How did the gun become a fashion item in Renaissance Italy? Why do debates over firearms, self-defence and public safety sound so familiar today? Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and historian Catherine Fletcher trace the rise of guns from battlefield technology to coveted courtly accessory. Together they discover how firearms transformed warfare, society and empire-building, and why the history of gun regulation five centuries ago still echoes in modern politics today worldwide. MORE: Henry VIII's B...
Jun 18, 2026•47 min•Ep. 540
How did two Indigenous men help shape Elizabethan England's dreams of empire? What do these early encounters tell us about the contested beginnings of colonial America? In the 1580s, English explorers ventured west in search of land, influence and advantage. But this was not an inevitable march toward empire. As the 250th anniversary of American independence approaches, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and Distinguished Professor Peter C. Mancall explore a story of uncertainty, encounter and conflict...
Jun 15, 2026•59 min•Ep. 539
What effect did the Great Plague have on Londoners, their society and the wider state? Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and Rebecca Rideal revisit the summer of 1665, as a few suspicious deaths grew into a crisis that swept through the city with devastating speed. Entire households vanished, fear curdled into suspicion, outsiders were written out of the official record - and Restoration England was reshaped forever. More: Great Fire of London Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Diary of Samuel Pepys Li...
Jun 11, 2026•55 min•Ep. 538
Was Anne Boleyn a seductress, a schemer, or something far more radical? What happens when we look at Anne not through the lens of sex and scandal, but through religion? From Tudor observers to Six the Musical , Anne Boleyn has been labelled the woman who tempted, manipulated and overreached. But Professor Suzannah Lipscomb's guest Reverend Canon Martha Tatarnic, an Anglican priest, instead offers new insights into Anne’s faith, agency and historical significance. MORE Anne Boleyn at Hever Castle...
Jun 08, 2026•47 min•Ep. 537
How did a teenage rebel become Scotland’s king, and rule a realm riven by feuds and shifting loyalties? James IV balanced chivalry, diplomacy, and danger, yet led his country to catastrophe. Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and Prof. Michael Brown explore how James transformed himself into the most remarkable Renaissance monarch. MORE Henry VIII's Sister, Margaret Queen of Scots Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify How to Kill a Scottish Witch Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Presented by Professor Suz...
Jun 04, 2026•57 min•Ep. 536
**Warning: Contains graphic description of the mutilation of corpses** In April 1617, Concino Concini, Marshal of France, was shot dead as he entered the Louvre. But his murder was only the beginning of a terrifying chain of events. How did the assassination of this hated royal favourite unleash mob violence, propaganda and a new political order? And what fate awaited the woman blamed for bending France to a foreigner’s will? Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and Dr Una McIlvenna explore scandal, miso...
Jun 01, 2026•52 min•Ep. 535
What did it mean to be English when merchants, sailors, captives, diplomats, and migrants were constantly crossing borders? Pirates, a Kentish man becoming a Samurai and a king on the warpath; Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and Professor Nandini Das trace tales of reinvention, danger and belonging in this exciting, hugely changing world. MORE: England’s First Ambassador to India: Thomas Roe Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Giordano Bruno: Mystic, Heretic, Spy Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Pres...
May 28, 2026•56 min•Ep. 534
How did Sir Christopher Hatton became one of Elizabeth I’s favourites? How true were the rumours that they were lovers? After catching the Queen's eye in 1561, Hatton was quickly promoted to the Privy Council, making a significant impact on Elizabeth's complex religious policy. Yet he has often been overshadowed by her other favourites like Dudley, Cecil and Walsingham. In the final episode of our series on Royal Favourites, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb finds out more about Hatton’s rise from min...
May 25, 2026•41 min•Ep. 533
What if the medieval world did not end with a bang, but with a messy argument over who gets to define history itself? Professor Suzannah Lipscomb spars with Gone Medieval's host Matt Lewis over Gutenberg, the Reformation, witchcraft, plague, the Renaissance, and the Wars of the Roses to ask where medieval ends and early modern begins. The result is a lively, surprising fight over power, change, and the making of the modern world. More: Mother of All Tudors: Margaret Beaufort Listen on Apple List...
May 21, 2026•56 min•Ep. 532
How did Sarah Churchill become the most powerful woman in Queen Anne’s court? What happens when a royal friendship turns into a political battlefield? How did one absent set of jewels signal the beginning of the end? Professor Suzannah Lipscomb continues her series on royal favourites with biographer Ophelia Field. Together they explore the extraordinary story of Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough — the intimate friend, political operator and fierce chronicler whose influence shaped Queen A...
May 18, 2026•48 min•Ep. 531
How did Louis XIV use his day-to-day life, especially his marriage, to help create the mythology of the Sun King as semi-divine, radiant and unrivalled? In 17th-century France, monarchy was performed, witnessed, and widely circulated. Using portraits, medals, sculptures and official pamphlets, Louis XIV meticulously constructed his own image, appearing as Apollo, Jupiter, Hercules, Neptune, a Roman emperor, and even as the sun itself. Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and Dr. Abby Zanger explore the S...
May 14, 2026•47 min•Ep. 530
How did a relatively humble gentleman become the most powerful man in Stuart England? Few figures embodied the glamour and instability of the Jacobean court more completely than George Villiers, who rose to become one of the most influential men in England. To some he was charismatic, brilliant, and irresistible; to others, he was reckless, arrogant, and dangerously powerful. In the second episode of our series on Royal Favourites, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb explores the extraordinary rise and ...
May 11, 2026•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 529
How did a ghost story bring London to a standstill? Was it a haunting, a fraud, or something even more revealing about Georgian society? Why did rational, educated people fall for elaborate hoaxes? Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr.Madeleine Pelling, co-host of History Hit’s After Dark podcast, to uncover the darker side of the Age of Enlightenment. Why was this period remembered for science, reason, and progress, also fascinated by hoaxes, imposters, fake identities, ghost stories, se...
May 07, 2026•56 min•Ep. 528
Passion, scandal, and power collided in the tumultuous relationship between Elizabeth I and Robert Dudley. Rumours of secret trysts between them set the court ablaze, but their love was doomed from the start. In the first of four episodes looking at royal favourites in the Tudor and Stuart courts, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and Dr. Joanne Paul unravel the complex tapestry of Robert Dudley's life, Elizabeth's devotion and the decades of political intrigue and personal heartbreak. MORE: Tudor Tru...
May 04, 2026•43 min•Ep. 527
What if Henry VIII’s “discarded bride” actually showed real promise as queen? Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr James Taffe to discuss new discoveries about Anne of Cleves’ surviving account book, a rare 200-page record of every pound, shilling and penny that reveals Anne’s queenship through spending, patronage and household life. They discuss the “shadow” household retained after Jane Seymour, what the accounts do (and don’t) show about roles and wages, and the striking discovery that...
Apr 30, 2026•46 min•Ep. 526
How did a condemned Spanish Armada captain survive shipwreck, betrayal, and war to leave behind one of the most extraordinary first-person accounts of the 16th century? Francisco de Cuéllar was a career officer shaped by the harsh realities of early modern warfare, surviving looting, imprisonment, betrayal, and a brutal overland escape through a hostile landscape. Cuéllar's journey became one of the most gripping survival stories to emerge from the Spanish Armada shipwrecks. Professor Suzannah L...
Apr 27, 2026•48 min•Ep. 525
What was Anne Boleyn like before she became the most controversial queen in English history? Can the rooms and gardens at her childhood home reveal more about the world that shaped her? Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr. Owen Emmerson to find out more about the magical place where Anne Boleyn grew up, how Hever shaped her early life, education, language skills, and future role at the courts of Europe and England. MORE Cromwell, Boleyn & Aragon: A New Discovery Listen on Apple Liste...
Apr 23, 2026•54 min•Ep. 524
How did a woman rise to power, and keep it, in the fiercely male-dominated Habsburg Empire? From her distrust of the Enlightenment to her religious intolerance, and from family strategy to imperial power, Maria Theresa was a remarkable ruler driven by discipline, faith, dynastic ambition, and political will. Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Professor Barbara Stollberg-Rilinger to discover how Maria Theresa held together a fractured empire, confronted war and court politics, and reshaped ...
Apr 20, 2026•50 min•Ep. 523
How did England’s earliest travellers to India try to win favour in a Mughal golden age that scarcely noticed them? Professor Suzannah Lipscomb speaks with Dr Lubaaba Al-Azami about Tudor and early Stuart England’s turn to global trade after Elizabeth I’s break with Catholic Europe, and why Mughal India—vast, wealthy, and pragmatically governed—had little need for English wool or broadcloth. They trace the first arrivals: from a Catholic refugee to an Englishman's Mughal courtly success and marr...
Apr 16, 2026•55 min•Ep. 522
What if becoming queen was the worst thing that could happen to you? What if the crown became your death sentence? Professor Suzannah Lipscomb explores the tragic story of Lady Jane Grey, the brilliant, devout teenager, who was proclaimed queen of England against her will, reigned for less than two weeks, and was executed before her 17th birthday. Drawing on insights from her new two-part History Hit documentary series, Suzannah is joined by Professor Anna Whitelock, Dr Joanne Paul, Verity Babbs...
Apr 13, 2026•50 min•Ep. 521
She cut off her hair to sail the seas. She divorced her husband by locking him out of his own castle. And when her son was killed by the occupying English, she sailed straight up the Thames to plead for help from Elizabeth I. Or did she? Gráinne Ní Mháille, or Grace O'Malley, the legendary "Pirate Queen" of Ireland, was the head of a seafaring dynasty, while the Tudors tightened their grip, she commanded fleets, forged alliances, waged war, survived imprisonment, and outwitted some of the most r...
Apr 09, 2026•47 min•Ep. 520
Why were Shakespeare’s greatest heroines played by teenage boys? How did they learn their craft? On the Elizabethan stage, highly trained young men progressed from minor parts to play some of the Bard's most famous heroines, including Juliet and Cleopatra. Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Professor Roberta Barker to uncover how these cross-dressing apprentices brought some of the Renaissance theatre's most memorable characters to life. MORE Shakespeare's First Playhouse Listen on Apple L...
Apr 06, 2026•50 min•Ep. 519
What happens when a fleeing armada meets an unforgiving coast? Shipwreck, slaughter and survival collide as Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and Michael B. Barry uncover the untold Irish chapter of the Spanish Armada. From shattered galleons and mass executions to lost princes and lingering myths on wild Atlantic shores, this is a storm‑lashed saga where the real battle begins after the guns fall silent. MORE: The Spanish Armada Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Mary Rose and the Battle of The Solent...
Apr 02, 2026•50 min•Ep. 518
Assassination plots, Venetian stand‑offs and a diplomat in disguise: how did one maverick change the course of history? Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and Professor Carol Chillington Rutter uncovers the spy‑thriller life of Henry Wotton, the “honest man sent to lie abroad” for his country. From foiling an attempt on King James VI’s life to pulling Europe back from the brink of war during a showdown between Venice and the papacy, they discover how this scoundrel‑ambassador helped invent modern diplo...
Mar 30, 2026•53 min•Ep. 517
Was Captain William Kidd a ruthless pirate or a pawn in a royal gamble gone wrong? Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and Debbie Kilroy trace his meteoric rise from privateer to pariah, backed by a secret syndicate of powerful men, including the king. Mutiny, murder, and betrayal follow as power and politics turn Kidd’s royal commission into one of history’s most dramatic downfalls. MORE: Women Pirates of the Caribbean Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Pirates of the Pacific & the Spanish Empire Li...
Mar 26, 2026•44 min•Ep. 516
Who had a stronger claim to the English throne than Henry VII? When Henry Tudor took the crown on the battlefield at Bosworth, his hereditary claim was fragile. Eighteen Plantagenet descendants had a more legitimate right to rule, while pretenders Lambert Simnel and Perkin Warbeck kept the Tudor court under constant threat. Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Gone Medieval host Matt Lewis to unravel one of the great mysteries of history: if not Henry VII, then who was the rightful king of E...
Mar 23, 2026•59 min•Ep. 515
Was there really a 17th century Italian woman who helped hundreds of wives murder their husbands, or is her story a myth born of fear and gossip? Professor Suzannah Lipscomb investigates the legend of Giulia Tofana, the so-called criminal mastermind behind a secret poison network. With historical novelist Cathryn Kemp, she uncovers the blurred line between truth and terror, reveals how the Pope hunted down a group of women who were not only independent businesswomen but who were striking back at...
Mar 19, 2026•36 min•Ep. 514
Who wanted Elizabeth I dead, and how close did they come to removing her? Who were the conspirators and rebels who plotted to put Mary, Queen of Scots on the throne? Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Professor Jonathan McGovern to unravel the Northern Rebellion, the Ridolfi and Throckmorton conspiracies, the chilling Babington Plot, and the shadowy intrigues of spies, traitors, and foreign powers who tried to topple the Tudor queen. MORE: Tudor True Crime: Who Murdered Lord Darnley? Liste...
Mar 16, 2026•42 min•Ep. 513
Warning: This episode contains references to sexual abuse What became of the women whose worlds collapsed when the Spanish arrived in Mesoamerica? Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Mexican author Sofia Robleda to uncover the lives of the women who navigated conquest, faith, and colonial law with resilience and strategy. MORE: The Caribbean, Colonisers & Christianity Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Cortés and the Aztecs Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Presented by Professor Suzanna...
Mar 12, 2026•37 min•Ep. 512
Who would rule Britain after the childless Queen Anne died in 1714? Why was a distant German Protestant dynasty chosen over closer claimants to the throne? In the final part of our series on the Restoration monarchs, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr. Brent Sirota, to explore what the Hanoverian succession settled and what it left unresolved, defining modern Britain beyond just the crown. MORE: Queen Mary II & the Glorious Revolution Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify James II: The ...
Mar 09, 2026•48 min•Ep. 511
