logo
episode-header-image
Jan 2024
26m 21s

Conspiracy | 1. Was Elizabeth I a man?

IMMEDIATE MEDIA
About this episode
In her most famous speech, delivered on 9 August 1588, Queen Elizabeth I declared that she had the "heart and stomach of a king". Was that just rhetoric? Or could England’s iconic Tudor queen actually have been a man masquerading as a woman? In this new episode of Conspiracy, Tudor historian Tracy Borman speaks to Rob Attar about the bizarre 'Bisley Boy' con ... Show More
Up next
Yesterday
Attila the Hun: life of the week
Few historical figures have reputations quite as diabolical as that of Attila the Hun. This nomadic leader pitched up on the edge of the Roman empire in the fifth century AD, and spread terror and chaos so effectively that he came to be dubbed the ‘Scourge of God’. But was he rea ... Show More
35m 38s
Mar 29
Captured by Barbary corsairs: an Englishwoman's extraordinary tale
In 1756, Elizabeth Marsh set sail from Gibraltar to Britain with the intention of meeting her fiancé. Instead, she was captured by Barbary corsairs – effectively pirates operating from north Africa, carrying off their victims into slavery – and taken to a Moroccan prince. But cou ... Show More
33m 22s
Mar 29
Was Elizabeth I's reign really a 'golden age'?
As Elizabeth I entered the final chapter of her reign, questions of ageing, succession, and legacy loomed large. In this final episode of our four-part Sunday Series on the Tudor monarch, Rachel Dinning is joined by historian Nicola Tallis to explore the queen’s later years, her ... Show More
28m 57s
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2023
Catherine Howard: Henry VIII's Fifth Wife
<p>Catherine Howard was Queen Consort - and fifth wife - to Henry VIII for just 16 months before he had her executed for treason for committing adultery.&nbsp;Since Victorian times, historians have labelled her as lewd and promiscuous, but there was an altogether more complex you ... Show More
52m 15s
Mar 2023
Katherine of Aragon: England's First Renaissance Queen
<p>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 ... Show More
34m 9s
Jul 2015
Episode #1 - Was Queen Elizabeth Actually A Man?
Queen Elizabeth I is easily one of England's most celebrated monarchs. The so-called "virgin queen" has been credited with leading England through a golden age. However, she is also the subject of countless historical myths and conspiracy theories. This week we unpack the scandal ... Show More
28m 10s
Mar 2024
Queen Elizabeth I and Her V Card
This week is for the true history girlies! We are taking you through the life and reign of the Virgin Queen, Elizabeth I. From her tumultuous upbringing as the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn to her rise to become one of England's most notable monarchs. We talk sister figh ... Show More
1h 14m
Jul 2015
Episode #1 - Was Queen Elizabeth Actually A Man?
Queen Elizabeth I is easily one of England's most celebrated monarchs. The so-called "virgin queen" has been credited with leading England through a golden age. However, she is also the subject of countless historical myths and conspiracy theories. This week we unpack the scandal ... Show More
28m 10s
Dec 2022
Life in Tudor England
<p>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 ... Show More
49m 46s
Jan 2024
William the Conqueror
<p>When his cousin King Edward the Confessor died childless, Duke William of Normandy saw the throne of England as his birthright. But one man stood in his way, Harold Godwinson, whom Edward had named as king on his deathbed.</p><br><p>In the third episode of our special series e ... Show More
42m 8s
Feb 2024
Queen Elizabeth I’s Suitors & Lovers, 2/2: Courting a Queen
Elizabeth I of England and Ireland reigned for 45 years over a golden age of peace, prosperity and flourishing art and culture. And she shocked the medieval world by doing it all without a man. But that certainly wasn’t for lack of proposals. Elizabeth had at least 16 suitors in ... Show More
31m 24s
Jan 2024
Tudors in Love
<p>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.&nbsp;</p><br><p>In this edition of <em>Not Just the Tudo ... Show More
39m 23s
Jul 2022
The Rise of Cleopatra
<p>Famed across the ages and around the world - everyone knows the name Cleopatra. But how did she become one of the most infamous women in history?</p><br><p>Born in 69BCE, a member of the Ptolemaic dynasty in Hellenistic Egypt, Cleopatra VII lived a tumultuous life. Within<stro ... Show More
1 h
Listen to millions of songs and podcasts on Anghami