Lady Jane Grey, or, How To Lose A Queen In Nine Days

October 7, 2020

Lady Jane Grey (c. 1537 – 12 February 1554) was kinda the first-ever woman to rule England, except she was technically a girl and technically sort of didn’t actually rule? Hence this whole season-long discussion. Anyway, this week is LJG’s time to shine!! Learn about how and why she sort of reigned for nine days, how and why she was executed, and most importantly: how will she score on our scandilicous scale??

References:

Crown of Blood: The Deadly Inheritance of Lady Jane Grey by Nicola Tallis

The Sisters Who Would Be Queen: Mary, Katherine, and Lady Jane Grey: A Tudor Tragedy by Leanda de Lisle

Lady Jane (the movie, starring baby Helena Bonham Carter and baby Cary Elwes!!)

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How To Lose A Queen In Nine Days: Frances Grey, Duchess of Suffolk

September 30, 2020

Frances Grey, Duchess of Suffolk (16 July 1517 – 20 November 1559), was an English noblewoman. As the daughter of Mary Tudor and niece of Henry VIII, she was of royal lineage and in the line of succession. She was also the stepdaughter of Katherine Willoughby, and the mother of Lady Jane Grey, Lady Katherine Grey, and Lady Mary Grey. But mostly as the Kris Jenner of her age, she was a behind-the-scenes power player who dedicated her life to maintaining her family’s prestige even in the face of great odds.

Also apparently she’s long had a bad reputation among historians, almost definitely undeserved!!

References:

Elizabeth’s Women: Friends, Rivals, and Foes who shaped the Virgin Queen by Tracy Borman

Henry VIII: The King and His Court by Alison Weir

Crown of Blood: The Deadly Inheritance of Lady Jane Grey by Nicola Tallis

The Sisters Who Would Be Queen: Mary, Katherine, and Lady Jane Grey: A Tudor Tragedy by Leanda de Lisle

The Death and Burial of Frances, Duchess of Suffolk by Susan Higganbotham

The Maligned Frances Grey, Duchess of Suffolk by Susan Higganbotham

Frances Brandon, Duchess of Suffolk (The Freelance History Writer)

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Anne Askew

September 23, 2020

Anne Askew (1521-1546) was one of the earliest-known female poets to compose in the English language, the first Englishwoman to demand a divorce, and wound up the only recorded woman to be tortured in the Tower of London. She died via explosion when one of her supporters hid gunpowder in the pyre for her execution by burning. An icon!

References:

The Queen and the Heretic: How Two Women Changed the Religion of England by Derek Wilson

Anne Askew Sentenced to Death (The Anne Boleyn Files)

Anne Askew (Spartacus Educational)

Anne Askew: Dangerous Convictions (Dangerous Women Project)

The Examinations of Anne Askew

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How To Lose A Queen In Nine Days: Catherine Parr

September 16, 2020

Catherine Parr (1512-1548) is best known for surviving being the sixth and final wife of Henry VIII. She had three other husbands, one of whom was worse than even Henry; she was held hostage; she broke new ground for women writers in England; she was a member of the Renaissance Reformation Girl Squad, AND ALSO she was the guardian to (and role model for) Lady Jane Grey.

References:

Katherine the Queen: The Remarkable Life of Katherine Parr, the Last Wife of Henry VIII by Linda Porter

Catherine Parr: Wife, Widow, Mother, Survivor, the Story of the Last Queen of Henry VIII by Elizabeth Norton

Other stuff:

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How To Lose A Queen In Nine Days: Katherine Willoughby, Duchess of Suffolk

September 9, 2020

Katherine Willoughby de Eresby (22 March 1519 – 19 September 1580), later Katherine Brandon, then Katherine Bertie, was an English heiress, Protestant rebel, and overall total heroine. From a pretty gross start (being married at age 14 to her adoptive father figure), she wielded her wealth and privilege to support other women and Protestants.

References:

The Six Wives and Many Mistresses of Henry VIII by Amy Licence

Understanding the life of Katherine Willoughby (On The Tudor Trail)

Katherine Willoughby, the Lincolnshire Lady who nearly married Henry VIII (LincolnshireLife)

Katherine Willoughby by Sarah Bryson (Tudor Society)

Other stuff:

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How To Lose A Queen In Nine Days: Mary Tudor, Queen of France

September 2, 2020

Mary Tudor (9 October 1514 – 1 January 1515), not to be confused with Queen Mary I or Mary, Queen of Scots, was briefly Queen of France. She then had a secret marriage to her boyfriend, Charles Brandon, and lived an interesting and — dare I say — scandlicious life. She was also the grandmother of Lady Jane Grey, which sets us up for this season’s theme: How To Lose A Queen In Nine Days aka The Lady Jane Grey Scenario.

References:

The Sisters of Henry VIII: The Tumultuous Lives of Margaret of Scotland and Mary of France by Maria Perry

Henry VIII: The King and His Court by Alison Weir

Other stuff:

A Tip for the Hangman by Allison Epstein

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Pandemic Special: Milkmaids, Harem girls, and the History of the Smallpox Vaccine

May 19, 2020

Smallpox was a highly contagious, deadly disease which likely first appeared around the 3rd century BCE in Egypt. From then on, it followed trade routes and colonization, decimating populations in many countries. The development of the smallpox vaccine can be traced back many centuries, to people in India, China, West Africa, and the Ottoman Empire who used a technique known of variolation to inject healthy people with pus from those afflicted by smallpox. In the late 18th century in England, Dr. Edward Jenner popularized and advocated for the injection of cowpox cells to immunize humans against smallpox, leading to the eradication of the disease by 1980.

Crowdfunding site for Dr. Jenner’s House Museum and Garden

References:

Princesses, Slaves, and Explosives: The Scandalous Origin of Vaccines by Kiona Smith-Strickland, Gizmodo

Get Well Soon: History’s Worst Plagues and the Heroes who fought them by Jennifer Wright

COVID-19 May Permanently Shutter Museum Devoted to Vaccination Pioneer (Smithsonian)

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Pandemic Special: Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, and the English sweating sickness

May 6, 2020

From 1485 – 1551, England experienced several epidemics of a mysterious illness known only as the sweating sickness. Unlike other diseases that affected the very young, very old, and the poor, this one seemed to target young, healthy, rich people. And two of the rich people affected were King Henry VIII and his mistress, Anne Boleyn.

EDIT: Two corrections were brought to my attention after this episode published. 1) Henry VII defeated Richard III in the Battle of Bosworth on August 22 1485; therefore, he and his troops did not arrive in England from France on August 28th, as I stated in the episode. What happened is that the first case of English sweating sickness was reported on August 28 1485, and 2) Henry VIII’s BFF/brother-in-law was *Charles* Brandon, not Henry Brandon, as I said in the episode. Charles Brandon’s son Henry died in the sweating sickness.

References:

The ‘Sweating Disease’ That Swept Across England 500 Years Ago is Still a Medical Mystery (Discover Magazine)

The Sweating Sickness Returns (Discover Magazine)

Anne Boleyn and the Tudor sweating sickness (On the Tudor Trail)

The Mysterious Epidemic That Terrified Henry VIII (History.com)

Anne Boleyn: 11 Surprising Facts (History Extra)

How Did King Henry VIII ‘Self-Isolate’ From The Sweating Sickness? (History Extra)

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Joanna of Naples

April 22, 2020

Joanna of Naples (1326-1382) was Queen of Naples, Jerusalem, and Sicily for thirty action-packed and highly scandilicious years. This story has it all: kidnappings! Revenge murders! Evil popes! Evil husbands! Being trapped in an iron cage for fourteen years! The black plague! But how will Joanna herself score on our scandilicious scale? The results may SURPRISE YOU!!

References:

Queens of Infamy: Joanna of Naples by Anne Theriault on Longreads

The Lady Queen: The Notorious Reign of Joanna I, Queen of Naples, Jerusalem, and Sicily by Nancy Goldstone

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Anne, Queen of Great Britain

April 15, 2020

Anne I (1665 – 1714), best known as the main character of the movie The Favourite, was Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland and then of Great Britain and Ireland for twelve years. Her life story is a gossip buffet of rivalry, death, and resiliency. But how will she score on the scandilicious scale??

References:

Queen Anne: Politics and Passion by Anne Somerset

The Favourite: The Life of Sarah Churchill and the History Behind the Major Motion Picture by Ophelia Field

Other stuff:

History writing: annfosterwriter.com

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