Not Just the Tudors

The public fascination with true crime is nothing new.  Four centuries ago, the sensational story of the death in the Tower of London of Thomas Overbury, a lawyer in the court of King James I, led to a scandal that rocked the monarchy to its core.  In this third episode of Not Just The Tudors' Tudor True Crime series, first released in January 2024, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb finds out more from Professor Alastair Bellan...

**WARNING: This episode contains descriptions of suicide**

On 6 September 1560, Amy Robsart Dudley died after falling down a staircase at Cumnor Place in Oxfordshire. But did she fall? Was she pushed? Or did she throw herself down the stairs? These questions exercised Tudor courtiers and foreign ambassadors at the time. The truth mattered because Amy was the wife of Queen Elizabeth I’s leading courtier and very close friend...

Who stabbed the famed playwright? And who planned it? We're stepping out of the sun and into the shadows on Not Just the Tudors, as Professor Suzannah Lipscomb investigates Tudor True Crime; a selection of history’s most notorious murders and murderers.

Today Suzannah is joined by Charles Nicholl to dig deeper into the mystery of the 1593 murder of the brilliant and controversial playwright Christopher Marlowe, who was stabbed ...

**Contains examples of 'othering', including birth abnormalities, and the terms used to describe them historically**

Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr. Surekha Davies to discuss how individuals and groups were often classified in the Early Modern period, and how ideas evolved around normality versus 'otherness' - or even 'monstrosity'. Suzannah and Surekha consider the influence of the four humors on human classificat...

Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Professor Jan Clarke to explore the life, legend, and legacy of Jean-Baptiste Poquelin — better known as Molière. From his audacious rejection of bourgeois expectations to his controversial plays that rattled the Catholic Church and delighted the King, Molière’s story is as theatrical as his work. So what can be learned about gender, religion, power, and performance in Louis XIV’s France thr...

What if the tale of one night could change the way we view art forever?

Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr. Noah Charney to explore the life and legacy of Giorgio Vasari, the man who redefined art as an intellectual pursuit and artists as divine geniuses. They delve into Vasari's influential work and how it shaped our understanding of the Renaissance, artistic genius, and the very structure of art history today.

From th...

**Contains historical language which may cause offence**

Between the early 1600s and late 1700s, thousands of British sailors, fishermen, merchants, and coastal villagers were captured and enslaved by North African pirates, known as Barbary Corsairs. Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and Professor Bernard Capp delve into the harrowing experiences of these captives, their treatment, and the broader implications on British society. Thei...

From the establishment of a formidable double monarchy to the complex dynamics of the Spanish Inquisition, Isabel of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon were quite the Renaissance team.

Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Giles Tremlett to discuss the complex dynamics of this unite couple. They explore the triumphs and tragedies that marked their reign, their relentless pursuit of religious unity, and the personal losses that shape...

**This episode contains sexually explicit language**

In an age when powerful female rulers were few and far between, Isabel of Castile rose against the odds to become one of Europe's most formidable monarchs. Crowned ruler of a chaotic, divided kingdom in 1474, Isabel transformed Castile into a powerhouse and helped forge the foundation of modern Spain. But was she a visionary queen and unifier of a fractured land or a zealot wh...

What was the Jacobite cause, and why did it spark some of the most famous and devastating events in British history?

Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and Professor Allan McInnes dive into the Jacobite rebellions, from the Glorious Revolution of 1688, the infamous Massacre at Glencoe, to the decisive Battle of Culloden in 1746. They discuss how Bonnie Prince Charlie rallied his Highland clansmen, only to face devastating reprisals. Fr...

**This episode contains discussions of miscarriage**

When a teenage Catholic princess was sent from Italy to marry James II and reunite England with Rome, public scandal and political intrigue fuelled society. Maria of Modena defied all expectations.

Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr. Breeze Barrington to uncover the hidden world of women at the Restoration Court, a network of female painters, poets, and maids of honour...

Five generations of remarkable women - from Mary of Burgundy to Isabella Clara Eugenia - made an enduring impact on the Low Countries. By strategically navigating political alliances, personal losses, and wars, they shaped the destiny of the Netherlands and early modern European history.

Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr. Natalie Donnell to delve into their fascinating stories, ranging from Mary of Burgundy's courageo...

The maverick herbalist who fought for medical freedom.

We love a rebel with a cause here on Not Just The Tudors, and Nicholas Culpeper was just that.

He defied the authoritarian College of Physicians in 17th Century; translating their exclusive texts into English and treating the common people with traditional herbal remedies.

Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Benjamin Wooley to explore Culpeper's tumultuous early life, his...

Before the Spanish Armada threatened England in 1588, an even more dangerous invasion loomed, just across the Channel in France. The Battle of the Solent—470 years ago in July 1545—is chiefly known for the sinking of Henry VIII's beloved warship Mary Rose. But this epic confrontation between the Royal Navy and the French invasion fleet of more than 200 ships and 30,000 troops could have changed England’s future. Professor Suzann...

Professor Suzannah Lipscomb welcomes Dr. Madeline Potter to unravel the rich yet tumultuous history of the Roma people. From Tudor England, where the Egyptians Act sought to expel Roma under stereotypes of robbery and deceit through to the dark corridors of Eastern Europe to understand the centuries of enslavement in Romania, to how the Ottoman Empire treated the Roma with suspicion despite their shared Islamic faith.

They discuss t...

A young widow stands against the expectations of her family. A woman striving for love and agency in a society which demands she claimed neither, she stands firm in the face of torture and even death.

Unravel the gripping layers of John Webster’s 17th-century masterpiece The Duchess of Malfi, with Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and Dr. Will Tosh.

The harrowing plot of the Duchess asserting her place in the world is all the more rem...

What drives a nation to civil war? Why would a king turn on his own Parliament? Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr. Jonathan Healey to explore the chaotic and combustible months - and the men behind the rebellion - that hurled 17th-century England into one of the bloodiest periods in its history.

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Professor Suzannah Lipscomb discusses the remarkable life of Akbar the Great, one of history's most impressive emperors. Together with historian Ira Mukhoty, Suzannah explores Akbar's journey from royal hostage to a ruler known for his vast, multi-ethnic empire.

From how Akbar used spies to keep a grip on his realm, to his revolutionary policies on religious inclusivity and harmony, to his daring conquests, including the epic siege ...

Did the women in Shakespeare’s life—his wife, sister, and daughters—shape his story more than we realise? Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr. Matthew Steggle to hear how new digital tools and rediscovered manuscripts uncover surprising evidence about Shakespeare’s family. Together, they explore whether the stories of these women were hidden on purpose or simply forgotten over time.

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