Past Matters 2021 special episode – interview with Dr Ellie Woodacre

In one of three special episodes, I talk to royal studies specialist Dr Ellie Woodacre about a collection of books that belonged to Joan of Navarre, wife of Henry IV and stepmother to Henry V, of Battle of Agincourt fame. The books provide a fantastic starting part for a wider discussion about this little known English queen who left her children from her first marriage to move to England, had French royal blood, and was imprisoned by her stepson for witchcraft. 

Easter 2023 special – Cleopatra Selene Past Matters

For this second Easter 2023 special episode, host Ploy Radford interviews Dr Jane Draycott on the life and times of Cleopatra Selene, daughter of the famous Cleopatra VII of Egypt and Roman general Mark Antony. While Cleopatra Selene has slipped under the radar in history compared to her mother, she led an eventful life that saw her move from Egyptian princess, to Roman captive, to African queen.
  1. Easter 2023 special – Cleopatra Selene
  2. Easter 2023 special – Equestrian artist Lucy Kemp-Welch
  3. New Year special – Sophia Dorothea, the British queen who never was
  4. Animal bones – Fishbourne Roman Palace
  5. Circles of Stone exhibition – Stonehenge
A page from the copy of Durand de Champagne’s Miroir des Dames which was originally dedicated to Joan’s great-great grandmother and namesake Juana I of Navarre. The illustration shows Juana I receiving the book from her confessor. Copyright: Bibliotehque nationale de France
“Tomb of King Henry IV and Queen Consort Joan of Navarre” by sarflondondunc is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0The tomb of Henry IV and Joan of Navarre at Canterbury Cathedral.

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