Capturing a Queen - The Image of Anne Boleyn with Kate McCaffrey

Sir Thomas More is one of the most famous men of the 16th century. A figure of colossal significance at the court of King Henry VIII, a figure who stood up to the king, always remaining loyal but unable to accept the royal supremacy, a decision which would cost him his life. Today, I am pleased to welcome back onto the podcast historian Dr Joanne Paul for a discussion on Thomas More, following the recent release of Joanne’s incredible book, Thomas More, A Life and Death in Tudor England. From Thomas’s early life to his own involvement in the torture and burning of protestants through to his trial and how he was set up by Richard Rich, all will be discussed, so settle in as we explore the life of the man who's last words were "I die the kings good servant and gods first".

A brand new exhibition, Capturing a Queen: The Image of Anne Boleyn, was unveiled at Hever Castle, the childhood home of Anne Boleyn opened a few weeks ago, and rather than presenting a single “definitive” portrait, it showcases dozens of competing images—some painted decades after Anne’s death—each shaped by politics, propaganda, and cultural memory. To discuss the exhibition with me today, I am thrilled to welcome one of its curators, Kate McCaffrey onto the podcast for the first time. We discuss the different images included, some amazing new artefacts and much more, so settle in as Kate and I explore the image of Anne Boleyn.

It is undoubtedly the biggest royal mystery of all time - the whereabouts of the two missing princes in the tower, or to be more accurate, the missing king and prince in the tower. The two teenage boys who vanished during the reign of King Richard III, or did they? Well to discuss this story, I am beyond thrilled to welcome historian and broadcaster Matt Lewis onto the podcast for the very first time. Matt is utterly convinced that the princes in the Tower were not killed by their uncle, but instead escaped and went on to challenge King Henry VII for the throne. So, what is the story, what is the evidence and can he convince me to join his side of the argument?

The Tudors were prolific builders, from grand palaces such as Hampton Court Palace and Greenwich to imposing castles, small townhouses and narrow cobbled streets with black and white timber structures jutting out at odd angles. Sadly, many of the great sites of Tudor England are now either greatly reduced or completely lost, but what happened in them is not. Today, I am pleased to welcome back onto the podcast my friend Dr Sarah Morris, for a discussion all about her very favourite topic - Tudor buildings. Sarah has an encyclopaedic knowledge of practically every Tudor building in the UK, including many that people have never heard of but can still be visited, so stay tuned to find out some of the secrets and lesser known locations and stories from the myriad Tudor buildings spread across Great Britain!

One of the most fascinating but perpetually overlooked figures from the world of the Tudors is Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox. As the sole daughter of Margaret Tudor, Queen of Scotland, Margaret Douglas was a niece of King Henry VIII and first cousin to his three children. Her life was spent in the shadows of the Tudor world, and she found herself getting on the wrong side of her relatives on several occasions, resulting in several stints as a prisoner in the tower of London, so, what was her story? Well to discuss Margaret and her fascinating life, I am pleased to welcome back historian and author Beverley Adams onto the podcast for a discussion inspired by her book, The Forgotten Tudor Royal, Margaret Douglas, Grandmother to King James VI and I

Mary, Queen of Scots is one of the most famous women in British history, known best for the dramatic nature of her execution at the hands of her cousin Queen Elizabeth I. What is less well known is the story behind Mary’s nearly twenty year imprisonment, during which time she was moved all over England, in increasingly worse conditions. To discuss this window of Mary’s life and all of the complexities that went with it, I am pleased to welcome historian Rosemary Goring onto the podcast for the first time, for a discussion based on her latest book, Exile, The Captive Years of Mary, Queen of Scots.

She is known, thanks to Shakespeare as the “She Wolf” of France, an evil queen who bullied the men around her, personally authorised the execution of the duke of York and laughed as a paper crown was nailed to his head. I am speaking of Margaret of Anjou, the wife and queen of King Henry VI. The question is, was Margaret in any way like the infamous caricature Shakespeare created? Well to help answer that question for me, I am pleased to welcome back onto the podcast the amazing Dr Elizabeth Norton, who will share her take on this fascinating woman who has for far too long been unfairly maligned.

Sir Thomas Wyatt was more than a courtier with a gift for words. He was a man whose life unfolded against the turbulent backdrop of Henry VIII’s reign — a world of shifting alliances, dangerous intrigue, and sudden reversals of fortune. Though best remembered today for introducing the sonnet into English literature, Wyatt was also a diplomat, a one time prisoner of the Tower of London, and a figure whose personal story has long been entangled with that of Anne Boleyn. Thomas’s life shows us a vivid window into the volatile world of Tudor England, so lets explore his story!

Queen Mary I is England’s first true queen regnant, and yet her reign is invariably considered a mere blip in the wider Tudor story, a short lived window in which an intolerant zealot went around burning people alive with undiluted pleasure. The truth is, of course, far more complex. Many misconceptions surround Queen Mary I, and so to unpack them I am pleased to welcome back Dr Peter Stiffell onto the podcast. From his annoyance at the term Mary Tudor, to Mary’s own commitment to the good treatment of her household, to one of the most controversial topics, Mary’s pregnancies, in this episode we will uproot much of what people think they know of Mary’s reign, and so prepare to hopefully have some of your opinions altered!

Given the brevity of her time as queen of England, we often overlook the fact that Anne of Cleves was indeed that, a queen, and thus her tenure came with all of the benefits, mores and facets of queenship just as much as it did for the many other queens of Henry VIII. We seldom explore what kind of queen she was, how did she spend her money, was she a good landlady, was she a good queen?! Well to discuss all of this and more, I am pleased to welcome back James Taffe onto the podcast for a discussion based on his latest book, Accounting for Anne, The Tudor Queen who could have been, so, settle in to find out precisely what kind of queen she was!