logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2025
38m 54s

Wife-Swapping Magician of the Tudor Cour...

History Hit
About this episode
tail spinning
Up next
Yesterday
The Truth About Pablo Picasso
Pablo Picasso's impact on the art world was sensational, but what impact did he have on the people around him?His relationship history contains some problematic moments, to say the least, so we are asking if you can - or even if you should - separate the art from the artist.Joini ... Show More
46m 39s
Jul 14
Sex Work in Soviet Russia
After the Russian Revolution in 1917, sex work was a prime example of what capitalism did to society. Under communism, sex work would no longer need to exist in society.Spoiler: it very much still existed.How were sex workers treated in Soviet Russia? Why were they glamourised? A ... Show More
41m 16s
Jul 10
Why Helen Of Troy Is The Real Star Of 'The Odyssey'
Beautiful women are always causing trouble in history, and perhaps none more so than Helen of Troy.She's the daughter of Zeus and a human mother, after all.With the new film Odyssey hitting the big screen, find out all about the formidable Helen of Troy who was supposedly the mos ... Show More
47m 8s
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2025
542. Elizabeth I’s Sorcerer: Angels and Demons in Renaissance Europe
In Tudor England, during the reign of Elizabeth I, there lived in the very heart of her court a magician, alchemist and polymath, bent upon conversing with the angels of heaven and other supernatural beings. His name was John Dee, and he would prove to.be one of the most remarkab ... Show More
1h 3m
Oct 2024
Elizabeth I's Conjuror: John Dee
<p>A trusted advisor to Queen Elizabeth I, Dr. John Dee was an astronomer, mathematician, astrologer, and navigator with ties to the occult.</p><p>But what role did astrology or the occult have alongside Christianity in the Elizabethan court?</p><br><p>Professor Suzannah Lipscomb ... Show More
36m 37s
Sep 2019
From the Vault: John Dee, Part 1
Elizabethan scholar Dr. John Dee was one of the most learned men of the 16th century, applying his intense mathematical intellect to matters scientific, political, alchemical and occult. He advised Queen Elizabeth, sought communion with angelic beings, advocated British expansion ... Show More
1h 4m
Apr 2024
The Magus: enlightened magician or Renaissance charlatan?
An unlikely mix of scientist, scholar, engineer and magician, the 'Magus' sat at the heart of the transformative Renaissance period. These mysterious figures ushered in the dawn of modern chemistry and physics, while also performing feats of magic, utilising secret codes, potions ... Show More
39m 54s
Sep 2019
From the Vault: John Dee, Part 2
Elizabethan scholar Dr. John Dee was one of the most learned men of the 16th century, applying his intense mathematical intellect to matters scientific, political, alchemical and occult. He advised Queen Elizabeth, sought communion with angelic beings, advocated British expansion ... Show More
42m 27s
Mar 2024
Season 07 Episode 18: A Dance with Mr. Dee (Pt.1 of 4)
<p>John Dee.</p> <p>Mathematician, astronomer, astrologer and some say, the most influential occult magician in British history... </p> <p>This episode was written by Diane Hope and Richard MacLean Smith.</p> <p>Go to @unexplainedpod, facebook.com/unexplainedpodcast or www.unexpl ... Show More
30m 8s
Nov 2024
Practical Magic: Spells, Prayers & Cunning Folk
<p>Long before witch trials, magic was the domain of ‘cunning folk’ who were part of the fabric of medieval and early modern life.&nbsp;Their charms, filters and spells - for personal advancement, aiding fertility, predicting the future, even exacting revenge - offered people sol ... Show More
33m 59s
Sep 2025
Vanity of Henry VIII with Kate Lister
With six wives, Henry VIII must have had something going for him, right? Was he handsome? Charming? Intelligent? Just plain powerful? In this episode, the tables are turned on Professor Suzannah Lipscomb as she becomes the guest of Dr. Kate Lister on our sister podcast, Betwixt t ... Show More
44m 16s
Mar 2025
Robert Dudley: Elizabeth I's Forbidden Love
<p>Passion, scandal, and power collided in the tumultuous relationship between Elizabeth I and Robert Dudley. Rumours of secret trysts between them set the court ablaze, but their love was doomed from the start.</p><br><p>Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and Dr. Joanne Paul unravel t ... Show More
58m 10s
May 2023
Episode 168: Witches, Demons and Fairies
In this episode, we explore the Elizabethan fascination with witchcraft and mysterious creatures like fairies and demons. Those subjects feature prominently in the literature of the period, and they reveal a lot about the world view of the people who lived in England in the late ... Show More
1h 56m