The 1650s were the only years in history when Britain was a republic.  Charles I had been executed, the monarchy was abolished and the House of Lords dismissed.  But what came next? How could stability be restored when people disagreed over what they had been fighting for in the first place?  In the first of two fascinating episodes, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb delves deep into this turbulent decade with Professor Alice Hunt, author of Republic: Britain's Revolutionary Decade, 1649 to 1660.  Presented by Professor Susannah Lipscomb. The researcher is Alice Smith and the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff. Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcast Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original TV documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off your first three months using the code ‘TUDORS’ You can take part in our listener survey here >

In the last year of Henry VIII's life, his sixth wife Queen Kateryn Parr was accused of heresy and it looked as if her life could be on the line. This dramatic moment is the focus of a novel by Elizabeth Fremantle. Originally called Queen's Gambit, it has now been turned into the film Firebrand, starring Alicia Vikander as Kateryn Parr and Jude Law as Henry VIII.  Professor Suzannah Lipscomb discusses the book and the film - and the woman that inspired them both - with Elizabeth Fremantle and also with actor Norman Bowman, who plays Henry VIII's right hand man Sir William Herbert in Firebrand. Presented by Professor Suzannah Lipscomb. The researcher is Alice Smith, audio editor Ella Blaxill and the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff. Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcast Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original TV documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off your first 3 months using code ‘TUDORS’ You can take part in our listener survey here >

A feature of outbreaks of plague between the 14th and 18th centuries was the publication of books and pamphlets, known as ‘plague tracts’, that spread information and misinformation about the causes of plague, offered new remedies, and identified scapegoats. The audience for such publications lingered long after the threat of plague itself seemed to fade.  In this episode of Not Just the Tudors, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb talks to medical historian Dr. Lori Jones about the promulgation of beliefs surrounding disease and the diseased. Presented by Professor Suzannah Lipscomb. The researcher is Alice Smith and the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff. Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcast. Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original TV documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off your first 3 months using code ‘TUDORS’ You can take part in our listener survey here >

Queen Elizabeth I’s travels round England - known as ‘progresses’ - were never a quick day-trip or city break. They involved scores of attendants, hundreds of carts of luggage, and lasted around 50 days each. Exactly 450 years ago, she went on one of the greatest progresses of her reign to the West Country. Among the places she stayed was Longleat House in Wiltshire, today best known as a safari park. It’s currently hosting a special exhibition to mark the anniversary of the royal visit.  In this episode, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb finds out more from Longleat's archivist Emma Challinor and curator Dr. James Ford.  Presented by Professor Suzannah Lipscomb. The researcher is Alice Smith and the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff. Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcast Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original TV documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off your first 3 months using code ‘TUDORS’ https://historyhit.com/subscription You can take part in our listener survey here > https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/6FFT7MK

In the autumn of 1621, hundreds of starlings were seen fighting in the sky above Cork. The following May, the city was ravaged by fire.  The pleated folds of skin around the neck of a baby born in 1566 were interpreted as divine judgment on starched ruffs. And when not a single wren was seen in Cambridge in the 1620s, people expected a foreign invasion. In this episode, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Professor Alexandra Walsham, to explore the many signs, wonders, omens and portents she has discovered in the archives, which offer fascinating insights into the collective consciousness of the Elizabethan and early Stuart periods.  Presented by Professor Suzannah Lipscomb. The researcher is Alice Smith, audio editor Ella Blaxill and the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff. Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcast Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original TV documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off your first 3 months using code ‘TUDORS’ https://historyhit.com/subscription You can take part in our listener survey here > https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/6FFT7MK

Queen Consort of France and mother to three successive Kings, Catherine de’ Medici's legacy could have been one of intelligence, fortitude, artistic patronage and religious moderation. But instead, as with so many women in positions of power, Catherine's life and actions have been almost entirely vilified. Deemed a witch and a callous spendthrift, she is perhaps best remembered as a dangerous instigator of extreme violence, because of her contested part in the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre of 1572. In this fourth and final episode of our mini-series exploring the lives and legacy of the House of Medici, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb talks to Mary Hollingsworth, whose new book Catherine de’ Medici: The Life and Times of the Serpent Queen, tries to get to the heart of one of history's most remarkable women. Presented by Professor Suzannah Lipscomb. The researcher is Alice Smith, audio editor Ella Blaxill and the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff. Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcast Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original TV documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off your first 3 months using code ‘TUDORS’ https://historyhit.com/subscription You can take part in our listener survey here > https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/6FFT7MK

In July 1596, Fynes Moryson - a Lincolnshire gentleman and travel writer - was struck down with grief when his younger brother died as they crossed the desert on their return from Jerusalem. Moryson described his journeys and devastating experiences two decades later in an account titled Itinerary, at once a personal memoir and a huge manual of travel advice.   In this edition of Not Just the Tudors, first released in September 2021, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb talks to Dr. Eva Johanna Holmberg, whose study of Moryson sheds light on the lives and emotions of people in the early modern period. Presented by Professor Susannah Lipscomb. The researcher is Alice Smith and the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff. Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcast Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original TV documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off your first 3 months using code ‘TUDORS’ https://historyhit.com/subscription You can take part in our listener survey here >

Fueled by ambition and the desire to extend their influence, the House of Medici saw the papacy not only as a religious post but a political one. Four of the Medici dynasty rose to become Pope in the 16th century. In our third episode on the House of Medici, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Professor Catherine Fletcher to talk in particular about Pope Leo X and Pope Clement VII, the Medici who led the church during its most fractious period: the time of the Reformation.  Presented by Professor Suzannah Lipscomb. The researcher is Alice Smith, audio editor Ella Blaxill and the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff. Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcast Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original TV documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off your first 3 months using code ‘TUDORS’. You can take part in our listener survey here >

We have long been taught that modern global history began when the 'Old World' encountered the 'New', when Christopher Columbus 'discovered' America in 1492. But, in a groundbreaking book, Dr. Caroline Dodds Pennock conclusively shows that for tens of thousands of Aztecs, Maya, Totonacs, Inuit and others - enslaved people, diplomats, explorers, servants, traders - the reverse was true: they discovered Europe.  In this episode of Not Just the Tudors, first released in January 2023, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb talks to Dr. Dodds Pennock about a story of abduction, loss, cultural appropriation, and as indigenous peoples saw it, of apocalypse.  Presented by Professor Susannah Lipscomb. The researcher is Alice Smith and the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff. Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcast Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original TV documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off your first 3 months using code ‘TUDORS’ https://historyhit.com/subscription You can take part in our listener survey here >

All this month, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is taking a deep dive into the complex and controversial House of Medici, which left an indelible mark on Western civilisation. In this second episode, Suzannah talks to Dr. Alexander Lee about Lorenzo de’ Medici, the consummate Renaissance man. But Machiavelli portrayed him as a cunning and ambitious ruler, purely self serving in pursuit of personal power. So what should we make of Lorenzo, whose life and achievements left such an indelible mark on Florence and the cultural landscape of Italy that it earned him the title Il Magnifico? Not Just the Tudors is presented by Professor Suzannah Lipscomb. The researcher is Alice Smith, the audio editor is Ella Blaxill and the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff. Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcast Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original TV documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off your first 3 months using code ‘TUDORS’ You can take part in our listener survey here >

Around the same time as the Mayflower was landing at Cape Cod, on the other side of the world tourism was thriving in China, giving rise to a fascinating genre of travel writing. In this episode, first released in February 2022, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb explores the wonderfully rich prose and travel diaries of the period with Professor James Hargett. His research and translations reveal extraordinary insights into the society and culture of the late Ming Dynasty. Presented by Professor Susannah Lipscomb. The researcher is Alice Smith and the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff. Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcast Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original TV documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off your first 3 months using code ‘TUDORS’ https://historyhit.com/subscription You can take part in our listener survey here >

The House of Medici ruthlessly wielded control of Florence for nearly 300 years. Through financial and political machinations, they transformed the city into a cultural powerhouse and the epicentre of the Renaissance, spawning popes and royalty along the way.  Across four special episodes, Not Just the Tudors takes a deep dive into this complex and controversial dynasty that left an indelible mark on Western civilisation. In this first episode, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb talks to Tim Parks, author of Medici Money, about the dramatic, frequently bloody story of how the Medici rose to power through their banking activities. Presented by Professor Susannah Lipscomb. The researcher is Alice Smith, audio editor Ella Blaxill and the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff. Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcast Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original TV documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off your first 3 months using code ‘TUDORS’ https://historyhit.com/subscription You can take part in our listener survey here > https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/6FFT7MK

Just over 500 years ago, a small band of sailors completed the first ever circumnavigation of the globe, launched by Ferdinand Magellan. From the armada of five ships and some 270 men that set out, only one ship and 18 men returned. Magellan was not among them, and if he had been, he would hardly have received a hero’s welcome. In this episode of Not Just the Tudors, first released in September 2022, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Magellan’s award-winning biographer Laurence Bergreen to consider Magellan the man and how his voyage changed the world’s ideas about cosmology and geography. Presented by Professor Susannah Lipscomb. The researcher is Alice Smith, audio editor Ella Blaxill and the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff. Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcast Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original TV documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off your first 3 months using code ‘TUDORS’ https://historyhit.com/subscription You can take part in our listener survey here >

Henry VII was descended from some of the greatest Welsh princes. When word spread that he had a chance of taking the English throne, Welsh prophecies - which foretold that one day, one of their own would become king of the islands and would be crowned in London - looked to be coming true. Professor Suzannah Lipscomb introduces a special crossover edition with Not Just the Tudors' sister podcast Gone Medieval in which Matt Lewis is joined by historian Nathen Amin, author of Son of Prophecy: The Rise of Henry Tudor, to share the surprising story of the medieval ancestors of the Tudor monarchs. This episode was edited by Max Carrey. The producers are Joseph Knight and Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff. Not Just the Tudors and Gone Medieval are History Hit podcasts. Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original TV documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off your first 3 months using code ‘TUDORS’ You can take part in our listener survey here >

In early 18th century Venice, the Ospedale della Pietà took in abandoned baby girls through a tiny gap in the wall.  In addition to ensuring the girls’ survival, the orphanage employed one of the world’s greatest ever composers - Antonio Vivaldi - to train the girls in music.  One of his pupils, Anna Maria della Pietà, became his star protegé and went on to a phenomenal career as a violinist and the maestro’s biggest rival. Anna Maria’s largely forgotten life is compellingly recovered and reimagined in this summer’s most eagerly anticipated historical novel, The Instrumentalist by Harriet Constable. She joins Professor Suzannah Lipscomb to talk about how she discovered and brought Anna-Maria's heart-rending story to life. Presented by Professor Susannah Lipscomb. The researcher is Alice Smith and the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff. "Et in Terra Pax" from Vivaldi's Gloria in D used with the kind permission of the Girl Choir of South Florida. Watch here > Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcast Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original TV documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off your first 3 months using code ‘TUDORS’ You can take part in our listener survey here >

The tempestuous and passionate Barbara Villiers captured the hearts of many in Stuart-era Britain, including King Charles II. But she had a dark side, humiliating her husband for decades, plotting the ruin of her enemies, and gambling away vast sums of money. In this episode of Not Just the Tudors, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb talks to Andrea Zuvich who reveals the true story of Barbara and her insatiable appetite for life, love, riches, amusement, and power.  Presented by Professor Susannah Lipscomb. The researcher is Alice Smith, the audio editor is Ella Blaxill and the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff. Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcast Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original TV documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off your first 3 months using code ‘TUDORS’ https://historyhit.com/subscription You can take part in our listener survey here: https://uk.surveymonkey.com/r/6FFT7MK

At the end of the 17th century, a small clan - the Akan - in West Africa began growing into what would later become the powerful Ashanti Empire.  The state grew rapidly in both wealth and land until it spanned most of modern day Ghana, the Ivory Coast, and Togo.  Luke Pepera joins Professor Suzannah Lipscomb to discuss this incredible Empire, which fiercely resisted British colonialism and fought violent wars to protect and expand its territory. Luke Pepera's documentary Africa: Written Out of History is available now on History Hit TV. Presented by Professor Suzannah Lipscomb. The researcher is Alice Smith and the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff. Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcast Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original TV documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off your first 3 months using code ‘TUDORS’. You can take part in our listener survey here >

The 16th and 17th centuries were a crucial time for spycraft, full of political intrigue and diplomatic subterfuge. Walsingham was known as a 'Spy Master', but there were many, all vying for attention from the Crown. But how did they and their spies operate? Professor Suzannah Lipscomb welcomes Pete Langman and Professor Nadine Akkerman to delve into the practices of espionage and reveal how the line between spy and criminal was easily blurred depending on who was in favour, and who was betrayed. Presented by Professor Suzannah Lipscomb. The researcher is Alice Smith, audio editors are Tean Stewart-Murray and Ella Blaxill. The producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff. Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcast Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original TV documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off your first 3 months using code ‘TUDORS’ https://historyhit.com/subscription You can take part in our listener survey here: https://uk.surveymonkey.com/r/6FFT7MK

On 28 January 1547, King Henry VIII died at the age of 55. Just hours before his passing, his last will and testament had been read, stamped, and sealed. Historians have disagreed ever since about its authenticity and validity, and the circumstances of its creation, making Henry's will one of English history's most contested documents. In this episode of Not Just the Tudors, first released in January 2022, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb offers her own illuminating interpretation of the aftermath of Henry VIII's death, the mystery of his will and how misplaced trust can undermine the best-laid plans of a powerful monarch. Presented by Professor Susannah Lipscomb. The researcher is Alice Smith, audio editor Ella Blaxill and the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff. Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcast Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original TV documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off your first 3 months using code ‘TUDORS’ https://historyhit.com/subscription You can take part in our listener survey here >

In November 1588, a 21-year-old Japanese man called Christopher met Queen Elizabeth I. On the way, he had already become the first recorded Japanese person in North America. His story has been almost totally forgotten until now. In this episode of Not Just the Tudors, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb finds out more about Christopher from Professor Thomas Lockley, author of A Gentleman from Japan which recovers Christopher’s remarkable story.  Presented by Professor Susannah Lipscomb. The researcher is Alice Smith, audio editor Ella Blaxill and the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff. Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcast Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original TV documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off your first 3 months using code ‘TUDORS’ https://historyhit.com/subscription You can take part in our listener survey here >