Episodes

  • Accidental Deaths in Tudor England
    Jun 16 2025

    **This episode includes descriptions of accidental deaths**


    Professor Suzannah Lipscomb investigates the grim but fascinating world of accidental deaths in Tudor England. In the 16th century, everyday activities like fetching water, football and even May Pole dancing could prove fatal. Then there were the unexpected perils of agriculture and industry including lethal haystacks and falling hammers. Suzannah is joined by Professor Steven Gunn and Dr. Tomasz Gromelski to discuss their grisly, groundbreaking research.


    More:


    How People Died in 16th Century London

    https://open.spotify.com/episode/0nTXTSMsOSdRduiWKy2hMo

    3 Ways to Die in Early Modern Europe

    https://open.spotify.com/episode/6RPZhgQ2kVXcTcielpeu5v


    Presented by Professor Suzannah Lipscomb. The researcher is Alice Smith, audio editor is Amy Haddow and the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

    All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds.

    Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcast.


    Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.


    You can take part in our listener survey here:

    https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on

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    56 mins
  • Isabella d’Este: Renaissance Influencer
    Jun 12 2025

    Discover the captivating life of Isabella d'Este with Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and acclaimed novelist and historian Sarah Dunant. They discuss Isabella's incredible journey from a well-educated noblewoman to the First Lady of the Renaissance, how she mastered political strategy, diplomatic finesse, and art patronage while navigating the treacherous Italian wars.

    Suzannah and Sarah uncover intimate details of Isabella's unconventional marriage and her groundbreaking influence in the art world as she pursued Michelangelo for the perfect portrait with a unique blend of charm and ruthlessness, which made her one of history's most compelling women.


    More:

    Katherine of Aragon: England's First Renaissance Queen

    https://open.spotify.com/episode/6cDqkgk8aoDAUn6KxwlX7U

    Michelangelo

    https://open.spotify.com/episode/3ocKCFinOdaCZYfBtHoMXn


    Presented by Professor Suzannah Lipscomb. The researcher is Alice Smith, audio editor is Amy Haddow and the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

    All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds.

    Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcast.


    Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.


    You can take part in our listener survey here:

    https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on

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    55 mins
  • Mystery of the Cheapside Hoard
    Jun 9 2025

    In June 1912, two workmen made a discovery in the London mud that would stun the antiquarian world: a hoard of gold, pearls, rubies, emeralds, and jewels from around the world. Handed over to antiques dealer George Fabian Lawrence, or ‘Stony Jack’, the Cheapside Hoard became known as the greatest cache of Elizabethan and Jacobean jewellery ever found.


    Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Victoria Shepherd, author of Stony Jack and the Lost Jewels of Cheapside: Treasure and Ghosts in the London Clay, to tell this extraordinary true story of empire, ambition, and buried treasure—a glittering mystery that still captivates historians and treasure hunters today.


    More:

    A Tudor Mystery: The Girl who Could be Queen

    https://open.spotify.com/episode/7ah4FWEOjfcDKCK9QVFmVE

    Tudor Queens: The Power of Jewellery

    https://open.spotify.com/episode/3WCKhj0ORpANADDzIdot6k


    Presented by Professor Suzannah Lipscomb. The researcher is Alice Smith, audio editor is Amy Haddow and the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

    All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds.

    Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcast.


    Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.


    You can take part in our listener survey here:

    https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on

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    49 mins
  • Fall of Thomas More
    Jun 5 2025

    In the second of our special episodes exploring the rise and fall of Sir Thomas More, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and Dr. Joanne Paul chart the great Tudor statesman's demise. Despite his silence about Henry VIII's self-proclamation as Supreme Head of the Church of England, More was executed for treason on 6 July 1535. What were the events leading up to his fall from grace? How did More's position impact the King? And what can we now make of this contradictory character and his contribution to Renaissance thought?


    Presented by Professor Suzannah Lipscomb. The researcher is Alice Smith, edited and produced by Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

    All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds.

    Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcast.


    More:

    Thomas More on Film: The HIstorian's Verdict >

    Wolf Hall - Who's Who >


    Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries including Suzannah Lipscomb's series on the Dissolution of the Monasteries, plus a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.


    You can take part in our listener survey here:

    https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on

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    56 mins
  • Rise of Thomas More
    Jun 2 2025

    Thomas More is one of the most famous and controversial figures in English history. Was he truly the saintly man of conscience, immortalised by A Man for All Seasons? Or was he the stubborn zealot depicted in Wolf Hall? In the first of two episodes looking at Thomas More's rise and fall, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr. Joanne Paul, whose decade-long research into More drew upon new archival discoveries to unravel his complex legacy, his profound influence on modern Europe, the enduring debates about his faith and politics, and why his story still matters.


    Presented by Professor Suzannah Lipscomb. The researcher is Alice Smith, audio editor is Amy Haddow and the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

    All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds.

    Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcast.


    More:

    Thomas More on Film: The Historians' Verdict >

    Wolf Hall - Who's Who? >


    Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.


    You can take part in our listener survey here:

    https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on

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    44 mins
  • John Dee's Angels
    May 29 2025

    Was an advisor to Queen Elizabeth I communicating with angels? Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Egyptologist Garry J. Shaw to explore the intriguing life of John Dee, his mysterious meetings with angels and demons and the secrets he believed they uncovered. With help from the enigmatic alchemist Edward Kelly, Dee wrote the Angel Diaries detailing his attempts to communicate with the divine, and the secrets of the celestial language they believed could unlock the universe’s mysteries. Suzannah uncovers the complex relationship between Dee and Kelly, the apocalyptic visions, the inexplicable return of the burned manuscripts, and the dramatic breakdown after a scandalous wife-swapping decree.


    MORE

    Practical Magic: Prayers, Spells & Cunning Folk

    https://open.spotify.com/episode/218bX6v64pMYZEEJT9sxE6


    Presented by Professor Suzannah Lipscomb. The researcher is Alice Smith, audio editor is Amy Haddow and the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

    All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds.

    Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcast.


    Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.


    You can take part in our listener survey here:

    https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on

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    52 mins
  • Philip II of Spain, King of England
    May 26 2025

    Philip II of Spain - the most powerful monarch of the early modern period - was married to Queen Mary Tudor from 1554 until her death in 1558. But Philip was not merely Mary's King Consort. Rather he was King of England, co-ruler with Mary. But Philip's character and central role in the English monarchy was forever blackened by anti-Catholic versions of Tudor history.


    In this edition of Not Just the Tudors, first released in October 2021, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb talks to Professor Gonzalo Velasco Berenguer, whose ground-breaking research shows that the reign of Mary and Philip was much more than an anomalous glitch on England's journey towards Protestantism.


    MORE

    Mary I: What if She'd Lived? >


    Presented by Professor Suzannah Lipscomb. Edited and produced by Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

    All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds.

    Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcast.


    Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.


    You can take part in our listener survey here >

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    43 mins
  • Dancing Plague of 1518
    May 22 2025

    In 1518 one woman's mysterious dance sparked an uncontrollable epidemic, leading up to 400 people to dance wildly for weeks.

    Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr. Lynneth J. Miller Renberg to explore the bizarre Dancing Plague, discussing the theories of demonic possession, divine punishment, and social protest, finding out how the city struggled to contain this strange phenomenon. The medical missteps, and cultural tensions fueled one of history's most puzzling outbreaks.


    MORE

    How to Survive the Plague

    https://open.spotify.com/episode/01e8GRcHkZuHjmUTvlIwRx


    Presented by Professor Suzannah Lipscomb. The researcher is Alice Smith, audio editor is Amy Haddow and the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

    Theme music from All3Media. Other music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds.

    Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcast.


    Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.


    You can take part in our listener survey here:

    https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on

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    49 mins
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