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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Women Leaders, part 9: The Murderous Medieval Queen

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!!

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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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Women Leaders, part 8: Queen Anne: Bisexual Icon

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

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Pandemic Special: Eyam, The Plague Village

April 13, 2020

In 1665, the tiny English town of Eyam was beset by the same plague that was affecting London. Under the guidance of the town’s reverend, the villagers agreed to quarantine themselves in order to protect nearby villages. After fourteen months, all but 83 of the town’s 344 residents had died. References:

Eyam Historic Plague Village (the town’s current website): http://www.eyamvillage.org.uk

Did this sleepy village stop the Great Plague? (BBC)

Plague-Infested Village Self-Quarantined to Stop the Plague of 1666 (Interesting Engineeering)

Eyam plague: The village of the damned (BBC News)

Eyam Plague Village Museum – Eyam, England (Atlas Obscura)

The Black Death and the Great Plague: a comparison (Teachit History)

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Pandemic Special: Charles II de Valois And The Pillow Fight Of Death

April 10, 2020

Charles II de Valois (1522-1545) was the third son of the French King Francis I. He died very young from an entirely preventable and ridiculous pillow fight related situation in the middle of a plague-ridden town.

References:

Francis I: The Maker of Modern France by Leonie Frieda

Charles II de Valois, Duke of Orleans (Wikipedia)

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Women Leaders, part 7: The Madness of Juana La Loca

April 8, 2020

Juana I of Castile (1479-1555) was the third child of Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon. She’s remembered now for being “Juana La Loca/Juana The Mad” but, in fact, that reputation was just part of a larger scheme that found her caught between her ambitious and terrible husband and her ambitious and terrible father.

References:

Sister Queens: The Noble, Tragic Lives of Katherine of Aragon and Juana, Queen of Castile by Julia Fox

Juana I: Legitimacy and Conflict in Sixteenth-Century Castile by Gillian B. Fleming

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Pandemic Special: Joan Of England: The Princess And The Plague

April 6, 2020

Joan of England (1335-1348) was the first known English person to die of the bubonic plague. She set out with a massive entourage from England to Castile to meet her betrothed, didn’t listen to warnings in Bordeaux about the plague, and then lived through a horror movie of mass death. If you find this sort of story interesting right now, here you go! If you don’t want to hear about lots of people dying through exposure to a gruesome disease, YOU DON’T HAVE TO LISTEN TO THIS.

References:

Joan of England (Wikipedia)

The black death and Joan of England (History of Royal Women)

Joan of England & the Black Death (Rebecca Starr)

On This Day: Death of Joan of England (Creative Historian)

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Women Leaders, part 6: Genocidal Warrior Queen, Isabella I

April 1, 2020

Isabella I of Castile (1451-1504) was one of the most significant figures in world history. We continue this season’s theme of Women Leaders In History And The Men Who Whined About Them with the Isabella’s journey from little girl trapped in a ghost castle to teenage war mediator to PR stunt inventor to genocidal dictator! This is a heavy one, so get ready.

References:

Isabella of Castile: Europe’s First Great Queen by Giles Tremlett

Isabella: The Warrior Queen by Kirstin Downey

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Women Leaders, part 5: Almost-Queen Matilda

March 25, 2020

Empress Matilda (1102 – 1167) was the daughter, wife, and mother of Kings. She also should have been England’s first crowned female monarch, but the patriarchy got in the way. She also once escaped by camouflaging herself in white cloaks in the snow!! A true legend.

References:

Matilda: Empress, Warrior, Queen by Catherine Hanley

She-Wolves by Helen Castor

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Women Leaders, part 4: Killing Vikings With Murder Bees

March 18, 2020

Æthelflæd, Lady of the Mercians was a significant figure in English history. Not only did she repel Viking invaders through the clever use of BOILING BEER and BEES, she also worked alongside her brother Edward to see through their father’s goal of a united England. Also: BEES.

References:

Founder, Fighter, Saxon Queen: Aethelflaed, Lady of the Mercians by Margaret C. Jones

Æthelflæd: Lady of the Mercians by Tim Clarkson

Æthelflæd: England’s Forgotten Founder (A Ladybird Expert Book) by Tom Holland

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