logo
episode-header-image
Apr 2023
56m 7s

The Rise of the Tudors

Bbc Radio 4
About this episode

Greg Jenner is joined by Dr Adam Chapman and comedian Kiri Pritchard-McLean to learn about the rise of the Tudor dynasty.

The Tudors are probably the most famous ruling dynasty in British and English history. But where and when did the Tudor family actually originate? The answer lies in 13th-century Anglesey with a collection of modest landowners, who wouldn’t have called themselves Tudor at all. So how did this titanic royal dynasty spring from these minor Welsh beginnings?

Correction: In this episode, we said that Margaret Beaufort was descended from Edward III and his mistress. She was actually a descendant of John of Gaunt, Edward’s son, and his mistress, Katherine Swynford. Although illegitimate at birth, their children were later legitimised, although barred from the throne.

Research by Caitlín Rankin-McCabe Written by Emma Nagouse, Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Caitlín Rankin-McCabe and Greg Jenner Produced by Emma Nagouse and Greg Jenner Assistant Producer: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow Project Management: Isla Matthews Audio Producer: Steve Hankey

You’re Dead To Me is a production by The Athletic for BBC Radio 4.

Up next
Jul 4
History of Coffee (Radio Edit)
Greg Jenner is joined by Professor Jonathan Morris and comedian Sophie Duker to learn all about the bittersweet history of coffee.Coffee is undoubtedly one of the most popular drinks worldwide, and we consume an estimated 95 million cups of the stuff everyday in the UK alone. But ... Show More
28m 11s
Jul 4
American War of Independence: Fourth of July Special
Greg Jenner is joined in the eighteenth century by Professor Frank Cogliano and comedian and actor Patton Oswalt for a special Fourth of July episode all about the American War of Independence. Also known as the American Revolutionary War, 2025 marks 250 years since the start of ... Show More
57m 34s
Jun 27
Announcing Series 10
Greg Jenner previews some of the topics and guest coming up in the new series of You're Dead To Me which starts on Friday 4 July, 2025. 
47s
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2023
Rise of the Tudors
Join Dan as he rollicks through the tumultuous life and rise to power of Henry Tudor, the man who would ultimately become King Henry VII of England. Step back to the late 15th century, a period marked by conflict, political manoeuvring and alliances as a young Henry Tudor, having ... Show More
50m 39s
Oct 2023
Ghastly Tales of Tudor Ghosts
The Tudors ruled over England from the unlikely battlefield victory of King Henry VII in 1485; through the 6 wives of heinous Henry VIII and his three children’s desperate fights over the throne; to the agonizing death of the magnificent Queen Elizabeth I in 1603. The family’s tr ... Show More
31m 16s
May 2024
Henry VIII's Sister, Margaret Queen of Scots
Margaret Tudor - daughter of King Henry VII, sister to Henry VIII - was married at 13 to James IV of Scotland, learning the skills of statecraft that would enable her to survive his early death and to construct a powerful position in Scotland.  In this episode of Not Just the Tud ... Show More
41m 16s
Jan 2024
Tudors in Love
From Henry VIII declaring himself as the ‘loyal and most assured servant’ of Anne Boleyn to the poems lavished on Elizabeth I by her suitors, the dramas of courtly love have captivated readers and dreamers for centuries.  In this edition of Not Just the Tudors, first released in ... Show More
39m 23s
Jan 2023
The Lucky Wife: Anne of Cleves (Queens Series)
Anne of Cleves is quickly becoming one of the most popular of Henry VIII's six queens. Thanks partly to today's guest, historian Heather Darsie. Think you've heard everything you've ever wanted to know about this fourth "wife" of Henry VIII? Think again! Today I've had some bombs ... Show More
45m 52s
Oct 2023
The Tudors Told Through Numbers
There are countless ways to understand and analyse the Tudors but a new book takes a unique look at the dynasty through its statistics. And there’s a lot more to discover than just the famous six wives. In this episode of Not Just the Tudors, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb talks to  ... Show More
34m 37s
Dec 2022
Life in Tudor England
What was life really like in Tudor England? This was a society where monarchy was under strain, the church was in crisis and contending with war, rebellion, plague and poverty was a fact of daily life. Yet it was also an age rich in ideas and ideals, where women asserted their ag ... Show More
49m 46s
Mar 2023
Katherine of Aragon: England's First Renaissance Queen
In preparation for International Women's Day this Wednesday, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb takes a look at a Queen whose reputation has largely been shaped by her husband's midlife crisis. History does not see much further than Katherine of Aragon's so-called failure to provide Hen ... Show More
34m 9s
May 2023
Anne Boleyn & Katherine of Aragon: Rival Queens?
History has painted Katherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn in two very different hues: one wife, one mistress; one Spanish, one French; one committed Catholic, one radical reformer. But a new exhibition at Hever Castle examines one curious moment of confluence, right in the midst of ... Show More
20m 41s
Jan 2023
Nonsuch: Henry VIII's Lost Palace
In April 1538 - to celebrate the birth of Prince Edward and the 30th anniversary of his reign - King Henry VIII began work on a royal palace in Surrey, designed to be unequalled as a celebration of the power and the grandeur of the Tudor dynasty: Nonsuch Palace. Henry spared no e ... Show More
39m 29s