It is said that Catherine de’ Medici had dreams that came true and there was one in particular that haunted her throughout her family’s reign over the French Kingdom. In the final episode of our four-part series, Rachel and Kat discuss the fall of the Valois dynasty, thus fulfilling the prophetic dream Catherine fought so hard to prevent. But before the fall, we have more family drama, more awkward carriage rides following failed attempted coups and more people ignoring warnings about attempted ...
Mar 02, 2022•1 hr 39 min•Season 2Ep. 4
Every villain has an origin story and this is where the Wicked and Evil Italian Queen is made: Catherine de Medici’s evolution from powerless pawn and scorned wife to master manipulator and Regent of France beside her son, King Charles, has been rife with religious unrest. The French Wars of Religion between the Catholics and the Huguenots has ramped up and, even with a union of Protestant and Catholic royalty on the horizon, Catherine’s own precarious strategizing will inevitably be her downfal...
Feb 16, 2022•1 hr 51 min•Season 2Ep. 3
The saga of Catherine de Medici continues with the death of Francis I and the ascension of Henry II and Catherine to King and Queen of France. Sidelined once again while her husband’s focus remained on his mistress, Diane de Poitier and the overly ambitious Guise family her father-in-law warned him about, Catherine could do little but sit quietly and bide her time. After a series of unfortunate events and more of Henry ignoring the sage advice of those around him, Catherine was left widowed and ...
Feb 02, 2022•1 hr 48 min•Season 2Ep. 2
Orphaned at just 21 days old, Catherine de Medici’s early life was every bit the storybook damsel tale. As the pawn of a wealthy Italian merchant family, she set off from Italy to marry her young husband, the future King Henry II of France. This strictly political match was intended to tie the Papacy in Rome and the wealth of the Medici family to the noble blood of France. But, thanks to a series of unfortunate events, Catherine suddenly found herself penniless and friendless in a foreign court....
Jan 19, 2022•1 hr 30 min•Season 2Ep. 1
In this relaxed episode we drink champagne, eat Dill Pickle Kettle Chips and chat about our love for Dune and a new dawn of fantasy and sci-fi in film and television. Come get nerdy with us in the new year. We may just throw in some Therapy Treehouse sessions in for you free of charge as well!
Jan 05, 2022•1 hr 18 min•Season 1Ep. 29
In the 3rd century BCE, aggressive expansionism is the game. Rome defeats Carthage in the First Punic War, the Gauls are pushing further into new territories while actively avoiding the Greeks and the Ardiaei of Illyria are at the height of their power under the rule of their king, Agron. When King Agron dies, his wife Teuta picks up the mantel of her late husband’s expansionism. While her naval forces push to unify the Illyrian tribes along the Adriatic’s eastern coast, Illyrian pirates – well-...
Dec 22, 2021•1 hr 20 min•Season 1Ep. 28
Continuing with our theme of pirate queens, we take you back to the early 16th century in Northern Africa where we take a closer look at the life and reign of Sayyida al Hurra, the last woman in Islamic history to hold the title al-Hurra or Queen. After fleeing the Reconquista in Spain, Sayyida’s family would settle in Northern Africa as refugees. As they worked to unite their fellow refugees to create a unified Morocco, an informal navy of privateers assembled to serve up revenge against the Sp...
Dec 08, 2021•1 hr 9 min•Season 1Ep. 27
Ching Shih, who lived and pillaged in the China Sea during the Qing Dynasty, has been called the most successful pirate in history (No, seriously! Google it!). A former prostitute from a floating brothel in the city of Canton, Ching Shih wed Cheng I, a fearsome pirate by family trade, and together they worked to unify the pirate bands against the Chinese and Portuguese Navy. At the height of her pirating days, Ching Shih commanded over 1,800 pirate ships, and an estimated 80,000 men – more than ...
Nov 24, 2021•1 hr 21 min•Season 1Ep. 26
In a very special spooooky 2-for-1 Samhain episode, Rachel and Kat – along with a special guest – introduce two of history’s deadliest poisoners. Operating in the 17th century, Guilia Tofana and La Voisin had the men of Italy and France glancing over their shoulders and terrified of their soup (and the perfume!). Whether it was offering disenfranchised women an escape from their abusive marriages or providing noblewomen alternative means to secure an inheritance, both women created an elaborate ...
Nov 10, 2021•1 hr 24 min•Season 1Ep. 25
If ever there was a woman you did NOT want to mess with during the Medieval Ages, it was Olga of Kiev. Venerated as a saint within the Russian Orthodox Church and recalled as a vengeful and deadly Viking Princess by ancient Russian and Slavic chroniclers, the story of Olga has perplexed historians for over 1000 years. Was she a sinner or a saint? A clever strategist amidst the chessboard of Kievan Rus politics or a blood thirsty heathen without scruples, hellbent on avenging her brutally murdere...
Oct 27, 2021•1 hr 14 min•Season 1Ep. 24
Aries chaos faces off against Virgo scrupulousness in this “relaxed” episode. Rachel and Kat discuss their favorite goddesses from around the world and the nuance of female gods that are paradoxically nurturing and life giving one moment and then destructive and vengeful the next. Stay tuned for bloopers because recording a podcast with five cats is nothing but blue skies and smooth sailing . . . said no one ever!
Oct 13, 2021•1 hr 47 min•Season 1Ep. 23
The middle of the third century saw unrest and upheaval across the board in the known world – long established empires dwindled into dust and the Roman Empire itself nearly suffered the same fate during a time aptly named the Crisis of the Third Century. Enter Zenobia: clever, opportunistic and proud, Zenobia capitalized on a Rome distracted by invasions from Germanic tribes and deadly infighting. She’ll end up accomplishing what no other woman was able to do before or after; Zenobia will rule o...
Sep 29, 2021•1 hr 34 min•Season 1Ep. 22
Rachel and Kat discuss their personal religious views and upbringing in a segment that didn’t quite make the final cut for the Joan of Arc episodes. Full length episodes will resume in two weeks!
Sep 15, 2021•15 min•Season 1Ep. 21
In the early 1st Century, Rome was at the height of its power stretching its greedy, egotistical tendrils across the English Channel to subjugate the local tribes of ancient Britain before absorbing them into the Empire. That is, until Rome met Boudica. Following the brutal treatment of her daughters, Boudica rallied the local tribes of Britain against their would-be oppressors. Her challenge was simple: reclaim Britain from Rome, or die trying. Mother. Queen. Vigilante. Freedom Fighter. Renegad...
Sep 01, 2021•1 hr 26 min•Season 1Ep. 20
In the early 1st Century on the Eastern side of the known world, the Han Dynasty faced resistance unlike anything they had ever experienced before. At the head of that resistance were sisters Trưng Trắc and Trưng Nhị. Following the unlawful murder of her husband, Trưng Trắc found herself leading the first Vietnamese uprising against the Chinese Han Dynasty. Although the rebellion itself would only last for three years, the Trưng sisters would go on to serve as an inspiration for resistance again...
Aug 18, 2021•1 hr 12 min•Season 1Ep. 19
It’s time for our very first Reversal! In our inaugural Reverse Damsel, Kat and Rachel delve into the convoluted story of the legendary 16th Century Pirate Queen of Ireland you’ve never heard of. This prominent figure in Irish folklore was a very real mariner airbrushed from history by jealous and petty men who could not cut her out in life, so they cut her out of history. But who is Grace O’Malley? Find out in this week’s episode where we bring you coasts of castles, traditional Irish pastimes,...
Aug 04, 2021•1 hr 44 min•Season 1Ep. 18
Cleopatra has been dubbed the wickedest woman in all of world history, in large part because she dared to view herself an equal among the powerful men of her age (the audacity!). But she was so much more than that. Queen. Mother. Scholar. Lover. High Priestess. Alchemist. Goddess. Cleopatra’s legacy was of her own making and she proved defiant to the very end. In the epic conclusion to our accidental four part series, we talk about the disastrous Battle of Actium, Mark Antony’s spectacular failu...
Jul 21, 2021•1 hr 29 min•Season 1Ep. 17
Continuing our epic saga, Rachel and Kat delve into one of history’s most famous romances. Cleopatra finds a new Roman ally after the death of Julius Caesar in the form of drunken party boy Mark Antony (aka the “New Dionysus”). If our fickle history uncles are to be believed, Cleopatra bamboozled poor, unsuspecting Mark Antony through passion, witchery and those damned feminine wiles. It has absolutely nothing to do with all that difficult damsel energy bruising fragile Roman male egos. Octavion...
Jul 07, 2021•1 hr 25 min•Season 1Ep. 16
Following the victory of the Battle of Alexandria, Cleopatra and Julius Caesar enter into one of the most famous historical romances of all time. In addition to pleasure barges and goddess statues, there are ostentatious street parties and pretentious dinner parties. Julius Caesar also gets all stabby-stabbed and Cleopatra makes an enemy of Cicero after promising to give him a cool book and then deciding . . . lol just kidding. Somewhere along the way, history forgot that Cleopatra was also a di...
Jun 23, 2021•1 hr 11 min•Season 1Ep. 15
Cleopatra may possibly be the most notorious woman in all of World History. But is that notoriety fair or was it the result of our favorite crazy history uncles’ misogyny? Hint: it was misogyny. In part 1 we discuss Cleopatra’s eventful childhood and the early years of her reign, concluding with the arrival of Julius Caesar and the end Alexandrian Civil War. This episode has it all. Incest, beheadings, sibling rivalries and more stabby-stabby fun times. Also, there there are girls rolling out of...
Jun 09, 2021•1 hr 35 min•Season 1Ep. 14
A relaxed, conversational episode where Rachel and Kat discuss the fictional characters that have inspired them and proven difficult in their own right and the quotes we love. Also, tattoos, Therapy Treehouse segues and some good old-fashion ridiculousness!
May 26, 2021•1 hr 22 min•Season 1Ep. 13
After watching her family murdered off one-by-one and successfully navigating the male-driven world of Roman politicking, Agrippina is finally the Empress of Rome. For a short time, she’ll become the nightmare of male Roman egos and get a taste of unprecedented power as a woman, maneuvering through spaces previously denied to every other woman in Rome, all to ensure her son lands on the the Imperial throne. But her downfall comes from the most unlikely, and ungrateful, of places. In this episode...
May 12, 2021•1 hr 59 min•Season 1Ep. 12
Roman historians did not write about women very often, but when they did it was only when they were very, very good or very, very bad. Agrippina the Younger was very, very bad. Sister to one emperor, wife to another and mother to perhaps the most notorious Roman Emperor of them all, Agrippina refused to be shut out from the power structures men dominated. And history vilified her for it. Join us for The Rise, where we discuss all the crazy drama that lead to Agrippina becoming the most powerful ...
Apr 28, 2021•1 hr 49 min•Season 1Ep. 11
Artemisia I of Caria was said to terrorize the open seas in the Aegean Sea during the 5th century BC. She is one of the few women in history remembered completely on the merits of her own exploits independent of a relationship to a husband or son. As one of King Xerxes I’s most trusted advisors, Artemisia made a name for herself as one of the Persian army’s most fearsome naval commanders in their attack on Greece. Come along with us as we retell the story of the second Persian invasion into Gree...
Apr 14, 2021•1 hr 26 min•Season 1Ep. 10
As an onna-musha, Tomoe Gozen was one of the rare few female warriors to participate in offensive warfare if the stories are to be believed. Join us again for another tale set during the Genpai War. The same tale of family drama and betrayal – this time from the side of Minamoto no Yoshitaka and the warrior that would go on to inspire generations of samurais. In this choose-your-own-ending adventure, we’ll tell the story of Tomoe’s final stand and speculate over what happened to this deadly, dec...
Mar 31, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Season 1Ep. 9
Known to history as the Shogun Nun, Hōjō Masako’s rise to power in Medieval Japan tends to be overshadowed by her husband and Japan’s first official Shogun, Minamoto no Yoritomo. Yet, long after her husband died and she shaved her head in the style of Japanese widows of the time, Masako remained a formidable and ruthless figure in the Kamakura shogunate. Thanks to this Difficult Damsel, the Hōjō Clan would go on to rule the shogunate 100 years after her death. Also in this episode, Rachel and Ka...
Mar 17, 2021•1 hr 24 min•Season 1Ep. 8
Thanks to the skillful pen of Shakespeare, Margaret of Anjou’s reputation has been forever sullied by the Elizabethan poet. In the last part of our series on the she-wolves of Medieval England, we delve into the Lancastrian side of the English civil war known as The War of the Roses. Join us as we take a look at one of England’s most vilified queens and try to determine if her reputation is well deserved. Spoiler alert: the answer is, eh ... sort of. Also, we have ... family trees? Family trees!
Mar 03, 2021•1 hr 37 min•Season 1Ep. 7
Peasant. Prophet. Martyr. Saint. The Hundred Years War has left the French country in ruins, divided amongst each other and drained of hope. Until 17-year-old Joan of Arc receives the first of her visions from God. These visions of a victorious France will eventually take her to the French Dauphin, Charles VII and lead France into victory with the Maid sent from the King of Heaven leading the charge against the English and the Burgundies. Did she really have visions from God? Did she really lead...
Feb 17, 2021•1 hr 18 min•Season 1Ep. 6
Peasant. Prophet. Martyr. Saint. The Hundred Years War has left the French country in ruins, divided amongst each other and drained of hope. Until 17-year-old Joan of Arc receives the first of her visions from God. These visions of a victorious France will eventually take her to the French Dauphin, Charles VII, and lead France into victory with the Maid sent from the King of Heaven leading the charge against the English and the Burgundies. Did she really have visions from God? Did she really lea...
Feb 03, 2021•1 hr 31 min•Season 1Ep. 5
Vilified as the “She-Wolf of France” – a power hungry Machiavellian femme fatale who succeeded in usurping the throne of England from her husband and placing her son on the throne with her as Queen Regnant. But is it truly that simple? Was Isabella a shameless and ruthless vixen or is there more to this Difficult Damsel? Isabella is one of the most notorious Queen Consorts in English history, responsible for challenging not one but two thrones, influencing events in England and France one hundre...
Jan 20, 2021•1 hr 41 min•Season 1Ep. 4
