In 1518 one woman's mysterious dance sparked an uncontrollable epidemic, leading up to 400 people to dance wildly for weeks.

Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr. Lynneth J. Miller Renberg to explore the bizarre Dancing Plague, discussing the theories of demonic possession, divine punishment, and social protest, finding out how the city struggled to contain this strange phenomenon. The medical missteps, and cultural tensions fueled one of history's most puzzling outbreaks.

MORE

How to Survive the Plague

https://open.spotify.com/episode/01e8GRcHkZuHjmUTvlIwRx

Presented by Professor Suzannah Lipscomb. The researcher is Alice Smith, audio editor is Amy Haddow and the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

Theme music from All3Media. Other music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds.

Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcast.

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

You can take part in our listener survey here:

https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on

**This episode contains some descriptions of torture and executions**

If you lived in Scotland in the 1500s, it was highly likely that you, or someone you knew, would be tried as a witch. Witch hunts and executions ripped through the country for over 150 years, with at least 4,000 accused, including men. Professor Suzannah Lipscomb explores this dark chapter in Scottish history with campaigners Claire Mitchell and Zoe Venditozzi, founders of the Witches of Scotland. Together they discuss the societal and legal conditions that allowed for accusations and executions, culminating in a formal apology in 2022 from then First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

Presented by Professor Suzannah Lipscomb. The researcher is Alice Smith, audio editor is Amy Haddow and the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

Theme music from All3Media. Other music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds.

Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcast.

More:

Witchfinder General

https://open.spotify.com/episode/6b1kxIw1rs903xC8CpAFvL

The Witch

https://open.spotify.com/episode/0vMBNuE1iTCcHluxo0a5r2

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

You can take part in our listener survey here:

https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on

Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr. Daniel Swift to delve into the formative years of William Shakespeare's career. They explore the vital role of London's first playhouse and the tumultuous world of late 16th-century theatre, discussing how James Burbage's ambitious vision and his son Richard's unparalleled acting talent profoundly influenced Shakespeare's work. The economic realities and social dynamics of Elizabethan England unveiled the collaborative and pragmatic spirit that helped shape one of history's greatest playwrights.

MORE

Shakespeare's Players: Burbage and Kempe:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/3vhb375ekX0eLm482VtG24

How the Elizabethan World Shaped Shakespeare:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/5ewBpG0vQDIRnRnD7A3N1R

Presented by Professor Suzannah Lipscomb. The researcher is Alice Smith, audio editor is Amy Haddow and the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds.

Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcast.

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

You can take part in our listener survey here:

https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on

Before she became Queen Elizabeth I, Elizabeth Tudor was surrounded by scandal, suspicion and deadly intrigue. Born to Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII, Elizabeth was a princess by birth—until her mother was executed and her title revoked. Declared illegitimate, orphaned and caught in a storm of politics, Elizabeth faced threats from all sides. How did a child written off by the court become one of England's most iconic monarchs?

Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr. Nicola Tallis, author of Young Elizabeth: The Making of the Virgin Queen, to trace Elizabeth’s incredible transformation—from disgraced daughter to Queen of England.

Presented by Professor Suzannah Lipscomb. The researcher is Alice Smith, audio editor is Amy Haddow and the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

Theme music from All3Media. Other music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds.

Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcast.

MORE:

Robert Dudley: Elizabeth I's Forbidden Love

https://open.spotify.com/episode/7euJuGjfQjTjvfdsv54r8L

Did Thomas Seymour Groom Elizabeth Tudor?

https://open.spotify.com/episode/0N2YtLP39Sacyyn66q3mlJ

Watch Nicola Tallis's TV series, Young Elizabeth, plus hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

You can take part in our listener survey here: https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on

**This episode includes graphic descriptions of torture**

When Franciscan friar Diego de Landa arrived in Yucatán (now in Mexico), his fascination with Maya culture soon twisted into fanaticism. Accusing the Maya of idolatry, Landa unleashed a brutal inquisition, burning thousands of sacred texts and artifacts, erasing centuries of knowledge in a single day. Yet, in a twist of fate, his own writings would later become the key to understanding the very civilization he tried to erase.

In the last episode in our mini-series debunking the myths about the Conquest of the Americas, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr. Amy Fuller to explores one of history’s most chilling acts of cultural destruction: the 1562 auto de fé at Maní.

Presented by Professor Susannah Lipscomb. The researcher is Alice Smith, audio editor is Amy Haddow and the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcast

More:

The Caribbean, Colonisers & Christianity

https://podfollow.com/not-just-the-tudors/episode/150d1b9440a02490952f67e288af9aa82e47a1ae/view

Sor Juana: Poet, Nun, Martyr

https://podfollow.com/not-just-the-tudors/episode/7791622671e6ccc647ea1d28adc3c61dfee814dc/view

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

You can take part in our listener survey here:

https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on

Elizabeth I's excommunication by the Pope in 1570 marked the beginning of an extraordinary - and little-known - English alignment with Muslim powers that were fighting Catholic Spain in the Mediterranean. This engagement with, and awareness of, Islam found its way into scores of plays, including Shakespeare's Othello.

In this episode of Not Just the Tudors, first released in September 2021, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb talks to Professor Jerry Brotton about England's fascinating relations with the Muslim world, which were far more extensive, and often more amicable, than we might think.

Presented by Professor Suzannah Lipscomb. Edited and produced by Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds.

Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcast.

Watch Mike Loades embark on a hands-on exploration into the amazing history of dogs in his new History Hit documentary, Dogs of the Tudors. Sign up to History Hit for that and hundreds more hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at: https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

You can take part in our listener survey here: https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on

For centuries, Sir Francis Drake has been celebrated as a national hero - the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe. But behind the Drake legend, was there a darker reality of violence and exploitation? Were his attacks on Spanish galleons and settlements acts of imperial bravery - or state-sanctioned piracy? What happened to the enslaved people Drake transported? And how did he justify the execution of his own shipmate?

Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr. Richard Blakemore to take a fresh look at Drake’s voyages and uncover the brutal truths often left out of the history books.

Presented by Professor Suzannah Lipscomb. Edited by Amy Haddow and produced by Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds.

Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcast.

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

You can take part in our listener survey here:

https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on

What was life like for man's best friend in the court of Henry VIII? Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is led by the pawprints of history by Mike Loades through the fascinating, fur-filled world of Tudor dogs. From royal decrees banning all but a few pampered spaniels at Hampton Court to velvet-clad hunting hounds and Anne Boleyn's heart-wrenching loss of her lapdog Pourquoi, they uncover the surprising roles dogs played in Tudor society. Whether guarding, hunting or simply being adored, they reveal a lot about the hierarchy, politics and humanity of the time.

Presented by Professor Suzannah Lipscomb. The researcher is Alice Smith, audio editor is Amy Haddow and the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds.

Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcast.

Watch Mike Loades embark on a hands-on exploration into the amazing history of dogs in his new History Hit documentary, Dogs of the Tudors. Sign up to History Hit for that and hundreds more hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

You can take part in our listener survey here:

https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on