Wicked Women: The Podcast

Grace Beattie
  • 4.4 (26)
  • History
  • Updated Monthly

They were adulterers, murderers, mistresses, religious zealots, thieves, and traitors. They were queens, wives, mothers, young, and old. What binds the women together in this podcast is their legacies. These are women who were known during their lifetimes or reinvented after their deaths as wicked women. The lenses of history are often gendered, damning women for some of the same actions that men have been lauded for. The nuances surrounding the women in this podcast were removed in exchange for a one-sided portrayal. Within Wicked Women: The Podcast, I do not attempt to excuse or condone the wrongs committed by these women, instead, the podcast looks at their overarching story and examines the origin of their negative legacy. Alongside a brief biographical overview of the woman, I will be incorporating interviews I have held with experts on the subject to provide multiple and diverse perspectives. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. 3d ago

    The Life and Legacy of Anne Stanhope

    Anne Stanhope is a figure in Tudor history who is often either vilified or forgotten. She was the sister-in-law of Henry VIII’s third queen, Jane Seymour, and her husband would become king in all but name during the reign of their nephew, Edward VI. Yet Anne is perhaps best remembered for her supposed feud with her sister-in-law, Katherine Parr, who referred to Anne as “that hell.” But the image of two women feuding over precedence and jewels fails to capture the remarkable life of one of the Tudor court’s rare survivors. In today’s episode, I’m joined by historian Rebecca Batley, author of The Lord Protector and His Wives: Catherine Filliol, Anne Stanhope and Edward Seymour. We discuss Anne’s life, her incredible survival in a dangerous royal world, and the long-standing tendency to pit powerful women against one another. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    49 min

  2. May 4

    The Surgeon, The Midwife, The Quack

    Today, when we think about medicine in the past, we often imagine something primitive, even dangerous—a world of leeches, superstition, and doctors who didn’t quite know what they were doing. But that version of history leaves out a much bigger story. Long before modern medicine as we know it, women were not just caring for the sick in their homes; they were treating illnesses, delivering babies, experimenting with remedies, and in many cases, providing the majority of medical care in their communities. While some women built reputations as trusted healers, others became something far more controversial—entangled in stories of poison, power, and the fear of what that knowledge could be used for. So today, we’re looking at the real role women played in early modern medicine; how they learned, how they practiced, and why so much of their work has been overlooked. To help us unpack this world, I’m joined by historian Alanna Skuse, author of The Surgeon, The Midwife, The Quack: How to Stay Alive in Renaissance England, whose research reveals just how central (and complex) women’s roles in medicine really were. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    52 min

  3. Mar 8

    The Death of Anne Boleyn

    For centuries, Anne has been cast in so many roles: temptress, reformer, political schemer, Protestant martyr. But what if her story looks very different when we place it not just in the court of Henry VIII, but in the wider legal, political, and religious world of sixteenth-century Europe? In this episode, I’m joined by Heather Darsie, whose new book takes a fascinating and fresh approach to Anne Boleyn’s rise and fall. Drawing in part on her perspective as a lawyer, Heather explores how Anne’s upbringing in the Low Countries and France, her connections to religious reform, and the legal structures developing under Henry VIII all help us better understand why Anne became so dangerous and why her end unfolded the way it did. We talk about Anne’s continental influences, the difference between Henry’s break with Rome and Anne’s own religious interests, the legal precedents that made her execution possible, and why her death may have been about far more than adultery. This episode reminds us Anne Boleyn was not simply a symbol or a scandal, but a real woman caught in forces far larger than herself. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    51 min

  4. Feb 2

    The World of Tudor Midwives

    In this episode, we’re stepping into the birthing chambers, parish homes, and crowded streets of Tudor England to meet a group of women who were absolutely essential to their communities and yet often left out of the historical record: midwives. For centuries, birth was women’s work; overseen, supported, and guided by other women. And at the center of that world stood the midwife. She was healer, witness, community authority. She carried knowledge passed down not through universities or textbooks, but through experience, memory, and trust. And yet, like so many women whose power existed outside formal institutions, midwives have often been misunderstood, minimized, or erased. Today, I’m joined by Brigitte Barnard, an author, historian, and midwife whose work brings these women back into focus. Brigitte is the author of a Tudor-era historical novel series that imagines the lives of women navigating birth, belief, and survival in Tudor England. Brigitte also shares details about her upcoming non-fiction work, which takes us even deeper into the historical realities of childbirth. Separating myth from evidence and restoring midwives to their rightful place in the story. In our conversation, we talk about what it actually meant to be a midwife in Tudor England: the authority these women held, the dangers they faced, and why childbirth was never just a dangerous or private moment. Birth was communal. It was political. And it was deeply entangled with questions of power and control over women’s bodies. Disclaimer: Topics covered in this episode may not be suitable for all audiences. Listener discretion is advised. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    47 min

  5. Jan 5

    Eva Perón

    The 1978 musical Evita introduced Eva Perón to a global audience, turning her life into a dramatic narrative of ambition, devotion, and power. Songs like “ Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” helped cement an image of Eva as a near-mythic figure: a woman who rose from obscurity to become the emotional heart of a nation.  Behind the music was María Eva Duarte, born into poverty to a single mother, who navigated class barriers, gender expectations, and political opportunism to reach the very center of Argentine public life. As First Lady alongside Juan Perón, Eva became both a symbol and an actor in Argentina’s populist experiment. She championed labor rights, built a powerful foundation for social welfare, and played a central role in winning women the right to vote. At the same time, her influence was inseparable from a regime that curtailed press freedom and concentrated power.  To supporters, she was a voice for the poor who felt seen by the state for the first time. To critics, she was a political enforcer of tyranny wrapped in glamour. In today’s episode, I am joined by Victoria Haddock, a fashion historian whose book The Life of Eva Perón looks into the influence Eva Perón had on fashion, politics, and daily life. In our interview, we delve into the image that Eva created for herself and the legacy we continue to see around the world today.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    43 min

  6. 11/10/2025

    Cecily Neville

    She was called proud. Ambitious. Dangerous. Born a duchess, widowed by war, and mother to two rival kings, Cecily Neville moved through England’s most treacherous century with the calm precision of a strategist. While men fought for thrones, she fought for legacy. Some saw her as the cold matriarch who helped ignite the Wars of the Roses, a woman willing to brand her own grandsons illegitimate to protect her favorite son’s claim. Others saw a survivor. Pious, dignified, and unbroken, even as her family destroyed itself in pursuit of power. Was she a mother or a monarch in disguise? The line between the two has never been clear. Today, I’m speaking with Annie Garthwaite, author of The King’s Mother, a powerful new novel (and second in her series) that reimagines Cecily’s later years. Years often dismissed or forgotten by history. We talk about how Cecily navigated the dangerous politics of York and Lancaster, how her reputation was shaped by those who feared women’s influence, and what it means to reclaim a voice history tried to silence. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    55 min

  7. 10/07/2025

    Women Who Ruled the World

    What do Elizabeth I of England, Maria Theresa of Austria, Tamar of Georgia, Liliʻuokalani of Hawaii, and the Nawab Begums of Bhopal have in common? Seemingly very little. They are divided by time, language, religion, culture, and family circumstances. But what binds them together is that all reigned as queens in their own right. Women who claimed power in a world that rarely allowed it. In her latest book, Women Who Ruled the World, historian Dr. Elizabeth Norton takes us across 5,000 years of history to uncover the extraordinary stories of female monarchs. From Merneith, who ruled Egypt nearly five millennia ago, to Elizabeth II, who became the world’s longest-ruling woman, Dr. Elizabeth Norton shows how rare and remarkable it was for a woman to seize the throne and what it meant when she did. These queens were warriors, diplomats, and visionaries, often standing as the only woman in the room, defying expectations and reshaping history.  Today, Elizabeth joins me to discuss how these women not only ruled their nations, but challenged the very idea of power itself. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    52 min

  8. 09/06/2025

    Victoria Woodhull

    A suffragist, a spiritualist, a stockbroker, an author, and in 1872, the first woman to run for president of the United States, Victoria Woodhull was a visionary who defied expectations.  But her legacy is complicated. Her advocacy of “free love” and willingness to challenge Victorian norms made her infamous in her own time. Her clashes with leading suffragists and her scandalous run ins with the law left her branded as dangerous, even immoral. For decades afterward, she was written out of mainstream histories, remembered more for controversy than for courage. Now, Eden Collinsworth’s new book, The Improbable Victoria Woodhull, offers a fresh take. In today’s episode, we’ll explore Woodhull’s story and how this new biography helps us see her not just as a heroine or a villain, but as a woman whose choices and contradictions still have something to teach us today. Content Warning: The topics covered in this episode may not be suitable for all audience. Listener discretion is advised. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    59 min
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About

They were adulterers, murderers, mistresses, religious zealots, thieves, and traitors. They were queens, wives, mothers, young, and old. What binds the women together in this podcast is their legacies. These are women who were known during their lifetimes or reinvented after their deaths as wicked women. The lenses of history are often gendered, damning women for some of the same actions that men have been lauded for. The nuances surrounding the women in this podcast were removed in exchange for a one-sided portrayal. Within Wicked Women: The Podcast, I do not attempt to excuse or condone the wrongs committed by these women, instead, the podcast looks at their overarching story and examines the origin of their negative legacy. Alongside a brief biographical overview of the woman, I will be incorporating interviews I have held with experts on the subject to provide multiple and diverse perspectives. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Information

  • Creator
    Grace Beattie
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    57
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2022 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Wicked Women: The Podcast

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