The public loves a good story about the salacious private lives of the rich and famous. And royals often really did get up to some jaw-dropping behaviors. But sometimes a grain of rumor can be so enthralling that it snowballs into an unshakable myth. If you ask the average person what they know about Catherine the Great they are likely to say “Isn’t she the ... Show More
Sep 1
A History of Bubonic Plague | The Black Death & Quarantining with The Decameron
“How many valiant men, how many fair ladies, how many sprightly youths, … breakfasted in the morning with their kinsfolk, comrades and friends, and that same night supped with their ancestors in the other world.” Giovanni Boccaccio, The Decameron Between 1346 and 1353 a horrifyin ... Show More
31m 29s
Aug 25
Lady Godiva, Medieval Nude Equestrian
Lovers of folklore and Chocolate will have heard of the famous Lady Godiva, who rode her horse naked through the streets of Coventry with only her golden hair to preserve her modesty. And of peeping Tom, the only man in the town who dared to gaze upon her birthday suit and was st ... Show More
29m 5s
May 2021
Historical Mythbusting Spectacular!
<p>For our 50th (!) episode, Noble Blood is tackling historical rumors: "Let them eat cake," Elizabeth I being a man, the lost dauphin of France, and....... *that* rumor about Catherine the Great. [Side note: I wrote a book!!!! It's a novel about a 19th century surgeon and body s ... Show More
35m 13s
Mar 2024
Scandalous Sex Lives of Royalty
We've been fascinated by royalty for hundreds of years, but what do we know about their sex lives? Quite a lot, it turns out.Today we're revisiting an episode Kate recorded with bestselling author Eleanor Herman to find out about what it took to not just be a mistress of a royal, ... Show More
42m 55s
Oct 2025
The Scandalous Royal Mistress Who Ruled France
Is this strangest threesome in royal history?!We're endlessly fascinated with the lives of royal mistresses, and this has to be one of the most notorious.It takes place in 16th century France between Henry II, his wife Catherine de Medici and his much older mistress, Diane de Poi ... Show More
37m 45s