Vulgar History: Revolution

As part of the Mary, Queen of Scots series today we're talking about Mary's sister-in-law, Elisabeth of Valois. Our guest is Leah Redmond Chang, whose biography of Elisabeth, Catherine de'Medici, and Mary, Queen of Scots has just been published.Young Queens: Three Renaissance Queens and the Price of Power follows the intertwined stories of the three women from girlhood through young adulthood, painting a picture of a world in which a woman could wield power at the highest level yet remain at the mercy of the state, her body serving as the currency of empire and dynasty, sacrificed to the will of husband, family, kingdom.Learn more about Leah and her book at leahredmondchang.com--Buy Young Queens from bookshop.org and support Vulgar History with this link: https://bookshop.org/a/1419/9780374294489--Get 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

This week, I'm joined by author Rachel Cantor to talk about her new book, Half-Life of a Stolen Sister, a retelling of the story of the Brontë siblings.Chapter by chapter, the novel brings together diaries, letters, home movies, television and radio interviews, deathbed monologues, and fragments from the sprawling invented worlds of the siblings’ childhood. As it does so, a kaleidoscopic portrait emerges, giving us with startling intensity and invention new ways of seeing—and reading—the sisters who would create some of the supreme works of literature of all time.Learn more about Rachel and her books at rachelcantor.com--Buy Half-Life of a Stolen Sister from bookshop.org and support Vulgar History with this link: https://bookshop.org/a/1419/9781641294645--Support Vulgar History on Patreon Vulgar History merch available at vulgarhistory.com/store (best for US shoppers) and vulgarhistory.redbubble.com (better for international shoppers)--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

This week, we're talking with author Craig Shreve about his new novel, The African Samurai.Set in late 16th-century Africa, India, Portugal, and Japan, The African Samurai is a powerful historical novel based on the true story of Yasuke, Japan’s first foreign-born samurai and the only samurai of African descent.Learn more about Craig Shreve and his books at craigshreve.com and follow him on social media @ cgshreve--Buy The African Samurai from bookshop.org and support Vulgar History with this link: https://bookshop.org/a/1419/9781668002865--Get 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

Today we're talking with debut novelist Jamila Ahmed about her book Every Rising Sun. Every Rising Sun is a retelling of the tale of Scheherazade, set amid the real-life events of twelfth-century Persia and the third crusade.--Buy Every Rising Sun from bookshop.org and support Vulgar History with this link: https://bookshop.org/a/1419/9781250887078--Support Vulgar History on Patreon Vulgar History merch available at vulgarhistory.com/store (best for US shoppers) and vulgarhistory.redbubble.com (better for international shoppers)--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

When it comes to Mary's legacy and scandilicious score, there's too much for one person to cover. Which is why I've brought in Vulgar History all-stars (and Mary QofS fans) Allison Epstein and Lana Wood Johnson for this discussion. We also got input from author and Scottish person Jennifer Morag Henderson to help figure out the scores. Is it any wonder this is nearly 2.5 hours long? Mary deserves no less.--Learn more about Lana Wood Johnson and her books at lanawoodjohnson.com and follow her on IG and Threads at @ muliebris--Learn more about Allison Epstein and their books at allisonepstein.com and follow them on IG and Twitter @ rapscallison--Get 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

Talking about 10th-century Norway, the mythical figure of Gunnhild, and the importance of women's work with Genevieve Gornichec!Learn more about Genevieve and her books at genevievegornichec.comBuy The Weaver and the Witch Queen from bookshop.org and support Vulgar History with this link: https://bookshop.org/a/1419/9780593438244--Support Vulgar History on Patreon Vulgar History merch available at vulgarhistory.com/store (best for US shoppers) and vulgarhistory.redbubble.com (better for international shoppers)--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

As a way to tie a bow on this season, we're learning more about Mary, Queen of Scots's inner life, motivations, and emotions through her use of textiles. I'm joined by author Clare Hunter, author of Embroidering Her Truth: Mary, Queen of Scots and the Language of Power, to discuss what we can learn about Mary from what she wore, and what she stitched.Learn more about Clare and her work at her website sewingmatters.co.ukBuy Embroidering Her Truth: Mary, Queen of Scots and the Language of Power from bookshop.org and support Vulgar History with this link: https://bookshop.org/a/1419/9781529346282 And you can also buy Clare’s other book Threads of Life: A History of the World Through the Eye of a Needle wherever you get books including this link: https://bookshop.org/a/1419/9781419747656--Support Vulgar History on Patreon Vulgar History merch available at vulgarhistory.com/store (best for US shoppers) and vulgarhistory.redbubble.com (better for international shoppers)--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

I'm joined this week by Nikki M. Taylor to discuss her fascinating new book, Brooding Over Bloody Revenge: Enslaved Women's Lethal Resistance. Nikki is Professor and Chair in the Department of History at Howard University. She specializes in nineteenth-century African American History.From the colonial through the antebellum era, enslaved women in the US used lethal force as the ultimate form of resistance. By amplifying their voices and experiences, Brooding over Bloody Revenge strongly challenges assumptions that enslaved women only participated in covert, non-violent forms of resistance when they consistently seized justice for themselves and organized toward revolt. --Buy Brooding Over Bloody Revenge from bookshop.org and support Vulgar History with this link: https://bookshop.org/a/1419/9781009276849--Support Vulgar History on Patreon Vulgar History merch available at vulgarhistory.com/store (best for US shoppers) and vulgarhistory.redbubble.com (better for international shoppers)--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

The saga of Mary, Queen of Scots concludes with the ultimate outfit reveal. And: so much spy shit!!--References:The Betrayal of Mary, Queen of Scots: Elizabeth I and her Greatest Rival by Kate WilliamsEmbroidering Her Truth: Mary Queen of Scots and the Language of Power by Clare HunterImprisoning Mary, Queen of Scots: The Men Who Kept the Stuart Queen by Mickey Mayhewhttps://www.historytoday.com/archive/ridolfi-plot-1571 by Cyril Hamsherehttps://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zpy9fcw/revision/4George Lasry, Norbert Biermann & Satoshi Tomokiyo (2023) Deciphering Mary Stuart’s lost letters from 1578-1584, Cryptologia--Learn more about Allison Epstein and their books at allisonepstein.com and follow them on IG and Twitter @ rapscallison--Get 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

Vanessa Riley's new book Queen of Exiles is about Queen Marie-Louise Coidavid Christophe, Queen of the Kingdom of Hayti. The story of her Regency reign and exile is ripped from the headlines for this historical fiction novel.Learn more about Vanessa, her book, and where she'll be appearing to promote this book at vanessariley.com --Buy Queen of Exiles from bookshop.org and support Vulgar History with this link: https://bookshop.org/a/1419/9780063270992--Support Vulgar History on Patreon Vulgar History merch available at vulgarhistory.com/store (best for US shoppers) and vulgarhistory.redbubble.com (better for international shoppers)--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