The Tudor Chest - The Podcast

This week I am talking to historian and author Wendy Dunn all about Catherine Carey, the daughter of Mary Boleyn. Wendy has written a full length biography of Catherine Carey, and believes firmly that she was not the daughter of Mary Boleyn’s first husband William Stafford, but was, in fact, an illegitimate child of King Henry VIII’s. Wendy and I discuss Catherine’s upbringing, her role at the royal court, whether there is any truth in the legend that she accompanied her aunt Anne Boleyn to the scaffold and how she grew to be one of the most trusted and admired figures at the court of Queen Elizabeth I, who, following Catherine’s death granted her a funeral so lavish that it may well prove the theory that Catherine was not Elizabeth’s cousin, but may have been her half-sister instead.

Dr Eleanor Jackson is a curator at the British Library, responsible for creating the incredible new exhibition they have on display, Medieval Women, Voices and Visions. This remarkable exhibition brings together artefacts including letters, statues, trial records, table wear and so much more, beautifully telling the stories of medieval women. Many of the items have ties to some of the most iconic women from history, including the Empress Matilda, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Margaret of Anjou and even Joan of Arc. Equally, there are tales of your every day medieval woman, from a girl who broke a rib whilst ice-skating to a court case against a 14th century sex worker, who though born male, lived, identified and worked as a woman, so join me as we journey back through four hundred years of medieval history brought together in this remarkable exhibition.

Natalie Grueninger is a historian and author, known for her incredible podcast series, talking tudors. A couple of years ago Natalie released her book, the final year of Anne Boleyn, which as the title suggests, charts the final year of Anne Boleyn’s life and how many of the seeds that eventually brought her down were sown long before May 1536. In writing this book, Natalie uncovered aspects of Anne’s story that are either seldom explored, unknown or massively misunderstood, from Anne’s miscarriages, how her arrest played out and indeed what happened to Anne’s remains after she was beheaded. All will be covered in this episode!

Dr Helen Castor is a historian, author and broadcaster who is best known for her work on some of histories most fascinating women, from Eleanor of Aquitaine to Joan of Arc, Isabella of France to Lady Jane Grey, however, her most recent book, published only a few weeks ago breaks the mould, for in it she explores the life of two of medieval England’s kings. The eagle and the hart, the tragedy of Richard ii and Henry iv is this book, a remarkable and highly detailed exploration of these very very different kings and how, as the title suggests, their lives and more accurately their reigns descended into tragedy. I am thrilled to welcome Helen onto the podcast today to discuss her book, this is a long episode folks, so buckle in as we hop out of the world of the Tudors and into that of the Plantagenets.