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.
2021 special – interview with Dr Valerie Schutte – Past Matters
In this bonus special episode, host Ploy Radford talks to Tudor queenship expert Dr Valerie Schutte about that most underrated of Henry VIII's wives – Anne of Cleves and a book of hours she gifted Henry VIII in 1533 (now in the Folger Shakespeare Library). Listen in to hear more about how Anne actually had a quite powerful status in England post divorce, her relationship with Henry and his children, and about monk who really wanted Henry to take her back.
