The Royal Diaries Unlocking History Royal Diaries Podcast

As we end the series, we share our book rankings, which girl is "most likely to", who are the worst parents, our bloopers/outtakes and our favourite learnings and takeaways from this project. Thank you to everyone who is part of the Royal Diaries Bookclub (aka fans of the pod), it's been wonderful to share in the joy of nostalgia and love of history with you all! Follow us for more research, fun facts, soundtracks and aesthetic posts. You can find us on Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr and Twitter.

It's our last official episode and we're talking about Catherine the Great. There are many ways to talk about Catherine (her romances, intrigues and how she’s depicted over time in media from political cartoons in her era to sexy #girlboss in campy historically inaccurate shows). But we’re talking about the things that she used to redefine “Russian-ness” - her foreign policy, internal administration, and the duality of being an "Enlightened Autocrat". What makes a person great and does great always mean good? Follow us for more research, fun facts, soundtracks and aesthetic posts. You can find us on Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr and Twitter.

In this episode, we are unpacking the history vs. legends regarding Anacaona and the Taíno people of the Caribbean. We get extra meta about how we make and understand history and share some pro-tips to becoming a  better amateur historian. We learn that so many words are actually Taíno in origin and that sometimes science catches up with facts people  knew all along (shocker, another Indigenous people group rumoured to be  'extinct' are very much still around!)  Also again we pay homage to the greatest example of bad audio editing. Follow us for more research, fun facts, soundtracks and aesthetic posts. You can find us on Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr and Twitter.

We are learning how history tends to repeat itself, especially for the royal women of Japan, namely, Kazunomiya AKA Chikako, Princess Kazu. We explore the history of Japan during the Edo period - arts, culture, food, and an interesting class structure while embarking on a side tangent into medical mysteries that could explain the collapse of the Tokugawa shogunate. Follow us for more research, fun facts, soundtracks and aesthetic posts. You can find us on Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr and Twitter.

Since Lady of Palenque aka Yax Ahau Xoc is woefully undocumented, we're learning about Maya society! We're also exploring what contemporary Maya people groups are doing to fight for their land and cultural expressions, while we confront the concept of Heritage Tourism. If the Ancient Aliens are real and you find yourself hurdled back through time and space, this is the episode you don't want to miss! Follow us for more research, fun facts, soundtracks and aesthetic posts. You can find us on Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr and Twitter. 

You're invited to meet our guest of honour, Weetamoo, at the worst Thanksgiving dinner party ever! Featuring some well-known names but not well-known personal histories.  Get your turkey and cranberry sauce and meet everyone around the dinner table and learn their contributions to the real history of the Wampanoag peoples and the Puritans. Follow us for more research, fun facts, soundtracks and aesthetic posts. You can find us on Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr and Twitter.