If It Ain't Baroque...

Today we’re talking about Margaret Whigham,  the IT-girl of 1930’s, who became Mrs Sweeny with her first marriage - Cole Porter mentioned her in a song -  and Duchess of Argyll with her second. She is remembered today for a sex scandal initiated by the 11th Duke of Argyll during their divorce proceedings.She is also responsible for restoring Inveraray Castle in Scotland; and one can definitely credit Margaret with making waves when it comes to legislation against revenge porn.  And today we’re talking to Lyndsy Spence, who wrote a book on Margaret, published by The History Press.Get The Grit in the Pearl: The Scandalous Life of Margaret, Duchess of Argyll Book: https://thehistorypress.co.uk/publication/the-grit-in-the-pearl/https://thehistorypress.co.uk/article/the-deb-of-1930-margaret-whigham-enters-society/Find Lyndsy's Books:https://thehistorypress.co.uk/publication/cast-a-diva/https://thehistorypress.co.uk/publication/where-madness-lies/Find Lyndsy:https://thehistorypress.co.uk/contributor/lyndsy-spence/https://www.instagram.com/lyndsyspence/If you would like to join Natalie on her Royal London Walking Tour, please see:https://www.getyourguide.com/london-l57/london-the-royal-british-kings-and-queens-walking-tour-t426011/For more history fodder please visit https://www.ifitaintbaroque.art/ and https://www.reignoflondon.com/

Let's talk Vikings... What is true, what is false? What myths persist about this ...group (?) of people and what makes them so fascinating? Tune in and find out... Get Forgotten Vikings: https://www.amberley-books.com/forgotten-vikings.html Alex' First Book Riddles of the Isle: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Riddles-Isle-History-Axholme-Normans/dp/1739191641 Find Alex here: https://x.com/AlexHarvv on X (a.k.a. Twitter) https://bsky.app/profile/alexharvv.bsky.social https://www.amberley-books.com/author-community-main-page/h/alex-harvey.html More from Alex: https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/heritage-and-retro/heritage/how-a-new-book-by-a-yorkshire-archeologist-lifts-the-lid-on-britains-forgotten-vikings-4898331 https://www.york.ac.uk/archaeology/about/news/news2024/epartment-alumnus-vikings-book2/ Join Natalie on her London walking tours: Monarchy Anglo-Saxons to Stuarts: https://www.getyourguide.com/london-l57/london-the-royal-british-kings-and-queens-walking-tour-t426011/ Naughty London: https://www.getyourguide.com/london-l57/london-unsavory-history-guided-walking-tour-t428452/

Right trusty and well beloved, we greet you well!On the 6th December 1421 a baby boy is born in Windsor Castle…his parents are Catherine of Valois and Henry V ..this boy would be a crowned king of England as well a crowned king of France, the only one to ever achieve this honour. Sadly, he would come to lose both his crowns and his life. Henry VI, as he became, is often blamed to be the cause of the Wars of the Roses that rattled England in the middle of the 15th century.The historian Lauren Johnson takes a more sympathetic approach.Let’s talk to her about her book on Henry, called The Shadow King; published by Head of Zeus (UK) and Pegasus (USA).Get The Shadow King:https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/shadow-king-9781784979645/ (UK)http://pegasusbooks.com/books/the-shadow-king-9781643131283-hardcover (USA)Get Lauren's Other Books:https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/author/lauren-johnson/ (UK)http://pegasusbooks.com/authors/lauren-johnson (USA) Lauren's Fiction:https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/The-Arrow-of-Sherwood-Hardback/p/4101/aid/1238 Find Lauren:http://lauren-johnson.com/index.html Lauren on Goodreads:https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7796295.Lauren_JohnsonIf you would like to join Natalie on her walking tours in London with Reign of London, please follow the links:https://www.getyourguide.com/london-l57/london-the-royal-british-kings-and-queens-walking-tour-t426011/https://www.getyourguide.com/london-l57/london-unsavory-history-guided-walking-tour-t428452/https://www.getyourguide.com/london-l57/royal-london-georgian-and-windsor-monarchs-walking-tour-t481355 .For more history fodder please visit https://www.ifitaintbaroque.art/ and https://www.reignoflondon.com/

On the 19th November in the year 1600, a boy was born in Scotland at Dunfermline Palace - he was the second son and the third child of the King of Scotland, James VI. Few could have predicted he would one day be king, not just of Scotland, but also of England and Ireland. No one could have foretold this boy would die on the scaffold for treason… This boy was of course, Charles James Stuart, who would become Charles I.Let’s turn back the clock and find out more about Charles’ upbringing and what events and traumas from his childhood influenced his future decisions… With us today we have author and historian Mark Turnbull.Welcome, Mark! Get Mark's Book:https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Charles-Is-Private-Life-Hardback/p/23661/aid/1238 Find Mark:https://www.allegianceofblood.com/If you would like to join Natalie on her walking tours in London with Reign of London, please follow the links:Royal London Walking Tour:https://www.getyourguide.com/london-l57/london-the-royal-british-kings-and-queens-walking-tour-t426011/https://www.getyourguide.com/london-l57/royal-london-georgian-and-windsor-monarchs-walking-tour-t481355 Royal Love Stories Walking Tour:https://www.getyourguide.com/london-l57/royal-love-stories-walking-tour-t481358/ For more history fodder please visit https://www.ifitaintbaroque.art/ and https://www.reignoflondon.com/

It is our absolute pleasure to introduce today’s guest, Elizabeth Fremantle, and we’ll be talking about her novel Queen’s Gambit, which has recently been made into a film Firebrand starring Alicia Vikander as Katherine Parr and Jude Law as Henry VIII. (The novel has been updated under the new name as well.)Please welcome, Elizabeth!Find Firebrand (a.k.a Queen's Gambit) Book: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/188185/queens-gambit-by-fremantle-elizabeth/9781405909389 (UK)https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Firebrand/Elizabeth-Fremantle/9781668005361 (USA) Find Elizabeth's Books:https://www.penguin.co.uk/search-results?tab=books&q=Elizabeth-Fremantle&x9=author&q9=Elizabeth-Fremantle (UK)https://www.simonandschuster.com/search/books/_/N-/Ntt-fremantle (USA)If you would like to join Natalie on her Royal London Walking Tour, please see:https://www.getyourguide.com/london-l57/london-the-royal-british-kings-and-queens-walking-tour-t426011/For more history fodder please visit https://www.ifitaintbaroque.art/ and https://www.reignoflondon.com/

Today we bring to you our interview with Callum Watson, and we’ll be discussing the Battle of Flodden Field, wherein the Scottish King James IV was massively defeated by the English army which is ironic since the King of England Henry VIII was in France fighting the French. What’s even more ironic, is the fact that the Scottish King was married to Henry’s sister Margaret, from whom our King Charles III is descended. Let’s travel back to 1513 and and demystify this conflict, welcome back, Callum! Callum Watson is an author and historian. He works at the site of the Battle of Bannockburn, and has recently published a book on the Battle of Bannockburn with Pen & Sword. He also contributed to the Channel 5 documentary ‘Britain’s Lost Battlefields’, AND Callum also has worked as a historical advisor on the ‘Outlaw King’ film for Netflix.  Callum's Book:https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/1314-The-Year-of-Bannockburn-Hardback/p/49813/aid/1238Find Callum:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiesDZuBN1Z0SE3Vq3Gjz_Ahttps://drcallumwatson.blogspot.com/https://www.instagram.com/cpwatson1375/The Battle of Flodden Field:http://www.flodden.org.uk/If you're planning a trip to London, join Natalie on her Walking Tours with Reign of London:https://www.getyourguide.com/london-l57/london-the-royal-british-kings-and-queens-walking-tour-t426011/https://www.getyourguide.com/london-l57/london-unsavory-history-guided-walking-tour-t428452/

Right trusty and well beloved, we greet you well! On the 16th November 1272 Henry III died after a 56 year reign. His rule spanned the better part of the 13th century, and took England from the disaster that was King John to the conquering macho that was Edward I.  Neatly sandwiched in between these two vastly different kingships is Henry III, the man who gave us Westminster Abbey , peace with France and Scotland; and Parliament, as a regular place of meetings for government officials. Henry may not have the best posthumous PR, but we’re here to fix that. Please welcome to the podcast Matthew Lewis, historian, author and podcaster. Matthew's Henry III Book:https://www.amberley-books.com/henry-iii-9781445686530.htmlGet Matthew's Other Books:https://thehistorypress.co.uk/publication/the-survival-of-the-princes-in-the-tower/ https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Stephen-and-Matildas-Civil-War-Hardback/p/16734/aid/1238 https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Rebellion-in-the-Middle-Ages-Hardback/p/20243/aid/1238 https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Richard-III-Paperback/p/15933/aid/1238 https://www.historyhit.com/author/mattlewis/https://www.facebook.com/MattLewisAuthor/https://www.mattlewisauthor.com/If you would like to join Natalie on her Reign of London walking tours, please follow the links:Royal London:https://www.getyourguide.com/london-l57/london-the-royal-british-kings-and-queens-walking-tour-t426011/https://www.getyourguide.com/london-l57/royal-london-georgian-and-windsor-monarchs-walking-tour-t481355 Naughty London: https://www.getyourguide.com/london-l57/london-unsavory-history-guided-walking-tour-t428452/ For more history fodder please visit https://www.ifitaintbaroque.art/ and https://www.reignoflondon.com/

Right trusty and well beloved, we greet you well!Today we present to you our chat with historian and author Steven Veerapen, and we talk about several murders set at the courts of Mary Queen of Scots and her son, James VI and I. Get Steven's Books: https://www.waterstones.com/author/steven-veerapen/4403209 https://www.stevenveerapen.com/ https://www.bookseriesinorder.com/steven-veerapen/ If you would like to join Natalie on her walking tours in London with Reign of London, please follow the links:https://www.getyourguide.com/london-l57/london-the-royal-british-kings-and-queens-walking-tour-t426011/https://www.getyourguide.com/london-l57/london-unsavory-history-guided-walking-tour-t428452/https://www.getyourguide.com/london-l57/royal-london-georgian-and-windsor-monarchs-walking-tour-t481355 .For more history fodder please visit https://www.ifitaintbaroque.art/ and https://www.reignoflondon.com/