Empress Nur Jahan & Life for Women in Mughal India

In this series, we're time traveling back to past empires to meet some of the woman who helped run them. Allow me to introduce you to Empress Taytu Betul, who wasn't afraid to storm battlefields, boss around her emperor husband, and tell certain colonial powers to go on home. Let's walk with Taytu on her extraordinary journey and find out what life was like for women during her reign.   Ways to support The Exploress: Become a patron and enjoy exclusive bonus episodes, including the video version of this conversation and special episodes you won't find anywhere else Grab a book by Elizabeth, or read the current Exploress Book Club pick, at the Exploress Bookshop Buy some merch and art available at the Exploress shop Check out Kate's novels, NIGHTBIRDS and FYREBIRDS  

Dr. Elizabeth Norton has returned! This time, she's taking us out of the Tudor period to take a more global look at queenship. Her new book 'When Women Ruled the World: 500 Years of Female Monarchy' explores the history of female monarchs across time and cultures. We dive into the challenges faced by women in power, the male relative problem, and some of the obstacles to their reigns. We'll meet Biblical queens like the infamous Jezebel, warrior queens from the Kingdom of Kush, the empresses of Japan you've probably never heard of. Grab your crown and scepter and let's go!   Ways to support The Exploress: Become a patron and enjoy exclusive bonus episodes, including the video version of this conversation and special episodes you won't find anywhere else Grab a book by Elizabeth, or read the current Exploress Book Club pick, at the Exploress Bookshop Buy some merch and art available at the Exploress shop Check out Kate's novels, NIGHTBIRDS and FYREBIRDS  

There is a woman in the Old Quarter who can give you the world for a price. They say her followers gather deep in the bayou after dark. Some say she's got the governor in her pocket. Others say she eats babies, and that she learned her magic in the depths of the African jungle. They say her potions can heal you, and that her charms can kill you. How much of it is true? In this year's Halloween special, we are heading back to the 19th century to meet the infamous Voodoo Queen of New Orleans, Marie Laveau. You'll find a transcript for this episode over on Patreon. Ways to support The Exploress: Become a patron and enjoy exclusive bonus episodes, including several Halloween specials you won't find anywhere else Grab a book by one of our guests, or read the current Exploress Book Club pick, at the Exploress Bookshop Buy some merch and art available at the Exploress shop Check out Kate's novels, NIGHTBIRDS and its sequel  FYREBIRDS

Season 6, Episode 13. Welcome back to Exploress Book Club! Join me and Adriana Herrera, author of the historical romance novel A Tropical Rebel Gets the Duke, as we time travel back to the 1890s Paris. Adriana will tell us all about putting women of color back into historical romance, women's medicine and reproductive rights in the 19th century, and the pioneering lady doctors who defied convention to offer life-changing care. This was such a fun conversation, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! To find out more about Adriana's many excellent books, including the first two in her Las Leonas series, check out her website. You can watch the video version of our chat for free over on Patreon for the rest of October 2025.  Ways to support The Exploress: Become a patron and enjoy exclusive bonus episodes Grab a book by one of our guests, or read the current Exploress Book Club pick, at the Exploress Bookshop Buy some merch and art available at the Exploress shop Check out Kate's novel, NIGHTBIRDS, and its sequel  FYREBIRDS

Season 6, Episode 12. In this series, we're time traveling with three different empresses, exploring their reigns, their worlds, and what it might have been like to be them. First up, we're going to spend some time in the Mughal Empire of India to learn about the adventurous and powerful empress Nur Jahan. From tiger hunting in the Bengali wildness to court life in the imperial harem, this ruling empress rode war elephants and weilded political authority like nobody's business. We're lucky to have a Mughal expert with us for the journey: Ruby Lal, the author of Empress: The Astonishing Reign of Nur Jahan and, more recently, Tiger Slayer. Find out more about her work at her website. Some of the music you just enjoyed comes courtesy of Keith Zizza, Rahul Popawala, Arnito, Feslyan Studios. Thanks to the following for their vocal stylings: Sayed Raza. Ways to support The Exploress: Become a patron and enjoy exclusive bonus episodes, including the full episode with Ruby Lal and more Grab a book by one of our guests, or read the current Exploress Book Club pick, at the Exploress Bookshop Buy some merch and art available at the Exploress shop Check out Kate's novels, NIGHTBIRDS and its sequel  FYREBIRDS

EMPRESS. The word comes from Old French, but its roots stretch back to the Latin imperium. It means a command; it means authority, it means power over a realm. But what does it mean, to be a woman with power over so many? What does it look like when an empire allows a woman to rule? In this series, we will travel with three different empresses, exploring their reigns, their worlds, and what it might have been like to be them. 

Season 6, Episode 11. Welcome back to Exploress Book Club! Join me in talking to Victoria Christopher Murray, author of the historical fiction novel Harlem Rhapsody, as she talks about the unsung heroine of the 1920s Harlem Renaissance, Jessie Redmon Faucet. In this conversation, Victoria dives into what life was like for Black women in 1920s Harlem. She'll tell us more about the women of the Harlem Renaissance, especially the part Jessie played in the artistic movement that championed Black lives and voices (and the ways in which the men around her sidelined her incredible work).  To find out more about Victoria's many excellent books, check out her website. You can watch the video version of our chat over on Patreon for the rest of August 2025.  Ways to support The Exploress: Become a patron and enjoy exclusive bonus episodes Grab a book by one of our guests, or read the current Exploress Book Club pick, at the Exploress Bookshop Buy some merch and art available at the Exploress shop Check out Kate's novel, NIGHTBIRDS, and its sequel  FYREBIRDS

Season 6, Episode 10. In this series, we're exploring what life was like for women in the Viking (Norse) Age. In this episode, we're exploring one of our favorite Viking archetypes - the shield maiden, or shield maid. Were there really axe-weilding, braid rocking warriors who went on raids alongside the men? We'll examine the Norse myth about the Valkyries, then dive into what archaeologists have to tell us about the fighting women of the Viking age. We'll also talk about the mysterious sorceresses known as volva, and the power these religious practioners wielded in Viking society. Our experts for this series are Eleanor Barraclough, a broadcaster and author whose latest book studies the physical remains the Vikings left us, and Nancy Marie Brown, who has been writing about Vikings, and particularly warrior women, for decades.  Ways to support The Exploress: Become a patron and enjoy exclusive bonus episodes, including the full episodes with both our Viking experts and some extra Viking content Grab a book by one of our guests, or read the current Exploress Book Club pick, at the Exploress Bookshop Buy some merch and art available at the Exploress shop Check out Kate's novels, NIGHTBIRDS and its sequel  FYREBIRDS

Season 6, Episode 9. In this series, we're exploring what life was like for women in the Viking (Norse) Age. In this episode, we're going to talk about one of a lady's most involved and important tasks: weaving. The Viking Age wouldn't have been possible without the sails and clothes Norse ladies made. We'll also talk about the work women did in the realm of trade, learn a bit about the dreaded Viking raid, and look at what life was like for some of the women the Vikings conquered. Our experts for this series are Eleanor Barraclough, a broadcaster and author whose latest book studies the physical remains the Vikings left us, and Nancy Marie Brown, who has been writing about Vikings, and particularly warrior women, for decades.  Ways to support The Exploress: Become a patron and enjoy exclusive bonus episodes, including the full episodes with both our Viking experts and some extra tales from the Norse sagas. Grab a book by one of our guests, or read the current Exploress Book Club pick, at the Exploress Bookshop Buy some merch and art available at the Exploress shop Check out Kate's novel, NIGHTBIRDS and its sequel  FYREBIRDS

Season 6, Episode 8. Happy Pride Month! Join me and Eleanor Medhurst to discuss her book 'Unsuitable: A History of Lesbian Fashion,' which explores the intersection of fashion, identity, and politics within lesbian communities throughout history. We'll talk about historical figures like the slightly messy Queen Christina of Denmark and the queer-coded songs of 1920s jazz singer Ma Rainey. We'll also dive into the impact of social class on lesbian fashion choices, and the role of fashion in the suffragette movement and the activism of groups like the Lavender Menace. I learned so much from Eleanor and hope you do too. Make sure to stick around until the end to hear Ma Rainey's 1928 song "Prove It On Me." To learn more about Eleanor's work, visit her website Dressing Dykes.  Ways to support The Exploress: Become a patron and enjoy exclusive bonus episodes, including the full episodes with both our Viking experts and some extra tales from the Norse sagas. Grab a book by one of our guests, or read the current Exploress Book Club pick, at the Exploress Bookshop Buy some merch and art available at the Exploress shop Check out Kate's novel, NIGHTBIRDS, and its sequel  FYREBIRDS