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Talking Tudors

Talking Tudors

Natalie Grueninger 100 Episodes Aug 17, 2026

A podcast for lovers of Tudor history, hosted by Natalie Grueninger. Each episode delves into the lives, events, and intrigues of the Tudor dynasty, offering insights and stories from this fascinating period.

Episodes

Episode 357 - How Ancient Persia Shaped Elizabethan Politics with Ebrahim Joseph
Episode 357 - How Ancient Persia Shaped Elizabethan Politics with Ebrahim Joseph Aug 17, 2026 2577 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, Queen of Scots debate, and early contacts with Safavid Persia, showing how Persian models of charismat
Episode 356 - How the Americas Shaped Tudor England with Dr Lauren Working
Episode 356 - How the Americas Shaped Tudor England with Dr Lauren Working Aug 10, 2026 3157 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 include the flood of pearls and emeralds, the rise of tobacco and new fashions, live exotic animals and
Episode 355 - Rethinking the Battle of Wakefield with Dr David Grummitt
Episode 355 - Rethinking the Battle of Wakefield with Dr David Grummitt Aug 3, 2026 2921 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 behind this interpretation. The episode also covers the immediate Lancastrian response, the march to the P
Episode 354 - Tudor Poetry with Catherine Williams
Episode 354 - Tudor Poetry with Catherine Williams Jul 28, 2026 2594 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 https://simplytudortours.com/booking-anne-elizabeth-mother-daughter-traitors-queens/ JOIN 365 DAYS IN ELIZABETHAN ENGLAND https://www
Episode 353 - Marie Maitland: Scotland's 16th‑Century Sappho with Dr Ashley Douglas
Episode 353 - Marie Maitland: Scotland's 16th‑Century Sappho with Dr Ashley Douglas Jul 19, 2026 4041 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 verse. The episode explores Marie's family and court connections, her role as her blind father's secretar
Episode 352 - The Accounts of Thomas Boleyn: A Revealing Window into 1526 with Natalie Grueninger & Dr Owen Emmerson
Episode 352 - The Accounts of Thomas Boleyn: A Revealing Window into 1526 with Natalie Grueninger & Dr Owen Emmerson Jul 5, 2026 3106 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  https://anneboleynmemorial.co.uk/ https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/qab-memorial?utm_medium=CA&utm_source=C
Episode 351 - Rethinking Anne of Cleves with Dr Valerie Schutte
Episode 351 - Rethinking Anne of Cleves with Dr Valerie Schutte Jun 27, 2026 2086 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 conversation also covers Anne's portrayal in art (including Holbein’s portraits), surviving books and dedic
Episode 350 - Edmund Spenser's 'The Faerie Queene' with Cait Murphy-Hurrell
Episode 350 - Edmund Spenser's 'The Faerie Queene' with Cait Murphy-Hurrell Jun 18, 2026 3177 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! https://caitmurphyhurrell.substack.com/ Visit 'The Renaissance Academy' https://therenaissanceacademic.co
Episode 349 - The Life & Works of Erasmus with Amy McElroy
Episode 349 - The Life & Works of Erasmus with Amy McElroy Jun 13, 2026 2812 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 humanism, his relationships with Thomas More and Martin Luther, and his complex legacy as a Catholic ref
Episode 348 - A New History of Tudor England with Professor Nandini Das
Episode 348 - A New History of Tudor England with Professor Nandini Das Jun 7, 2026 1814 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 Bruges, the roaming thinker Giordano Bruno, the missionary Thomas Stevens in Goa, and William Adams in
Episode 347 - Rethinking the Wives of Henry VIII with Jessica Carey-Bunning
Episode 347 - Rethinking the Wives of Henry VIII with Jessica Carey-Bunning May 31, 2026 2761 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 complex reputation and faith, Anne of Cleves’ later life, Catherine Howard’s queenship, and the contested
Episode 346 - Anne Boleyn: Reputation, Revolution, Religion with Martha Tatarnic
Episode 346 - Anne Boleyn: Reputation, Revolution, Religion with Martha Tatarnic May 24, 2026 3214 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 time, why the stories we tell about historical women matter today, and how recovering silenced voices

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