Vulgar History: Regency Era

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: Recommended books: bookshop.org/lists/vulgar-history-recommends Patreon: patreon.com/annfosterwriter Merch: teespring.com/stores/vulgarhistory Vulgar History is an affiliate of Bookshop.org, which means that a small percentage of any books you click through and purchase will come back to Vulgar History as a commission. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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: Recommended books: bookshop.org/lists/vulgar-history-recommends Patreon: patreon.com/annfosterwriter Merch: teespring.com/stores/vulgarhistory Vulgar History is an affiliate of Bookshop.org, which means that a small percentage of any books you click through and purchase will come back to Vulgar History as a commission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Recommended history books: bookshop.org/lists/vulgar-history-recommends Patreon: patreon.com/annfosterwriter Merch: teespring.com/stores/vulgarhistory Vulgar History is an affiliate of Bookshop.org, which means that a small percentage of any books you click through and purchase will come back to Vulgar History as a commission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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) Vulgar History is an affiliate of Bookshop.org, which means that a small percentage of any books you click through and purchase will come back to Vulgar History as a commission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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) Vulgar History is an affiliate of Bookshop.org, which means that a small percentage of any books you click through and purchase will come back to Vulgar History as a commission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 — Sign up for the Vulgar History mailing list! — Get 15% off all the gorgeous jewellery and accessories at common.era.com/vulgar or go to commonera.com and use code VULGAR at checkout — Get Vulgar History merch at vulgarhistory.com/store (best for US shipping) and vulgarhistory.redbubble.com (better for international shipping) — Support Vulgar History on Patreon — Vulgar History is an affiliate of Bookshop.org, which means that a small percentage of any books you click through and purchase will come back to Vulgar History as a commission. Use this link to shop there and support Vulgar History. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 — Sign up for the Vulgar History mailing list! — Get 15% off all the gorgeous jewellery and accessories at common.era.com/vulgar or go to commonera.com and use code VULGAR at checkout — Get Vulgar History merch at vulgarhistory.com/store (best for US shipping) and vulgarhistory.redbubble.com (better for international shipping) — Support Vulgar History on Patreon — Vulgar History is an affiliate of Bookshop.org, which means that a small percentage of any books you click through and purchase will come back to Vulgar History as a commission. Use this link to shop there and support Vulgar History. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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): 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) Vulgar History is an affiliate of Bookshop.org, which means that a small percentage of any books you click through and purchase will come back to Vulgar History as a commission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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) Vulgar History is an affiliate of Bookshop.org, which means that a small percentage of any books you click through and purchase will come back to Vulgar History as a commission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 — Sign up for the Vulgar History mailing list! — Get 15% off all the gorgeous jewellery and accessories at common.era.com/vulgar or go to commonera.com and use code VULGAR at checkout — Get Vulgar History merch at vulgarhistory.com/store (best for US shipping) and vulgarhistory.redbubble.com (better for international shipping) — Support Vulgar History on Patreon — Vulgar History is an affiliate of Bookshop.org, which means that a small percentage of any books you click through and purchase will come back to Vulgar History as a commission. Use this link to shop there and support Vulgar History. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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) Vulgar History is an affiliate of Bookshop.org, which means that a small percentage of any books you click through and purchase will come back to Vulgar History as a commission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 — Sign up for the Vulgar History mailing list! — Get 15% off all the gorgeous jewellery and accessories at common.era.com/vulgar or go to commonera.com and use code VULGAR at checkout — Get Vulgar History merch at vulgarhistory.com/store (best for US shipping) and vulgarhistory.redbubble.com (better for international shipping) — Support Vulgar History on Patreon — Vulgar History is an affiliate of Bookshop.org, which means that a small percentage of any books you click through and purchase will come back to Vulgar History as a commission. Use this link to shop there and support Vulgar History. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 — Sign up for the Vulgar History mailing list! — Get 15% off all the gorgeous jewellery and accessories at common.era.com/vulgar or go to commonera.com and use code VULGAR at checkout — Get Vulgar History merch at vulgarhistory.com/store (best for US shipping) and vulgarhistory.redbubble.com (better for international shipping) — Support Vulgar History on Patreon — Vulgar History is an affiliate of Bookshop.org, which means that a small percentage of any books you click through and purchase will come back to Vulgar History as a commission. Use this link to shop there and support Vulgar History. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 — Get 15% off all the gorgeous jewellery and accessories at common.era.com/vulgar or go to commonera.com and use code VULGAR at checkout — Get Vulgar History merch at vulgarhistory.com/store (best for US shipping) and vulgarhistory.redbubble.com (better for international shipping) — Support Vulgar History on Patreon — Vulgar History is an affiliate of Bookshop.org, which means that a small percentage of any books you click through and purchase will come back to Vulgar History as a commission. Use this link to shop there and support Vulgar History. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Boudica was Queen of the Iceni, a Celtic tribe during the Roman conquest of Britain. She led a rebellion of united tribes against their Roman invaders, leaving a path of death and bloodshed in her wake. Referenced in this episode: Boudica: Warrior Woman of the Roman Empire by Caitlin C. Gillespie Other stuff: History writing: annfosterwriter.com Recommended books: bookshop.org/lists/vulgar-history-recommends Patreon: patreon.com/annfosterwriter Merch: teespring.com/stores/vulgarhistory Vulgar History is a participant in the Audible Creators Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Audible.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Julia Agrippina Augusta, aka Agrippina Minor aka Agrippina the Younger, was a completely badass woman in ancient Rome. She leveraged her power as first the sister of the Emperor, then the wife of the Emperor, then the mother of the Emperor (three separate Emperors) to break new ground for Roman women. She also murdered a lot of people. Her placement on the Scandilicious Scale may SURPRISE YOU Referenced in this episode: Agrippina: The Most Extraordinary Woman of the Roman World by Emma Southon Other stuff: Patreon: patreon.com/annfosterwriter Merch: teespring.com/stores/vulgarhistory Vulgar History is a participant in the Audible Creators Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Audible.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the first part of our new series "Women Leaders And The Men Who Whined About Them," we take it all the way back to the first century BCE and the legendary Egyptian Pharaoh Cleopatra VII. Growing up amid non-stop familial murder, she cannily usurped control of the kingdom from her relatives and teamed up with Rome. But where will she wind up on the Scandalicious Scale?? Reference: Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff — Get 15% off all the gorgeous jewellery and accessories at common.era.com/vulgar or go to commonera.com and use code VULGAR at checkout — Get Vulgar History merch at vulgarhistory.com/store (best for US shipping) and vulgarhistory.redbubble.com (better for international shipping) — Support Vulgar History on Patreon — Vulgar History is an affiliate of Bookshop.org, which means that a small percentage of any books you click through and purchase will come back to Vulgar History as a commission. Use this link to shop there and support Vulgar History. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bonus!! This is a preview of So This Asshole, a new spinoff podcast available through my Patreon. This side series will share the wild stories of some of the many, many assholes involved in the stories of the women profiled on the main Vulgar History podcast. This episode is all about Giuseppe Balsamo, aka Count Alessandro di Cagliostro (1743-1795), who was briefly mentioned in the Vulgar History episode about Jeanne de la Motte. Referenced in this podcast: How To Ruin A Queen by Jonathan Beckman (which is a GREAT book!) Other stuff: History writing: annfosterwriter.com Recommended books: bookshop.org/lists/vulgar-history-recommends Patreon: patreon.com/annfosterwriter Merch: teespring.com/stores/vulgarhistory Vulgar History is an affiliate of Bookshop.org, which means that a small percentage of any books you click through and purchase will come back to Vulgar History as a commission. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lucy Percy Hay, Countess of Carlisle (1599-1660) was a British noblewoman known for her espionage work surrounding the English Civil War. But she was not just a spy... was a #LADYSPY, mentored by one of the most memorable heroines of a previous Vulgar History episode!! Will it all be enough for her to take the top spot in our Scandalicious Scale?? Mentioned in this episode: Sweet Valley Sagas by Francine Pascal Court Lady and Country Wife: Royal Privilege and Civil War: Two Noble Sisters in 17th-century England by Lita-Rose Betcherman Invisible Agents: Women and Espionage in Seventeenth-Century Britain by Nadine Akkerman -- Get 15% off all the gorgeous jewellery and accessories at common.era.com/vulgar or go to commonera.com and use code VULGAR at checkout -- Get Vulgar History merch at vulgarhistory.com/store (best for US shipping) and vulgarhistory.redbubble.com (better for international shipping) -- Support Vulgar History on Patreon -- Vulgar History is an affiliate of Bookshop.org, which means that a small percentage of any books you click through and purchase will come back to Vulgar History as a commission. Use this link to shop there and support Vulgar History. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mary Toft (1701 - 1763) was an English peasant who became notorious for her involvement in her family's scheme to pretend she'd given birth to seventeen rabbits. The story is profoundly, continuingly, and rage-inducingly bananas. Content warnings: animal cruelty/killing, nonconsensual gynecological procedures, Nathanael St. Andre References: The Imposteress Rabbit Breeder: Mary Toft and Eighteenth-Century England by Karen Harvey What Mary Toft Felt: Women’s Voices, Pain, Power and the Body by Karen Harvey (History Workshop Journal) Why Historians Are Reexamining the Case of the Woman Who Gave Birth to Rabbits by Sabrina Imbler (Atlas Obscura) Imagining Monsters: Miscreations of the Self in Eighteenth-Century England By Dennis Todd Lore, episode 45: First Impressions (Lore Podcast) Mary Toft and Her Extraordinary Delivery of Rabbits by Niki Russell (The Public Domain Review) An Extraordinary Delivery of Rabbits by Edward White (The Paris Review) The Curious Case of Mary Toft (University of Glasgow Special Collections) The confessions of a rabbit woman and other recently digitized tales from the Osler Library by Mary Yearl (McGill University Library News) Mary Toft or Tofts (Godalming Musem) The Woman Who Gave Birth to Rabbits by Lucas Reilly (Mental Floss) -- Get 15% off all the gorgeous jewellery and accessories at common.era.com/vulgar or go to commonera.com and use code VULGAR at checkout -- Get Vulgar History merch at vulgarhistory.com/store (best for US shipping) and vulgarhistory.redbubble.com (better for international shipping) -- Support Vulgar History on Patreon -- Vulgar History is an affiliate of Bookshop.org, which means that a small percentage of any books you click through and purchase will come back to Vulgar History as a commission. Use this link to shop there and support Vulgar History. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Countess Elizabeth Báthory de Ecsed (7 August 1560 – 21 August 1614) was a Hungarian noblewoman who, for a time, oversaw more properties and estates than anyone else in Europe. Her undoing came about when the Palatine of Hungary accused her and four servants of mass murder, and she's now remembered as more of a myth than a person. Did she really commit these gruesome crimes, and bathe in the blood of her victims?? And how will she score on the scandalicious scale?? Countess Dracula: The Life and Times of Elisabeth Bathory, the Blood Countess by Tony Thorne The Unobscured podcast by Aaron Mahnke Other stuff: History writing: annfosterwriter.com Recommended books: bookshop.org/lists/vulgar-history-recommends Patreon: patreon.com/annfosterwriter Merch: teespring.com/stores/vulgarhistory Vulgar History is an affiliate of Bookshop.org, which means that a small percentage of any books you click through and purchase will come back to Vulgar History as a commission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeanne de Valois-Saint-Rémy, Comtesse de la Motte (22 July 1756 – 23 August 1791) was an illegitimate descendant of the French royal family who became famous on her own as AN INCREDIBLY CLEVER CON ARTIST/HEROINE! But how will she score on the Scandalicious Scale?? Mentioned in this episode: How to Ruin a Queen by Jonathan Beckman Frock Flicks review of the hats and wigs in The Affair of the Necklace Other stuff: History writing: annfosterwriter.com Recommended books: bookshop.org/lists/vulgar-history-recommends Patreon: patreon.com/annfosterwriter Merch: teespring.com/stores/vulgarhistory Vulgar History is an affiliate of Bookshop.org, which means that a small percentage of any books you click through and purchase will come back to Vulgar History as a commission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Frances Howard Carr, Duchess of Somerset (31 May 1590 – 23 August 1632) was a British noblewoman who, among other things, pled guilty to murder and also most likely faked her own virginity inspection. She also showed much more bosom in her portraiture than anyone in the history of breasts and lived her life both physically and psychologically Tits Out. But where does that place her on the Scandaliciousness Scale??? Mentioned in this episode: The Poison Bed by E.C. Fremantle The Overbury Affair: The Murder Trial That Rocked The Court of King James I by Miriam Allen DeFord Unnatural Murder: Poison in the Court of James I by Anne Somerset Other stuff: History writing: annfosterwriter.com Recommended books: bookshop.org/lists/vulgar-history-recommends Patreon: patreon.com/annfosterwriter Merch: teespring.com/stores/vulgarhistory Vulgar History is an affiliate of Bookshop.org, which means that a small percentage of any books you click through and purchase will come back to Vulgar History as a commission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Caroline of Brunswick (17 May 1768 – 7 August 1821) was Queen consort of the United Kingdom for a year, but that's basically the least interesting thing about her. Where does our inaugural story subject score on the Scandalicious Scale?? And was she really having an affair with Bartolomeo, her Italian servant??? Mentioned in this episode: "What Eye Has Wept For George IV" from the Noble Blood podcast Caroline & Charlotte: Regency Scandals by Alison Plowden Other stuff: History writing: annfosterwriter.com Recommended books: bookshop.org/lists/vulgar-history-recommends Patreon: patreon.com/annfosterwriter Merch: teespring.com/stores/vulgarhistory Vulgar History is an affiliate of Bookshop.org, which means that a small percentage of any books you click through and purchase will come back to Vulgar History as a commission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices