Six Queens

Kate and Cally are going on a who's-who tour of the Tudor court. Next, they'll be discussing the fathers and siblings who rose to power with our queens, especially the Boleyn, Seymour, and Parr families.How did the elevation of an English queen benefit her family? Did the politics of her family influence her rise? How did the family members make names for themselves? And were our queens active participants in these political games, or were they just a vehicle for their families’ ambitions?SUBSCRIBE to Six Queens on Substack to get extra features for this episode, access to community discussions, and more!

Kate and Cally are going on a who's-who tour of the Tudor court. First, they'll be discussing the people who it all revolves around: the royal family.What was the royal hierarchy of court? What power struggles emerged within that hierarchy? How did a person's royal blood and lineage matter? And how did our queens enforce their own political power against those who could challenge their positions?SUBSCRIBE to Six Queens on Substack to get extra features for this episode, access to community discussions, and more!

What is "court"? Where is court? Who's there? And what did the Tudor court look like for our six queens?Kate and Cally kick off Series 5: Court with an introduction to a political system, cultural center, and way of life for sixteenth century royalty.SUBSCRIBE to Six Queens on Substack to get extra features for this episode, access to community discussions, and more!

After nearly five years apart, Kate and Cally reunited in the UK in March 2024. Hear all about their adventures at the National Portrait Gallery, Hans Holbein exhibition, Ludlow Castle, and Peterborough Cathedral. You'll also get a preview of what's coming up in late Spring 2024.Partially-edited recording of a live broadcast streamed 29 March 2024.

Happy Valentine's Day! Celebrate with a deep-dive into Tudor love poetry, specifically the sonnet "Whoso List to Hunt" written by Sir Thomas Wyatt. Read it and follow along here. Legend says that Wyatt was in love with Anne Boleyn and wrote this poem about his unrequited, unsuccessful love for her. Is there any truth in the legend? Did Anne's flirtations inspire groundbreaking poetry? And what does the poem tell us about love and romance at the Tudor court?

"Honourable Mentions" is a series that honours the lives of Tudor women who knew, aided, and impacted the lives of our six queens. To end Series 4, "Motherhood," Kate and Cally are discussing the most infamous mother at the Tudor court: Elizabeth "Bessie" Blount, the mother of Henry VIII's only acknowledged illegitimate child.Who was Bessie? How did her relationship with the King begin? How was her fate impacted by the chaotic, confusing politics of the Great Matter? And how did Katherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn interact with their husband's mistress and the child she bore?

To celebrate the holiday season, Kate and Cally get cozy with a black-and-white classic: The Private Life of Henry VIII, made in 1933. It's the first "talkie" film featuring the Tudor period and our queens, telling the story of Henry VIII's quest to find "the perfect wife."How did the on-screen portrayals of our queens meet expectations? What was surprising? Do all the familiar dramatic tropes apply to such an old film? And what were the small details that really brought the Tudor court to life?

Three of our queens were the mothers of English monarchs, in addition to being married to one. How did they view their children as the legacies of their reigns and ambitions? And how did the children honor their mothers' memories once on the throne?In the final episode of "Motherhood," Kate and Cally explore the ways in which Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I remembered their mothers and, in some cases, vindicated their complicated legacies.