The Tudor Chest - The Podcast The Tudor Chest Podcast

Jacquetta of Luxembourg, known more commonly as Jacquetta Woodville was a prominent, though often overlooked, figure in the Wars of the Roses as the mother of the first Yorkist queen, Elizabeth Woodville. Jacquetta’s story is fascinating in its own right, and she would become a central player in the period we now call the wars of the roses. Soon however, Jacquetta would be fighting for her life, when accusations of witchcraft were levied against her by those who wished to oust her from a position of influence, but how did it come to this in the first place? What was Jacquetta’s early life like, and why is her story one all but overlooked by history?

Perhaps the most significant and infamous period from Anne Boleyn’s life is of course her execution. When people think Anne Boleyn, they invariably go straight to the fact that she had her head cut off on her husbands orders. As such, it is natural that Anne’s execution is a staple part of any on screen depiction of the queen. Be it in film or television, Anne Boleyn's final moments on the scaffold have been portrayed many times, but do any of these depictions actually show the execution in an accurate light? Do any get it completely right, and which are way off the mark? As we are in May and just days after the anniversary of Anne’s execution, in this weeks episode of the Tudor Chest podcast, I will look at the many depictions of the most famous moment from Anne Boleyn's life, and ascertain whether any actually portray it as it happened on the faithful day, the 19th May 1536.

On the 19th May 1536 what should have been the unthinkable took place. A queen of England was executed, on the orders of a man who had once been obsessed with her, her own husband. The women was Anne Boleyn and her husband was, of course, King Henry VIII. In my last main episode I discussed Anne Boleyn’s trial, and in the last subscriber episode I discussed her arrest, and so today, I will discuss the final concluding chapter in the horrors of May 1536, when the Queen of England was beheaded.

On the 15th May 1536, Queen Anne Boleyn stood before a crowd of 2,000 spectators at the Tower of London, on trial for her life. Accused of adultery with five men, including her own brother, and plotting the death of the king, the charges could hardly have been more grave. To discuss what happened on this remarkable day in history, I am pleased to welcome historian, author and all round Anne Boleyn expert, Claire Ridgway onto the show. She joins me today to unpick what must surely be the most explosive court case ever held at the Tower of London, a case which would end with the queen of England suffering the ultimate punishment.

On the 2nd of May 1536 Anne Boleyn, queen of England, was summoned to present herself before her husbands small council at Greenwich Palace. Presenting herself, the queen was told that she was arrested on charges of adultery and high treason and was to accompany the men by barge along the river Thames to the tower of London. Anne’s downfall, and those loyal to her, was shockingly fast and carried out with staggeringly swift efficiency. Despite her shock, Anne agreed to join the men, not knowing that within two weeks, she would be dead.

Alex Walsh is the author behind the hit historical fiction book series, the Marquess House Saga. In Alex’s books, she has built what I consider to be the historians dream, with a compelling and fascinating story in which a pair of sisters find their lives overturned and directly tied to significant periods of history. Consisting of dual timelines, Alex’s series has reimagined the stories of some of histories most infamous women, telling alternative tales of the lives of Catherine Howard, Elizabeth I, Arbella Stuart and Jane Seymour, all of which, whilst fictitious, are plausible and so rich in detail that you can’t help but think, I wish this was all true! She joins me today for a fascinating discussion about her work, her inspiration, how she came up with the series and much much more!