In this second part of our series, Juana has become her mother's unlikely heir. Just a few years after inheriting Castile, she is declared insane and imprisoned. But was she actually mad? And why didn't her son free her when he came to power?
Yesterday
Charles Sumner, Revisited (part 1)
<p>The first installment of the deeper examination of Charles Sumner's life begins with his early years, including his close relationships with Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Samuel Gridley Howe.</p> <p><strong>Research:</strong></p> <ul> <li>"Sumner, Charles (1811-1874)." Encycl ... Show More
35m 52s
Apr 2021
In the Shadow of the Great
<p>Catherine the Great's son, Paul I, idolized his deceased father Peter III and resented his powerful mother. Unfortunately for him, when he finally became Tsar, he would learn that wielding power isn't as easy as it looks.</p><p> </p> Learn more about your ad-choices at <a href ... Show More
21m 56s
Nov 2021
Russia’s Real-life Ice Queen, Part 1: The Tsar is a Jerk
<p>“Despite being born into royalty, Anna Ioannovna didn’t have the easiest life. Her uncle publicly ridiculed her marriage, and the cruelty she experienced growing up may have had lasting emotional damage, leading her to eventually build an actual ice palace.”</p><p> </p> Learn ... Show More
25m 41s
Feb 2020
The Ghosts that Haunted the Female Emperor
<p>In 7th-century China, Wu Zetian went from low-tiered concubine to Empress and then, finally, to Emperor in her own right. Her legacy is murky and strange, and her rise to power is trickled with blood. </p><p> </p> Learn more about your ad-choices at <a href="https://www.iheart ... Show More
21m 47s
Jun 2020
The Bloody Queen of Madagascar
<p>Stories from history are not kind to Queen Ranavalona of the Kingdom of Imerina. They call her bloodthirsty, mad, a "female Caligula." People were killed under her rule—lots of them, and cruelly. But "madness" doesn't tell the whole story. Ranavalona was a canny political lead ... Show More
27m 18s