Six Queens

How did political and religious factions come to dominate Tudor politics? How did these factions contribute to our queens' triumphs and downfalls, shape their legacies? In this episode, Kate and Cally continue the "Dynasty" series by delving into the complicated web of Tudor politics, the factions that arose during the "Great Matter," and how our queens were (willingly and unwillingly) made figureheads of dangerous causes. Follow @sixqueenspod on Instagram and Facebook to get updates and participate in community discussions! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"Honourable Mentions" is a series that honours the lives of Tudor women who knew, aided, and impacted the lives of our six queens. This season, Kate and Cally unpack the life of one of the most powerful women of fifteenth-century Europe: Isabel of Castile. In addition to being the mother of Katherine of Aragon, she was a queen in her own right, a conqueror with a complicated legacy, and the equal of any male ruler at the table.How did Isabel's unique political situation influence her queenship and character? How did her family, especially her daughters, benefit from Isabel's unwavering, unquestionable power? And how did her dynastic legacy influence the Tudors?Follow @sixqueenspod on Instagram and Facebook to get updates and participate in community discussions! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How did international alliances and connections strengthen the Tudor dynasty? How did the marriages of royal women, including two of our queens, contribute to the Tudors' power? And how did those women use their family ties to influence European politics and their own queenships?Kate and Cally zoom out from Tudor England to show the complicated, interconnected web of European politics, and the ways in which Katherine of Aragon, Anne of Cleves, and Anne Boleyn used their international connections to advocate for their families and themselves. Follow @sixqueenspod on Instagram and Facebook to get updates and participate in community discussions! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How did queens use portraiture to not only capture likeness, but to demonstrate political power? What can portraits tell us about the queens they represent? Kate and Cally will discuss the importance of portraiture in understanding the political motives and legacies of our queens, especially Katherine Parr, whose surviving output is unique and impressive. Follow along by clicking these links and seeing the art for yourself: Katherine Parr by Master John (ca. 1545), National Portrait Gallery ; Katherine Parr by Lucas or Margaret Horenbout (ca. 1544), Sudeley CastleFollow @sixqueenspod on Instagram and Facebook to get updates and participate in community discussions! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"Dynastic portraits," showing the royal family in group scenarios, are some of the most fascinating portraits of the Tudor era. What do they tell us about the politics of the monarchs who commissioned them? How do they seek to create certain narratives and, in some cases, rewrite history? And even if they're not depicted, how did our queens influence the art?Kate and Cally will discuss four paintings that show Tudor propaganda at its finest: The Family of Henry VII with St. George and the Dragon; the "Whitehall Mural"; The Family of Henry VIII; and The Allegory of the Tudor Succession. Click on the links to follow along and view these paintings as they're discussed! Follow @sixqueenspod on Instagram and Facebook to get updates and participate in community discussions! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How did our six queens use feminine ideals to create their public images? How did they define their personas and politics within society's patriarchal standards for women? And what happened when they failed to meet those standards?In this episode, Kate and Cally discuss three important female archetypes and how our queens were defined by often unattainable expectations. Follow @sixqueenspod on Instagram and Facebook to get updates and participate in community discussions! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How did the Tudors launch one of the best marketing campaigns in English royal history? What were the political strategies behind choosing a royal symbol? How did our queens choose their symbols, managing to stress their individual assets while also contributing to dynastic legacy? Kate and Cally break down the politics and symbolism behind some of the best-known Tudor symbols, including the famous Tudor Rose, to illustrate the importance of selling yourself as a queen. Follow @sixqueenspod on Instagram and Facebook to get updates and participate in community discussions! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our six queens married into the Tudor Dynasty, one of the most well-known royal families in history. How did the Tudors become so famous? How did they cultivate such a lasting image for themselves? And how did our queens contribute to this dynastic success? In this Series 6 premiere, Kate and Cally introduce you to the image-building, political consciousness, and paranoia that created the Tudor Dynasty, and the ways in which our queens were expected to contribute to the royal "brand."Follow @sixqueenspod on Instagram and Facebook to get updates and participate in community discussions! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're back! Welcome to the latest season of Six Queens: Dynasty. Get a sneak peek at some of the episodes coming your way this autumn. Premieres 14 September 2025. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Series 5 has come to an end, so Kate and Cally are on Instagram Live chatting all things Court: what we've learned, favorite episodes, series highlights, and audience questions. You'll also get a preview of the upcoming Series 6, plus the projects happening in the "off season." Partially-edited recording of a live broadcast streamed 2 March 2025. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How did queens use art to further their politics? What hidden meanings lurk behind every portrait of Katherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, and Katherine Parr? How did foreign brides, like Katherine of Aragon, use art to display their global power and connections? Why was patronage of artists so important at the Tudor court?To conclude our Court season, Kate and Cally are speaking with art historian Dr. Emma Cahill Marron about the many ways in which image, power, and queenship are irrevocably linked. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the twenty-first century, we all acknowledge the drama of having six queens at a court, but how did the Tudor court react to it all? Did any of our queens ever have to confront her predecessor or replacement? What courtly etiquette existed to make such a confrontation as civil as possible?For a little New Year's treat, Kate and Cally are exploring one of the most awkward encounters ever at the Tudor court: New Year 1541, when Anne of Cleves returned to court after her annulment. How did she and Katherine Howard navigate the difficult task of saving face, making nice, delivering their political messages, and having a happy new year?Follow @sixqueenspod on Instagram and Facebook to get updates and participate in community discussions! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How did our queens use clothing and jewelry to shape their public personas? What did their fashion choices say about their political agendas? How was the Tudor court influenced by the style of a queen? And what can we learn about our queens through the jewelry collection that they all shared?In perhaps our most fun episode yet, Kate and Cally are discussing the fashion and jewelry of our six queens: the expensive fabrics and gems that denote their queenly status, the political messages hidden beneath headdresses and brooches, and the differences in styles throughout their six queenships. SUBSCRIBE to Six Queens on Substack to get extra features for this episode, access to community discussions, and more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What did our six queens do for fun at the Tudor court? How did popular pastimes like dancing, singing, playing instruments, playing sports, jousting, and hunting allow courtiers to show off their political savvy? How is entertainment often tied to danger, excitement, and violence? And which came first, the fun or the politics?! In this episode, Kate and Cally will introduce you to a variety of Tudor pastimes that really show how vibrant and dangerous the court of Henry VIII was.SUBSCRIBE to Six Queens on Substack to get extra features for this episode, access to community discussions, and more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We can't discuss the Tudor court without mentioning the performance of "courtly love" amongst the men, women, kings and queens. What was it? What were the rules? Why was it such a fun game for courtiers to play? And what happened when people, especially our queens, took everything too far?Kate and Cally are discussing how these odd, messy games of love contributed to the unique culture of the Tudor court...and the downfalls of two of our queens.SUBSCRIBE to Six Queens on Substack to get extra features for this episode, access to community discussions, and more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"Honourable Mentions" is a series that honours the lives of Tudor women who knew, aided, and impacted the lives of our six queens. To help us learn more about the lives of ladies-in-waiting at the Tudor court, Kate and Cally are doing a deep dive on one of the court's most notorious women: Jane Parker Boleyn, Viscountess Rochford. Lady-in-waiting to five of our six queens, Anne Boleyn's sister-in-law, and keeper of secrets...until it cost her her life.What do we actually know about Jane's life? How did royal service shape her life? Does she deserve her scandalous reputation? And how does historiography shape our perceptions of historical figures?SUBSCRIBE to Six Queens on Substack to get extra features for this episode, access to community discussions, and more!We apologize for technical issues with our audio on this episode! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kate and Cally are going on a who's-who tour of the Tudor court. For their final stop, they’re entering our queens’ inner circle and introducing you to the ladies-in-waiting.Who were these women and what did they do? What were the expectations for royal service? How was a queen responsible for the reputation of her household? And how did the dangers of the Tudor court force some women to choose between loyalty and their lives?SUBSCRIBE to Six Queens on Substack to get extra features for this episode, access to community discussions, and more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kate and Cally are going on a who's-who tour of the Tudor court. In this episode, they’re discussing all the people who, behind the scenes, did the work to make our queens’ lives possible: the household staff.How was a Tudor queen’s household organized? What was the social hierarchy like? Did the “everyday people” at court gain any political power or advantages? How do we know about their lives at all? And what examples of diversity, even in small amounts, can we see on display at court?SUBSCRIBE to Six Queens on Substack to get extra features for this episode, access to community discussions, and more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kate and Cally are going on a who's-who tour of the Tudor court. Next, they'll be discussing the fathers and siblings who rose to power with our queens, especially the Boleyn, Seymour, and Parr families.How did the elevation of an English queen benefit her family? Did the politics of her family influence her rise? How did the family members make names for themselves? And were our queens active participants in these political games, or were they just a vehicle for their families’ ambitions?SUBSCRIBE to Six Queens on Substack to get extra features for this episode, access to community discussions, and more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kate and Cally are going on a who's-who tour of the Tudor court. First, they'll be discussing the people who it all revolves around: the royal family.What was the royal hierarchy of court? What power struggles emerged within that hierarchy? How did a person's royal blood and lineage matter? And how did our queens enforce their own political power against those who could challenge their positions?SUBSCRIBE to Six Queens on Substack to get extra features for this episode, access to community discussions, and more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.