Six Queens

"Honourable Mentions" is a series that honours the lives of Tudor women who knew, aided, and impacted the lives of our six queens. Kate and Cally are ending the Dynasty series by discussing two women whose roles in the Tudor dynasty are often overlooked: the Princesses Margaret and Mary Tudor, sisters of Henry VIII.What do Margaret and Mary's experiences tell us about the political strategy of the Tudor dynasty? What diplomatic roles were they expected to fill? Did they meet expectations as foreign queens and ambassadors? Why did they sacrifice political power for love and passion? And how did they ultimately become the ancestors of future monarchs?Follow @sixqueenspod on Instagram and Facebook to get updates and participate in community discussions!

To wrap up the Dynasty series, Kate and Cally are discussing the enduring legacies of our six queens and how the impacted the Tudor dynasty (and the British monarchy). In this finale episode, they discuss the centuries of historical and cultural interpretation that have impacted our understanding of the queens.How have our six queens become some of the most widely-known figures in British royal history? How have their stories been shaped by changing historical narratives and pop culture movements? And how do we get closer to discovering their true lives and motivations? Follow @sixqueenspod on Instagram and Facebook to get updates and participate in community discussions!

To wrap up the Dynasty series, Kate and Cally are discussing the enduring legacies of our six queens and how the impacted the Tudor dynasty (and the British monarchy). In this first part, they're looking at the ways in which the queens' legacies were shaped in the immediate decades following their reigns and deaths.Using Katherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn as case studies, how did Henry VIII try to undo and erase his queens' reigns? How did the queens themselves have to interact with their predecessors' legacies in order to forge their own public personas? And how did their children's reigns ultimately save them?Follow @sixqueenspod on Instagram and Facebook to get updates and participate in community discussions!

Before the age of public news and media, how did the English public form opinions of our queens? How did those opinions affect queenship and political strategy? How did queens make themselves visible to their subjects? And if all else failed, how did spectacle play a key role in winning over the public?After spending a season talking about propaganda and queenly image, Kate and Cally are discussing how these strategies played out in the court of public opinion, good and bad.Follow @sixqueenspod on Instagram and Facebook to get updates and participate in community discussions!

What makes the "perfect" queen, not just in the Tudor period but across history? How did our Six Queens strive to meet those often unrealistic expectations? How do their experiences compare with other queens both historical and modern?In this very special episode, Kate and Cally are joined by historian, author, and broadcaster Professor Kate Williams, whose new book Regina: A New History of Women in Power seeks to answer many of these questions. Follow @sixqueenspod on Instagram and Facebook to get updates and participate in community discussions!

Celebrate Valentine's Day with Kate, Cally, and the lovesick Henry VIII, whose ardent letters to Anne Boleyn give us a glimpse into a dangerous and history-making romance. What do these letters tell us about Henry and Anne's courtship? Can we infer anything about Anne's personality and feelings from the letters, despite the fact that her responses have not survived? And how are we even reading them at all?Follow @sixqueenspod on Instagram and Facebook to get updates and participate in community discussions!

How did political and religious factions come to dominate Tudor politics? How did these factions contribute to our queens' triumphs and downfalls, shape their legacies? In this episode, Kate and Cally continue the "Dynasty" series by delving into the complicated web of Tudor politics, the factions that arose during the "Great Matter," and how our queens were (willingly and unwillingly) made figureheads of dangerous causes. Follow @sixqueenspod on Instagram and Facebook to get updates and participate in community discussions!

Kate and Cally are joined by author and "Tudor-adjacent" historian Heather Darsie to talk about her new book, "If Any Person Will Meddle of My Cause": The Judicial Murder of Anne Boleyn (2025). Darsie uses her legal and research backgrounds to investigate the downfall, trial, and execution of Anne Boleyn, bringing a fresh perspective to an often-told story. How does the book contextualize Anne as a powerful, intelligent, but often misguided queen? Does learning more about her background in Europe, especially France, allow us to make sense of what happened later? How did Anne break laws and push boundaries that may have angered the wrong people? For their first installment in this new "Book Club" series, Kate and Cally are thrilled to welcome Darsie back to the podcast! You can find a list of her books and links to purchase them by clicking this link. Find her on Instagram @hdarsiehistory. Follow @sixqueenspod on Instagram and Facebook to get updates and participate in community discussions!

Hang out with Kate and Cally as they celebrate the holiday season and keep up their tradition of watching Christmas films together. This time, Cally introduces Kate to the popular television show The Tudors (2007-2010), which has a rather infamous relationship with Tudor historians. The show follows the tumultuous reign of Henry VIII and features some of the most memorable depictions of our six queens ever seen on screen.After hearing about the show for years, what are Kate's initial reactions upon seeing it for the first time? How does the show manage to depict personal and political drama for a popular audience? And how do they show the lavish Christmas celebrations at the Tudor court?