When homosexuality was made a death penalty offence for the first time in English history by Henry VIII in 1533, it looked like the new laws might claim hundreds or even thousands of lives. But, sixty years later, a young poet was openly writing poems about his love for another man in a London ruled over by Henry's daughter. What was the reality for Tudor people who fell in love or lust with their own gender? Did it change under the Stuarts? Exploring the impact of the laws, the complexities of Elizabethan culture, and the scandals that rocked Stuart high society, this episode of Single Malt History discusses the ways in which sexuality was punished, hidden, proclaimed, and analysed in the early modern period.
CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains frequent use of sexual language and a discussion of assault which some listeners may find distressing.
Single Malt History with Gareth Russell