14.9 Nadezhda von Meck, Tchaikovsky's Best Friend

March has been Women's History Month for decades! But this year, some government agencies and corporations have thrown its existence into doubt. Today's episode is a break from my usual. It's an opinion-editorial on why I think we still need women's history. Badly. This originally appeared in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on March 1, 2025. To celebrate Women's History Month, please support the show on my Patreon page (https://bit.ly/4iqyLKv) for bonus episodes, polls, and my undying gratitude. Or make a one-time donation on Buy Me a Coffee (https://bit.ly/4krigzK). If you do any of the above before the end of March 31, 2025, you'll be entered into a drawing for a $30 gift certificate to the Her Half of History Store. Visit the website (herhalfofhistory.com) for sources, transcripts, and pictures. Join Into History for a community of ad-free history podcasts plus bonus content. Visit Evergreen Podcasts to listen to more great shows. Follow me on Threads or Instagram as Her Half of History. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky wrote the music for the Nutcracker, the Romeo and Juliet Fantasy-Overture, Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, multiple symphonies, several operas, and more. He is among the most popular composers of the 19th century. But as usual he didn't do it alone. He and his friend Nadezhda von Meck had a 13-year correspondence of 1200 letters. They shared (almost) everything with each other, but they never actually … met. Still, Tchaikovsky credited Nadezhda for saving his bank account (many times over), and also his sanity, and even his life. It's safe to say that some of his most gorgeous music would never have been written without Nadezhda. Music for this episode includes licensed music from Pond5 and copyright-free music from Musopen.org. The pieces referenced include: The Nutcracker Suite Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture Sleeping Beauty Swan Lake 4th Symphony 6th Symphony Visit the website (herhalfofhistory.com) for sources, transcripts, and pictures. Support the show on my Patreon page for bonus episodes, polls, and a general feeling of self-satisfaction. Or make a one-time donation on Buy Me a Coffee. Join Into History for a community of ad-free history podcasts plus bonus content. Visit Evergreen Podcasts to listen to more great shows. Follow me on Threads or Instagram as Her Half of History. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was the quintessential child prodigy. He performed for European royalty at the tender age of six. But he wasn’t the only child prodigy in his family or even the first. Big sister Nannerl led the way as his first role model and collaborator. Some of his keyboard music was written with her in mind as the performer, and after his death she worked with his first biographer and publisher to preserve his legacy. Music for this episode includes: Eine kleine Nachtmusik, K. 525 Rondo alla Turca rom Piano Sonata No. 11 in A major, K. 331/300i Symphony No. 40 in G minor, K. 550 Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major, K. 467 as performed by Markus Staab Requiem in D minor, K. 626 All of these recordings are copyright free. Visit the website (herhalfofhistory.com) for sources, transcripts, and pictures. Support the show on my Patreon page for bonus episodes, polls, and a general feeling of self-satisfaction. Or make a one-time donation on Buy Me a Coffee. Join Into History for a community of ad-free history podcasts plus bonus content. Visit Evergreen Podcasts to listen to more great shows. Follow me on Threads as Her Half of History. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ben Franklin was the most famous American of his generation. He had a glittering career as a printer, a writer, a statesman, a diplomat, an inventor, a scientist, and more. But he didn’t do all of this without help, and he admitted as much himself. His wife Deborah was his partner in business when he was home, and kept it all running herself when he was not. She deserves enormously more credit than she usually gets. Visit the website (herhalfofhistory.com) for sources, transcripts, and pictures. Support the show on my Patreon page for bonus episodes, polls, and a general feeling of self-satisfaction. Or make a one-time donation on Buy Me a Coffee. Join Into History for a community of ad-free history podcasts plus bonus content. Visit Evergreen Podcasts to listen to more great shows. Follow me on Threads or Instagram as Her Half of History. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Henry VIII was married to his first wife for 23 years. It took him only 15 years to blow through the next five wives. I covered the first two wives in episode 14.5. In this episode, I cover: Wife #3: Jane Seymour, who died of childbirth after providing Henry with his heir Wife #4: Anne of Cleves, who Henry called "loathsome" and was richly rewarded for going quietly Wife #5: Catherine Howard, who in modern times would be called a victim of abuse, but in Tudor times was called adulterous Wife #6: Catherine Parr, who had a head on her shoulders and managed to survive. Visit the website (herhalfofhistory.com) for sources, transcripts, and pictures. Support the show on my Patreon page for bonus episodes, polls, and a general feeling of self-satisfaction. Or make a one-time donation on Buy Me a Coffee. Join Into History for a community of ad-free history podcasts plus bonus content. Visit Evergreen Podcasts to listen to more great shows. Follow me on Threads or Instagram asHer Half of History. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If Henry had stopped at two wives, my guess is that your average person wouldn't know any more about him than they do about Henrys #1-7. But he did have six wives, and that made him so famous that people write award-winning musicals about him. Or rather about his wives. He is the connecting thread, but they are the story. This episode tells the stories of the amazing Catherine of Aragon, who was married to him for longer than the rest of the wives put together. She had every expectation of happiness: her husband was young, handsome, charming, and powerful. But she could not deliver a son, and Henry became less young, less handsome, and very considerably less charming. He remained powerful, which is why he was able to usher Catherine out and bring on wife #2. Anne Boleyn was the ultimate in 16th century glamour. Her motivations are hotly disputed and ultimately obscure, but in the end she gained the queenship, where she too failed to deliver a son. Her end was quicker and nastier than Catherine's: she was accused of adultery (though she was innocent) and beheaded. I will cover Wives #4-6 in the next episode. Visit the website (herhalfofhistory.com) for sources, transcripts, and pictures. Support the show on my Patreon page for bonus episodes, polls, and my undying gratitude. Or make a one-time donation on Buy Me a Coffee. Join Into History for a community of ad-free history podcasts plus bonus content. Visit Evergreen Podcasts to listen to more great shows. Follow me on Threads or Instagram as Her Half of History. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Isabella was a force of natura before Columbus ever set foot in her court. As a teenager, she negotiated her own marriage contract, married behind her guardian's back, and seized the throne of Castile with questionable legitimacy. As queen and in partnership with her husband, she defeated first Portugal and then Granada. At a time when all of Christianity felt threated by the various Muslim countries, she made the Iberian peninsual universally Christian. It was a major victory from her point of view, and an absolute atrocity from a modern perspective. Somewhere in the middle, she made a minor gamble on a sailor named Columbus who had an idea that was incredibly unlikely to work. And it didn't work. He never made it to the Orient, but he did make Spain fabulously wealthy, just like he said he would. At the cost of yet another atrocity. Isabella's record is certainly not unblemished, but she did have a major impact on the world we live in today. Visit the website (herhalfofhistory.com) for sources, transcripts, and pictures. Support the show on my Patreon page for bonus episodes, polls, and a general feeling of self-satisfaction. Or make a one-time donation on Buy Me a Coffee. Join Into History for a community of ad-free history podcasts plus bonus content. Visit Evergreen Podcasts to listen to more great shows. Follow me on Threads or Instagram as Her Half of History. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Genghis Khan's daughters are shadowy figures: we don't know exactly how many there were or what all of their names were, but historians have pieced together bits and pieces of a story. Enough to know that Genghis valued his daughters highly and they played an essential role in his strategy. An army-on-the-move needs someone to rule the lands they've already conquered, and the Great Khan's daughters were born for that. Visit the website (herhalfofhistory.com) for sources, transcripts, and pictures. Support the show on my Patreon page (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=83998235) for bonus episodes, polls, and a general feeling of self-satisfaction. Or make a one-time donation on Buy Me a Coffee. Join Into History (intohistory.com/herhalfofhistory/) for a community of ad-free history podcasts plus bonus content. Visit Evergreen Podcasts to listen to more great shows. Follow me on Threads as @herhalfofhistory. Or on Facebook or Instagram as Her Half of History. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alexander the Great conquered much of the known-to-him world in lightning speed. But he probably couldn't have done it without the support of his mother, Olympias, who served as queen, regent, and many other roles. Her name was dragged through the mud by ancient writers who struggled with the idea of a powerful woman. That means it is hard to sort out the truth from the slander, but this is an attempt to do so. Visit the website (herhalfofhistory.com) for sources, transcripts, and pictures. Support the show on my Patreon page (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=83998235) for bonus episodes, polls, and a general feeling of self-satisfaction. Or make a one-time donation on Buy Me a Coffee. Join Into History (intohistory.com/herhalfofhistory/) for a community of ad-free history podcasts plus bonus content. Visit Evergreen Podcasts to listen to more great shows. Follow me on Threads as @herhalfofhistory. Or on Facebook or Instagram as Her Half of History. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Constantine the Great had a long list of accomplishments, including making Europe Christian for centuries to come. But he didn't do it alone. He had a good mom. This is the story of Helena, a girl from a low-class background who rose to be the most important woman in the empire. And she had a lot to do with making Europe Christian too. Visit the website (herhalfofhistory.com) for sources, transcripts, and pictures. Support the show on my Patreon page (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=83998235) for bonus episodes, polls, and a general feeling of self-satisfaction. Or make a one-time donation on Buy Me a Coffee. Join Into History (intohistory.com/herhalfofhistory/) for a community of ad-free history podcasts plus bonus content. Visit Evergreen Podcasts to listen to more great shows. Follow me on Twitter (X) as @her_half. Or on Facebook or Instagram as Her Half of History. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices