William III & the Persecution of Sodomites

<p><strong>**Warning: This episode contains explicit descriptions of sexual acts and the use of historic terminology that does not align with current usage**</strong></p><br><p>The first widespread discussion of sodomy in public discourse came in the aftermath of the so-called ‘Glorious Revolution’ that saw the Roman Catholic King James II deposed in favour of his Protestant daughter Mary and her husband William of Orange.</p><br><p>Almost immediately, English satirists began to spread explicit charges of sodomy against William - whose male 'favourites' were no secret - and alleging his desire for other men was the cause of the royal couple's infertility.&nbsp;Perhaps for the first time, satirical publications and pamphlets began circulating explicit accusations against William, becoming a catalyst for persecution.</p><br><p>Professor Suzannah Lipscomb talks to historian Jack Beesley about his research into the early origins of homosexual identity and its subsequent discrimination in the court of William III.</p><br><p>Related episodes:</p><p><strong>The Private Life of James VI & I</strong>:<strong> </strong><a href="https://podfollow.com/not-just-the-tudors/episode/a406821154013f01e83da0fcd95f40878547caf5/view" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://podfollow.com/not-just-the-tudors/episode/a406821154013f01e83da0fcd95f40878547caf5/view</a></p><p><strong>Same-Sex Marriages in Renaissance Rome</strong>: <a href="https://podfollow.com/not-just-the-tudors/episode/708bce3dd88f4fd948c8beb606d131d9fc734576/view" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://podfollow.com/not-just-the-tudors/episode/708bce3dd88f4fd948c8beb606d131d9fc734576/view</a></p><br><p>Presented by Professor Suzannah Lipscomb. The researcher is Alice Smith, audio editor is Amy Haddow and the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.</p><p>Theme music from All3Media. Other music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds.</p><p><em>Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcast.</em></p><br><p><strong>Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at </strong><a href="https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong><u>https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe</u></strong></a><strong>.</strong>&nbsp;</p><br><p>You can take part in our listener survey&nbsp;<a href="https://uk.surveymonkey.com/r/6FFT7MK" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>: <a href="https://uk.surveymonkey.com/r/6FFT7MK" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://uk.surveymonkey.com/r/6FFT7MK</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>