Not Just the Tudors

In the early 17th century, an aged veteran of Spain's wars against the Ottoman Empire published a book. It was the story of a poor nobleman who deludes himself that he is a knight errant and sets off on hilarious adventures. Don Quixote went on to sell more copies than any other book beside the Bible, making its author Cervantes the single most-read author in human history. In this edition of Not Just the Tudors, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb talks to William Egginton, author of The Man Who Invented Fiction: How Cervantes ushered in the Modern World. Together they explore Cervantes's life and the world he lived in, how his influences converged in his work, and how Don Quixote radically changed the nature of literature and created a new way of viewing the world. This episode was edited and produced by Rob Weinberg.For more Not Just The Tudors content, subscribe to our Tudor Tuesday newsletter here.If you'd like to learn even more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad free podcasts and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today! To download, go to Android or Apple store  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In one week in London in September, 1665, no fewer than 47 different causes of death were reported, including consumption, fever, dropsy, being frightened, grief, worms, vomiting, and plague. We know this because of a record called a Bill of Mortality, a broad sheet that was printed to list the number of burials in and around the city of London by district and the causes of those deaths.In this episode of Not Just the Tudors, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb talks to Professor Vanessa Harding about Bills of Mortality and what they can tell us about life and death in early modern London.The subject of this podcast was suggested by listener Keith Denny. If you have an idea for an episode, please email notjustthetudors@historyhit.com or via Twitter @NotJustTudors.This episode was edited by Anisha Deva and produced by Rob Weinberg.For more Not Just The Tudors content, subscribe to our Tudor Tuesday newsletter here.If you'd like to learn even more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad free podcasts and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today! To download, go to Android or Apple store  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Professor Elizabeth Honig, author of Pieter Bruegel and the Idea of Human Nature, discusses how Bruegel's art questions human nature, ignorance, and insignificance. They explore the portrayal of peasant life, biblical scenes, and the futility of ambition. The podcast delves into Bruegel's unique storytelling through symbolism, weather, landscapes, and the connection to Stoic philosophy. It also touches on themes of play, folly, and self-reflection in Renaissance paintings.

Joining the discussion is Dr. Jonathan Healey, a fellow at Oxford and author of "The Blazing World: A New History of Revolutionary England." He dives into the chaos of 17th century England, exploring how ordinary lives were shaped by civil war and the execution of King Charles I. Healey examines political and religious struggles, the rise of Puritanism, and the complex relationship between the crown and its subjects. He also draws fascinating parallels between past upheavals and today's societal challenges, including the lingering effects of colonialism and social inequality.

For centuries, the name of an accomplished and popular portrait painter in the court of Elizabeth I has remained unknown. The renowned art historian Sir Roy Strong dubbed this artist the ‘Master of the Countess of Warwick’ but his identity has remained a mystery - until now. A fascinating new exhibition presents his works side-by-side - and it proposes a name for this mysterious artist.In this episode of Not Just the Tudors, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb visits the exhibition at Compton Verney in Warwickshire to meet curator Amy Orrock and to find out more about the work - and probable life - of a great, forgotten painter.This episode was edited and produced by Rob Weinberg.For more Not Just The Tudors content, subscribe to our Tudor Tuesday newsletter here.If you'd like to learn even more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad free podcasts and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today! To download, go to Android or Apple store  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we know that menstruation is a biological process. There’s a great deal of scientific research that explains the menstrual cycle. But how was menstruation perceived and understood in Early Modern England? Was it talked about by women and men in the same way? How did it influence attitudes towards women? And how did women manage their menstrual cycles physically and mentally?In this edition of Not Just the Tudors, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb explores these questions with Dr. Sara Read.**WARNING: This podcast contains descriptions of, and discussions about, female blood loss**This episode was edited by Stuart Beckwith and produced by Rob Weinberg.For more Not Just The Tudors content, subscribe to our Tudor Tuesday newsletter here.If you'd like to learn even more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad free podcasts and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today! To download, go to Android or Apple store. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Anne Boleyn’s reputation is buried beneath centuries of labels: home-wrecker, seductress, opportunist, witch, romantic victim, Protestant martyr, feminist. But a new look at the final year of Anne Boleyn’s life reveals a very human portrait of a brilliant, passionate and complex woman.In this episode of Not Just the Tudors, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb talks to Natalie Grueninger, author of The Final Year of Anne Boleyn, about that last year of Anne’s life, its joys and its tragedies. This episode was edited by Anisha Deva and produced by Rob Weinberg.For more Not Just The Tudors content, subscribe to our Tudor Tuesday newsletter here.If you'd like to learn even more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad free podcasts and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today! To download, go to Android or Apple store.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

'Western Civilisation' is often thought of as a continuous thread through the centuries - from classical antiquity to the countries of the modern West - connecting Plato to NATO. But in her new book - The West: A New History of an Old Idea - archaeologist and historian Professor Naoìse Mac Sweeney charts the history of 'the West' as an invention used to justify imperialism and racism - a notion that can be disproved by the lives of 14 historical figures.In this episode of Not Just the Tudors, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb talks to Professor Mac Sweeney, about four of these fascinating figures - Tullia d’Aragona, Safiye Sultan, Francis Bacon and Nzinga of Ndongo & Matamba - whose remarkable lives correct our telling of Western history.This episode was edited and produced by Rob Weinberg.For more Not Just The Tudors content, subscribe to our Tudor Tuesday newsletter here.If you'd like to learn even more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad free podcasts and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today! To download, go to Android or Apple store  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In preparation for International Women's Day this Wednesday, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb takes a look at a Queen whose reputation has largely been shaped by her husband's midlife crisis. History does not see much further than Katherine of Aragon's so-called failure to provide Henry with a son and heir, and this means something very important about her has been missed - that Katherine was raised to become England’s first Renaissance Queen.In this episode of Not Just the Tudors, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb talks to art historian Dr. Emma Luisa Cahill Marrón about how Katherine and Henry worked together over two decades to create a Renaissance court that attracted Europe’s greatest writers, artists and thinkers.This episode was edited and produced by Rob Weinberg.For more Not Just The Tudors content, subscribe to our Tudor Tuesday newsletter here.If you'd like to learn even more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad free podcasts and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today! To download, go to Android or Apple store  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Between 1598 and 1785, the Papal or Roman Inquisition in Modena, Northern Italy, put 393 Jews on trial. Regarded as infidels, Jews were accused of, among other things, blasphemy, employing a Christian servant, owning prohibited books, and having sex with Christians. But the trials belie a somewhat different picture - one in which, in many cases, Jews and Christians co-existed happily together in Modena.In this episode of Not Just the Tudors, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb finds out more from Professor Katherine Aron-Beller, about the real lives of the Jews who stood before the inquisition in Italy.This episode was edited and produced by Rob Weinberg.For more Not Just The Tudors content, subscribe to our Tudor Tuesday newsletter here.If you'd like to learn even more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad free podcasts and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today! To download, go to Android or Apple store.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.