PODCAST · history
Talking Tudors
by Natalie Grueninger
A podcast for lovers of Tudor history.
Episodes
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Episode 364 - Isabella d'Este: Art Collector, Power Player & Fashionista with Sarah Dunant
Historian and novelist Sarah Dunant joins Natalie Grueninger to explore the life and legacy of Isabella d'Este. Among other things, they discuss her upbringing in Ferrara, marriage into Mantua, patronage of the arts, signature fashion statements, and the extraordinary archive of over 33,000…
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Episode 363 - The Malleus Maleficarum: Inside a Medieval Witch-Hunting Manual with Susan Millard
In this episode Natalie Grueninger interviews Susan Millard, rare books curator at the University of Melbourne, about the library’s recent acquisition of a 1494 edition of the Malleus Maleficarum (Hammer of Witches). They explore the book’s author Heinrich Kramer, its printing by Anton Koberger,...
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Episode 362 - William Tyndale & the English Bible with Dr Harry Spillane
Host Natalie Grueninger speaks with Dr Harry Spillane about the life, exile, and execution of William Tyndale, focusing on his groundbreaking translation of the New Testament and the challenges he faced from church and state. The episode covers Tyndale's translation methods, the printing and...
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Episode 361 - Women's Literacy & Education in the Middle Ages with Dr Megan J. Hall
Dr Megan J. Hall joins Talking Tudors to explore women's literacy and education in medieval England, tracing how reading and writing shifted from church-centred training to household and aristocratic learning between 1100–1300 and beyond. They discuss educational settings and curricula for girls...
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Episode 360 - The Horenbouts & Anne Boleyn: New Evidence Examined with Natalie Grueninger & Dr Owen Emmerson
Host Natalie Grueninger and guest Dr Owen Emmerson examine a tiny Tudor portrait miniature held at the Royal Ontario Museum, exploring its possible attribution to Lucas Horenbout and the tantalizing theory that it may be the earliest depiction of Anne Boleyn. They discuss dating, costume and…
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Episode 359 - Rethinking Jane Seymour: The Woman Behind the Myths with Dr Elizabeth Norton
Host Natalie Grueninger interviews Dr Elizabeth Norton about her new book on Jane Seymour, exploring fresh archival discoveries that reshape our view of the queen. They discuss Jane’s likely birthdate, court career, political agency, household, material culture and wardrobe accounts…
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Episode 358 - The Real 'Kat Ashley': Elizabeth I's Governess with Rosemary Griggs
Host Natalie Grueninger speaks with historian Rosemary Griggs about her new biography, 'Queen Elizabeth I's Governess: The Real Kat Ashley', which reexamines the life of Katherine Champanowne (Kat Ashley) and restores her place at the centre of Elizabeth I’s life. Rosemary discusses her archival...
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Episode 357 - How Ancient Persia Shaped Elizabethan Politics with Ebrahim Joseph
Host Natalie Grueninger interviews historian Ebrahim Joseph about the surprising influence of ancient Persia, especially Cyrus the Great, on Elizabethan England. They explore classical and biblical sources, princely education, political advice, court drama (including The Wars of Cyrus), the Mary,...
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Episode 356 - How the Americas Shaped Tudor England with Dr Lauren Working
Host Natalie Grueninger speaks with Dr Lauren Working about her book 'A Golden World' and how voyages to the Americas reshaped 16th‑century England. The episode traces Atlantic influences on London life, art, fashion and trade through objects and people brought back from the New World. Examples...
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Episode 355 - Rethinking the Battle of Wakefield with Dr David Grummitt
Host Natalie Grueninger speaks with Dr David Grummitt about the December 1460 events commonly called the Battle of Wakefield. Dr Grummitt argues the episode was a small ambush and murder of Richard, Duke of York and his son rather than a large pitched battle, and explains the primary evidence...
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Episode 354 - Tudor Poetry with Catherine Williams
Host Natalie Grueninger welcomes Catherine Williams to the podcast to discuss Tudor poetry. Follow Catherine Williams on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/catherinevwill/ TAKEAWAY https://www.poetryfoundation.org/ LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR SPONSOR, SIMPLY TUDOR TOURS...
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Episode 353 - Marie Maitland: Scotland's 16th‑Century Sappho with Dr Ashley Douglas
Host Natalie Grueninger welcomes Dr Ashley Douglas to discuss her new book, 'With My Own Hand: The Secret Life of Marie Maitland, Scotland's Sixteenth-Century Sappho'. They discuss the life and poems of Marie Maitland, a 16th-century Scottish scribe whose Maitland Quarto contains early sapphic...
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Episode 352 - The Accounts of Thomas Boleyn: A Revealing Window into 1526 with Natalie Grueninger & Dr Owen Emmerson
Host Natalie Grueninger and Dr Owen Emmerson examine Thomas Boleyn’s November–December 1526 financial accounts, revealing the family’s substantial landholdings, household expenses, and wide social networks just before Anne Boleyn’s rise. LEARN MORE ABOUT THR QUEEN ANNE BOLEYN MEMORIAL...
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Episode 351 - Rethinking Anne of Cleves with Dr Valerie Schutte
In this episode Natalie Grueninger interviews Dr Valerie Schutte about her upcoming cultural biography of Anne of Cleves. They re-examine long-standing myths about Anne's appearance, birthdate, and role in Tudor politics, by returning to contemporary sources and continental perspectives. The...
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Episode 350 - Edmund Spenser's 'The Faerie Queene' with Cait Murphy-Hurrell
Natalie Grueninger interviews Cait Murphy-Hurrell about Edmund Spenser's 'The Faerie Queene', exploring the poem's rich allegory, its portrayal of villainous women and otherness, and how Spenser reflects Elizabethan politics, religion, and his experiences in Ireland. Check out Cait's Substack!...
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Episode 349 - The Life & Works of Erasmus with Amy McElroy
Host Natalie Grueninger interviews historian Amy McElroy about Desiderius Erasmus, exploring his mysterious early life, education, travels across Europe, and key works such as 'Praise of Folly' and his Greek-Latin New Testament. The conversation covers Erasmus’s influence on Tudor education and...
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Episode 348 - A New History of Tudor England with Professor Nandini Das
Professor Nandini Das explores how Tudor and Stuart England were shaped by movement, exchange, and diverse individuals—artists, scholars, missionaries, and sailors—whose lives challenge the idea of a sealed island nation. Through four vivid case studies (the court miniaturist Levina Teerlinc from...
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Episode 347 - Rethinking the Wives of Henry VIII with Jessica Carey-Bunning
Host Natalie Grueninger talks with historian Jessica Carey-Bunning about her book 'The Wives of Henry VIII', presenting fresh archival research and new perspectives on each queen. They discuss Catherine of Aragon’s finances after annulment, Anne Boleyn’s use of dress and image, Jane Seymour’s...
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Episode 346 - Anne Boleyn: Reputation, Revolution, Religion with Martha Tatarnic
Natalie Grueninger interviews Martha Tatarnic about her new book on Anne Boleyn, exploring how Anne shaped the English Reformation, championed the English Bible, and influenced church leadership through key appointments. The conversation also examines how Anne's reputation has been distorted over...
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Queen Anne Boleyn's Imprisonment Through the Eyes of William Kingston with Natalie Grueninger & Dr Owen Emmerson
Natalie Grueninger is in conversation with Dr Owen Emmerson about five surviving letters written by William Kingston during Anne Boleyn’s imprisonment in May 1536. They examine Kingston’s eyewitness details—Anne’s moods, her conversations with attendants, mentions of Henry Norris, Mark Smeaton…
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Episode 344 - Bess of Hardwick: An Elizabethan Magnate with Dr Wyn Derbyshire
Host Natalie Grueninger interviews Dr Wyn Derbyshire about the remarkable life of Bess of Hardwick — her uncertain origins, four marriages, sharp business sense, and rise to becoming the second-richest woman in England. The episode explores her building projects (Hardwick and Chatsworth), estate...
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Episode 343 - Inside the Scriptorium: Medieval Manuscripts and their Makers with Dr Sara Charles
In this episode host Natalie Grueninger speaks with Dr Sara Charles about the production of medieval manuscripts, her hands-on experiments with parchment, inks and pigments, and her book 'The Medieval Scriptorium'. They explore the evidence for where manuscripts were made, the people and long...
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Episode 342 - The House of Boleyn with Professor Tracy Borman
Host Natalie Grueninger talks with historian and novelist Professor Tracy Borman about her new novel, 'The House of Boleyn', the rise and fall of the Boleyn family, and Hever Castle as the book’s intimate setting. They explore lesser-known figures like Margaret Butler and Jane Boleyn, plus the...
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Episode 341 - Henry VII & the Founding of the Tudor Dynasty with Dr Sean Cunningham
Host Natalie Grueninger speaks with Dr Sean Cunningham about Henry VII’s unlikely path from exile to king, the political alliances and myths he used to secure power, and the major challenges of his reign, including rebellions and pretenders. They explore Henry’s strategies for legitimacy, his...
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Episode 340 - The Pretender Who Shook the Throne: Jo Harkin on Lambert Simnel
Author Jo Harkin joins Talking Tudors to discuss her novel 'The Pretender', which imagines the life of Lambert Simnel — a farm boy thrust into Yorkist plots, crowned in Dublin, and swept through courts from Oxford to Burgundy and Ireland. Jo explains her five-year research process, the vivid...
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Episode 339 - The Life of Margaret of Austria: Queen, Princess & Regent with Dr Natalie Donnell
In this episode of Talking Tudors, host Natalie Grueninger speaks with historian Dr Natalie Donnell about the life and career of Margaret of Austria. Born in Burgundy and raised at several European courts, Margaret was the long-serving regent of the Netherlands. The conversation covers Margaret’s...
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Episode 338 - The Other Moctezuma Girls with Sofia Robleda
Host Natalie Grueninger interviews Mexican author Sofia Robleda about her new novel, The Other Moctezuma Girls. They explore the life and legacy of Isabel Moctezuma, the identity of her daughters, and the complex world of 16th‑century Mexica society before and after Spanish contact. The...
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Episode 337 - The Human Side of Illuminated Manuscripts with Sienna Wells
In this episode Natalie Grueninger interviews manuscript specialist Sienna Wells about illuminated medieval and Renaissance manuscripts. They discuss how manuscripts were made, who produced and owned them (including women), how the printing press changed book culture, and what physical traces of...
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Episode 336 - Capturing a Queen: Inside Hever Castle's Anne Boleyn Exhibition with Dr Owen Emmerson
Join Natalie Grueninger and Dr Owen Emmerson as they explore Hever Castle's new exhibition, 'Capturing a Queen', examining portraiture, miniatures, manuscripts, and objects that shaped Anne Boleyn’s public and private image. The episode discusses scientific analyses, iconography, myths versus...
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Episode 335 - Mary Queen of Scots: In Exile & Captive with Rosemary Goring
Host Natalie Grueninger interviews Rosemary Goring about Mary Queen of Scots, tracing her life from Scotland to years of captivity in England and the historic places that shaped her story. The episode covers Mary’s relationships, imprisonment at sites like Tutbury Castle, the 2023 discovery of...
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Episode 334 - Accounting for Anne of Cleves with Dr James Taffe
In this episode of Talking Tudors, host Natalie Grueninger welcomes Dr James Taff to discuss his book 'Accounting for Anne' and how Anne of Cleves' household accounts reveal the daily workings of her short queenship. They examine the blended German and English household, Anne's wardrobe and...
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Episode 333 - Margaret Beaufort: Survivor, Rebel, Kingmaker with Lauren Johnson
In this episode, Natalie Grueninger speaks with historian Lauren Johnson about Margaret Beaufort — a child bride turned survivor whose political skill, marriages, and networks helped secure Henry VII’s rise. They trace her early life, complex role during the Wars of the Roses, and her close but...
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Episode 332 - Catherine de Medici: Queen, Regent, and the Myths That Haunt Her with Dr Mary Hollingsworth
In this episode, host Natalie Grueninger speaks with Dr Mary Hollingsworth about the life of Catherine de' Medici. They explore her Italian roots and convent upbringing, her marriage to Henry II, regency for her sons, and efforts to navigate the Wars of Religion. They discuss Catherine's cultural...
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Episode 331 - Queenly Clothing & The Royal Image with Ella Brook Muir
Host Natalie Grueninger speaks with historian Ella Brook Muir about how queenly clothing in 16th‑century England and France acted as political communication, conveying magnificence, legitimacy, loyalty and cosmopolitan identity through fabrics, colours and emblems. The episode examines case…
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Episode 330: The Gift in 16th-Century England & Ireland with Dr Melissa Shiels
Host Natalie Grueninger speaks with Dr Melissa Shiels about New Year's gift-giving across 16th-century England and Ireland, and how material gifts expressed political messages at the Tudor court. They discuss typical gifts (money, clothing, jewellery, horses, hawks), differences across reigns,...
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Episode 329 - Money and Majesty: Funding Medieval Queenship with Dr Michele Seah
Host Natalie Grueninger speaks with Dr Michelle Seah about the economic lives of medieval and late 15th-century English queens, focusing on Margaret of Anjou, Elizabeth Woodville, and Elizabeth of York. They explore how queens raised and managed income—through lands, cash allowances, port customs...
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Episode 328 - The Women Who Kept Anne Boleyn's Memory Alive with Kate McCaffrey
Host Natalie Grueninger speaks with Kate McCaffrey of Hever Castle about Anne Boleyn’s books of hours, the hidden inscriptions they contain, and the Kentish women who preserved Anne’s memory after her fall. The episode explores female networks, the material life of devotional books, and how these...
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Episode 327 - Accidental Deaths in Tudor England with Professor Steven Gunn
Host Natalie Grueninger speaks with Professor Stephen Gunn about his research using 16th-century coroner's inquests to reveal how accidental deaths illuminate everyday Tudor life—covering hazards like animals, open water, mills, house collapses, seasonal work, and risky pastimes such as early...
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Episode 326 - The Story of Tudor Art: Portraits, Power and Propaganda with Dr Christina Faraday
Host Natalie Grueninger speaks with Dr Christina Faraday about her new book, 'The Story of Tudor Art', a first-of-its-kind survey of 16th-century English art. They explore how Tudor art functioned as communication and status—covering portraits, miniatures, tapestries, household objects, royal...
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Episode 325 - Leonardo da Vinci Unmasked: Myths, Masterpieces & the Man with Dr Stephen Campbell
Host Natalie Grueninger interviews Dr Stephen Campbell about Leonardo da Vinci’s life, work, and the myths that surround him. They explore his early years in Florence, his Milanese network, anatomical studies, and his later years in France. The conversation examines common misconceptions,...
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Episode 324 - Renaissance Medicine with Dr Alanna Skuse
Host Natalie Grueninger welcomes Dr Alanna Skuse to Talking Tudors to explore medicine in Renaissance England. They discuss humoral theory, the medical hierarchy of physicians, surgeons, apothecaries and midwives, and the lively marketplace of practitioners including itinerant bone-setters and...
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Episode 323 - The Brilliant Mind of Anna Maria van Schurman with Anne Larsen & Steve Maiullo
In this episode of Talking Tudors, host Natalie Grueninger is joined by Professor Anne Larson and Professor Steve Maiullo to explore the life, works, and legacy of Anna Maria van Schurman — a multilingual scholar, poet, and theological thinker famed across 17th‑century Europe. The conversation...
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Episode 322 - Newly Discovered Nicholas Hilliard Miniature with Emma Rutherford & Dr Elizabeth Goldring
Host Natalie Grueninger speaks with Emma Rutherford and Dr Elizabeth Goldring about the freshly authenticated Nicholas Hilliard portrait miniature, likely depicting Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton. The episode covers stylistic and technical evidence, costume comparisons, family...
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Episode 321 - The Darker Side of Early Quakerism with Dr Erica Canela
Host Natalie Grueninger interviews Dr Erica Canela about her new book, 'Zealous: A Darker Side of the Early Quakers'. They explore how the English Civil Wars and the rise of print culture spawned a radical, disruptive Quaker movement led by George Fox, its beliefs in direct revelation and social...
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Episode 320 - Hauntings at Hampton Court Palace with Sarah Slater
Join Natalie Grueninger and expert guide Sarah Slater for a tour of Hampton Court Palace: its Tudor history, the spectacular Great Hall stained glass, and the spine-tingling ghost stories tied to Jane Seymour, Catherine Howard, Anne Boleyn and the Grey Lady, Dame Sybil Penn. They discuss…
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Episode 319 - Elizabeth Boleyn: The Queen’s Mother with Sophie Bacchus-Waterman
Host Natalie Greninger speaks with historian Sophie Bacchus-Waterman about her new biography, exploring Elizabeth Boleyn’s early life, marriage to Thomas Boleyn, and her long court career within the Howard and Boleyn networks. The episode highlights Elizabeth’s political astuteness, her close...
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Episode 318 - Hans Holbein: Renaissance Master with Dr Elizabeth Goldring
In this episode Natalie Grueninger interviews Dr Elizabeth Goldring about her new biography 'Holbein: Renaissance Master'. They trace Hans Holbein’s journey from Augsburg and Basel to Tudor England, his key patrons including Erasmus and Thomas More, his role at Henry VIII’s court, and his lasting...
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Episode 317 - Pendle’s Dark Hour: The 1612 Witch Trials with Leigh Wakefield
In this episode of Talking Tudors, Natalie Grueninger talks with Leigh Wakefield about the infamous Pendle Witch Trials of 1612 and their legacy. They explore the rival families at the centre of the accusations, the role of witness testimony—especially that of children—the trial records by Thomas...
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Episode 316 - Practical Magic in Tudor England with Dr Tabitha Stanmore
Host Natalie Grueninger interviews Dr Tabitha Stanmore about cunning folk in Tudor and early modern England — the everyday practitioners of practical magic who offered healing, fortune-telling, love spells and buried-treasure rituals. They discuss how cunning folk differed from accused witches…
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Episode 315 - Curious Cures: Medicine in the Medieval World with Dr James Freeman
Host Natalie Grueninger interviews Dr James Freeman about the Curious Cures exhibition at Cambridge University Library, exploring medieval and early Tudor medical manuscripts, household remedies and charms, and how knowledge moved from ancient texts to everyday practice. Highlights include the...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
A podcast for lovers of Tudor history.
HOSTED BY
Natalie Grueninger
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Talking Tudors have?
Talking Tudors currently has 100 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Talking Tudors about?
A podcast for lovers of Tudor history.
How often does Talking Tudors release new episodes?
Talking Tudors has 100 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Talking Tudors?
You can listen to Talking Tudors on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Talking Tudors?
Talking Tudors is created and hosted by Natalie Grueninger.
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