
Vulgar History: Revolution
A feminist women's history comedy podcast. We look at history through a feminist lens, focusing on the women often removed from the narrative. This season, we're looking at the Revolutions of the 18th century: the American Revolution, the Haitian Revolution, and the French Revolution.
Latest episodes

Jul 15, 2025 • 1h 31min
How One Woman Survived the French Revolution (By Getting Out Of Town)
Germaine de Staël was a wealthy woman in Paris during the French Revolution. But unlike so many others, she made it through alive! Because she was smart enough to leave town and not return until it was safe! Which means we get to finally talk about what happened in France post-1794.
Special guest Allison Epstein joins us, because Napoleon Bonaparte comes up, and if Napoleon has no haters that because both Germaine and Allison are dead.
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Preorder info for Ann's upcoming book, Rebel of the Regency!
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RSVP for the Vulgar History in-person meet-up in Toronto!
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Get 15% off all the gorgeous jewellery and accessories at common.era.com/vulgar or go to commonera.com and use code VULGAR at checkout
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Get Vulgar History merch at vulgarhistory.com/store (best for US shipping) and vulgarhistory.redbubble.com (better for international shipping)
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Support Vulgar History on Patreon
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Vulgar History is an affiliate of Bookshop.org, which means that a small percentage of any books you click through and purchase will come back to Vulgar History as a commission. Use this link to shop there and support Vulgar History. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jul 9, 2025 • 1h 40min
French Revolution: The Messy Bitches Who Brought Down the Monarchy
We've reached a point in our French Revolution discussion where we can no longer tell the story through the lives of women, because women were excluded from leadership roles. So instead, special guest Allison Epstein joins us to explain who were the men who led the French Revolution (badly).
Time to learn about the Spice Boys: Danton, Marat, Saint-Just, Robespierre, and Desmoulins!
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Preorder info for Ann's upcoming book, Rebel of the Regency!
—
RSVP for the Vulgar History in-person meet-up in Toronto!
—
Get 15% off all the gorgeous jewellery and accessories at common.era.com/vulgar or go to commonera.com and use code VULGAR at checkout
—
Get Vulgar History merch at vulgarhistory.com/store (best for US shipping) and vulgarhistory.redbubble.com (better for international shipping)
—
Support Vulgar History on Patreon
—
Vulgar History is an affiliate of Bookshop.org, which means that a small percentage of any books you click through and purchase will come back to Vulgar History as a commission. Use this link to shop there and support Vulgar History.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jul 2, 2025 • 1h 27min
The Sex Lives of Regency England
Join Alexandra Vasti, an author of Regency romance and literature educator, as she dives into the tantalizing world of Regency England's sexuality. Discover how young women learned about sex before marriage and the surprising knowledge surrounding contraception. Vasti discusses the real stories behind LGBTQ+ figures like Ann Lister and critiques the accuracy of the popular show Bridgerton in its depiction of these historical themes. Prepare for an engaging exploration of sex education, societal norms, and the enduring myths of virginity!

Jul 1, 2025 • 48min
Canadian History: Who Was Laura Secord?
Laura Secord was a 19th-century Canadian woman known mostly for a) the chocolate store named after her now and b) her iconic Canadian Heritage Minute, recounting her heroic walk.
We break down her real story (and what's the connection to the chocolate company?) in this Canada Day Special! Featuring the debut of the Celine Dion Canadian History Scoring Scale!
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Preorder info for Ann's upcoming book, Rebel of the Regency!
—
RSVP for the Vulgar History in-person meet-up in Toronto!
—
Get 15% off all the gorgeous jewellery and accessories at common.era.com/vulgar or go to commonera.com and use code VULGAR at checkout
—
Get Vulgar History merch at vulgarhistory.com/store (best for US shipping) and vulgarhistory.redbubble.com (better for international shipping)
—
Support Vulgar History on Patreon
—
Vulgar History is an affiliate of Bookshop.org, which means that a small percentage of any books you click through and purchase will come back to Vulgar History as a commission. Use this link to shop there and support Vulgar History.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 26, 2025 • 1h 21min
Connecting the French Revolution and the Haitian Revolution
The American and French Revolutions inspired people in Haiti to rise up. Yet the Haitian Revolution is not always included in discussions of the revolutionary 18th century.
Here to untangle this knot of connections is author Zoe Sivak, whose novel Mademoiselle Revolution is about a woman navigating her way through this revolutionary era.
Buy Zoe's book Mademoiselle Revolution from Bookshop (affiliate link)
—
Preorder info for Ann's upcoming book, Rebel of the Regency!
—
RSVP for the Vulgar History in-person meet-up in Toronto!
—
Get 15% off all the gorgeous jewellery and accessories at common.era.com/vulgar or go to commonera.com and use code VULGAR at checkout
—
Get Vulgar History merch at vulgarhistory.com/store (best for US shipping) and vulgarhistory.redbubble.com (better for international shipping)
—
Support Vulgar History on Patreon
—
Vulgar History is an affiliate of Bookshop.org, which means that a small percentage of any books you click through and purchase will come back to Vulgar History as a commission. Use this link to shop there and support Vulgar History.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 25, 2025 • 1h 20min
Haitian Revolution: The Complex Legacy of Jean-Jacques Dessalines
Jean-Jacques Dessalines was one of the major figures in the Haitian Revolution. He was vilified and demonized during his life and afterwards. Julia Gaffield has written a new biography reckoning with his complex legacy, and she joins us this week to explain his importance to history.
Buy a copy of I Have Avenged America: Jean-Jacques Dessalines and Haiti's Fight for Freedom by Julia Gaffield (affiliate link)
—
Preorder info for Ann's upcoming book, Rebel of the Regency!
—
RSVP for the Vulgar History in-person meet-up in Toronto!
—
Get 15% off all the gorgeous jewellery and accessories at common.era.com/vulgar or go to commonera.com and use code VULGAR at checkout
—
Get Vulgar History merch at vulgarhistory.com/store (best for US shipping) and vulgarhistory.redbubble.com (better for international shipping)
—
Support Vulgar History on Patreon
—
Vulgar History is an affiliate of Bookshop.org, which means that a small percentage of any books you click through and purchase will come back to Vulgar History as a commission. Use this link to shop there and support Vulgar History.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 20, 2025 • 1h 30min
Trans History: The Teenage Roman Emperor
Last year, we dropped this bonus episode talking with Kit Heyam about the horny teen trans Roman Emperor Elagabalus. It fits so well in this month's Pride specials, the time felt right for a rerelease!
After all, the French Revolution crowd were obsessed with ancient Rome and this story is a good reminder that the Romans were just as chaotic as anyone else in any other era. Plus, we're now in a post-Gladiator II world and the way Elagabalus fits into that narrative may just surprise you.
Kit's book: Before We Were Trans: A New History of Gender
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Preorder info for Ann's upcoming book, Rebel of the Regency!
—
RSVP for the Vulgar History in-person meet-up in Toronto!
—
Get 15% off all the gorgeous jewellery and accessories at common.era.com/vulgar or go to commonera.com and use code VULGAR at checkout
—
Get Vulgar History merch at vulgarhistory.com/store (best for US shipping) and vulgarhistory.redbubble.com (better for international shipping)
—
Support Vulgar History on Patreon
—
Vulgar History is an affiliate of Bookshop.org, which means that a small percentage of any books you click through and purchase will come back to Vulgar History as a commission. Use this link to shop there and support Vulgar History.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 17, 2025 • 1h 16min
Sex Scandals of an American Founding Father
Gouvernour Morris is a lesser-known American Founding Father (that was his name btw, not his job title). He was so full of BDE that he headed over to France in the midst of the Revolution to a) be the Ambassador and b) fuck.
We're joined by historian Cassandra Good to discuss Gouvernour's sex scandal-filled life.
Learn more about Gouvernour and other founding fathers sexy shenanigans in Cassandra's new course Early American Sex Scandals.
—
Preorder info for Ann's upcoming book, Rebel of the Regency!
—
RSVP for the Vulgar History in-person meet-up in Toronto!
—
Get 15% off all the gorgeous jewellery and accessories at common.era.com/vulgar or go to commonera.com and use code VULGAR at checkout
—
Get Vulgar History merch at vulgarhistory.com/store (best for US shipping) and vulgarhistory.redbubble.com (better for international shipping)
—
Support Vulgar History on Patreon
—
Vulgar History is an affiliate of Bookshop.org, which means that a small percentage of any books you click through and purchase will come back to Vulgar History as a commission. Use this link to shop there and support Vulgar History. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 13, 2025 • 59min
Trans History: From Ancient Times to the Present Day
Diversity in human sex and gender is not a modern phenomenon. People have been living beyond the binary since the earliest recorded human civilizations, and authors Alex L. Combs and Andrew Eakett are here to celebrate all these transcestors in their new graphic novel Trans History: From Ancient Times to Present Day.
Alex and Andrew join us for this celebration of trans history (the concept) and Trans History (their book) just in time for Pride Month!
Buy a copy of Trans History: From Ancient Times to Present Day (affiliate link)
—
Preorder info for Ann's upcoming book, Rebel of the Regency!
—
RSVP for the Vulgar History in-person meet-up in Toronto!
—
Get 15% off all the gorgeous jewellery and accessories at common.era.com/vulgar or go to commonera.com and use code VULGAR at checkout
—
Get Vulgar History merch at vulgarhistory.com/store (best for US shipping) and vulgarhistory.redbubble.com (better for international shipping)
—
Support Vulgar History on Patreon
—
Vulgar History is an affiliate of Bookshop.org, which means that a small percentage of any books you click through and purchase will come back to Vulgar History as a commission. Use this link to shop there and support Vulgar History. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 11, 2025 • 1h 1min
Women and Genderqueer People Who Ruled Over Africa
From warriors to tyrants and everything in between, the lives and reigns of Africa’s female and genderqueer rulers have long been shrouded in mystery, misunderstanding and misogyny. We're joined today by Paula Akpan to discuss several of these people, including Njinga of Ndongo and Ranavalona I of Madagascar.
Paula's new book, When We Ruled: The Rise and Fall of Twelve African Queens and Warriors, is now available! Click here to buy a copy (affiliate link)
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Preorder info for Ann's upcoming book, Rebel of the Regency!
—
Sign up for the Vulgar History mailing list!
—
Get 15% off all the gorgeous jewellery and accessories at common.era.com/vulgar or go to commonera.com and use code VULGAR at checkout
—
Get Vulgar History merch at vulgarhistory.com/store (best for US shipping) and vulgarhistory.redbubble.com (better for international shipping)
—
Support Vulgar History on Patreon
—
Vulgar History is an affiliate of Bookshop.org, which means that a small percentage of any books you click through and purchase will come back to Vulgar History as a commission. Use this link to shop there and support Vulgar History.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices