascinating discussion about Anne Boleyn’s household, from who made up Anne’s retinue, what roles they played, how these came about, and how things changed as Anne ascended through the court of King Henry VIII, before her momentous fall in May 1536. We discuss specific members of the court who served Anne, some of which are well known to ...

Dr Estelle Paranque is a historian and Associate Professor at Northeastern University London. She joins me today for a discussion all about her latest book, Thorns, Lust and Glory - The Betrayal of Anne Boleyn. In this book, we see that Anne’s destruction was not so entirely determined by the machinations of Thomas Cromwell, but in part owing to the huge shifts in European power politics at the time. It is this, which Estelle discu...

Jacquetta of Luxembourg, known more commonly as Jacquetta Woodville was a prominent, though often overlooked, figure in the Wars of the Roses as the mother of the first Yorkist queen, Elizabeth Woodville. Jacquetta’s story is fascinating in its own right, and she would become a central player in the period we now call the wars of the roses. Soon however, Jacquetta would be fighting for her life, when accusations of witchcraft were ...

Perhaps the most significant and infamous period from Anne Boleyn’s life is of course her execution. When people think Anne Boleyn, they invariably go straight to the fact that she had her head cut off on her husbands orders. As such, it is natural that Anne’s execution is a staple part of any on screen depiction of the queen. Be it in film or television, Anne Boleyn's final moments on the scaffold have been portrayed many times, b...

On the 15th May 1536, Queen Anne Boleyn stood before a crowd of 2,000 spectators at the Tower of London, on trial for her life. Accused of adultery with five men, including her own brother, and plotting the death of the king, the charges could hardly have been more grave. To discuss what happened on this remarkable day in history, I am pleased to welcome historian, author and all round Anne Boleyn expert, Claire Ridgway onto the sh...