RedTop Media / Rebecca Larson
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Welcome to Tudors Dynasty & Beyond, the podcast where history comes alive through stories of royalty, rebellion, and resilience. Hosted by independent researcher Rebecca Larson, each episode dives into the Tudors and beyond—Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, Katherine of Aragon, forgotten queens, rebels, and adventurers. Enjoy Sunday storytelling (or interviews), engaging historian chats, and the popular Thursday series Dr. Emma & Me, with Dr. Emma Cahill Marron. Discover love, power, intrigue, and survival in early modern England and across Europe.
Based on 6 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Royal lives become studies in power, evidence, and survival through Rebecca Larson's curious, detail-minded conversations.
Rebecca Larson makes dynastic history legible through conversation, tracking how marriage, inheritance, titles, and royal favor shaped political lives.
An empress refuses 'countess,' and you get the politics behind that tiny word.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A humane reappraisal of Queen Anne's overlooked husband, his public role, and the grief he carried.
Prince George of Denmark gets an unusually sympathetic turn here, as Rebecca Larson and Dr. Linda Porter bring Queen Anne's husband out from behind the larger figures of the later Stuart world.
Maria of Modena enters an unfamiliar court, where family loyalty, rank, and marriage all become unsettled.
Maria of Modena's move from Modena to England gives the episode a clear emotional pull. Rebecca Larson and Breeze Barrington follow a young woman arriving with her mother Laura, her uncle Ronaldo, and much of the Modena court, only to discover that rank did not translate neatly…
A Tudor succession debate where marriage, council power, and a young claimant could alter England's future.
What if Henry VIII died in 1513? Tudor's Dynasty and Beyond treats the premise as a brisk succession problem, shaped by age, regency, marriage politics, and the rival claims surrounding Margaret, Queen of Scotland, and Mary.
Beth and Raleigh's marriage collides with Elizabeth I's court, where love carries unequal consequences.
Beth and Walter Raleigh's romance is framed as a court matter with real consequences, where love, pregnancy and marriage quickly become questions of punishment, usefulness and status.
A Tudor what-if sets Henry VIII's male-heir obsession against Elizabeth I's imagined 1588 command.
Henry VIII and Elizabeth I sit at the center of this Parallel Lives episode, with his longing for a male heir set against the imagined jolt of seeing his daughter command England in 1588.
A missing James V pushes Scottish succession into unfamiliar and politically awkward territory.
With James V removed from the line, Rebecca Larson and Amy McElroy frame Scottish succession as a tight dynastic problem. Their focus moves through the House of Hamilton, Mary, Countess of Arran, Alexander, Duke of Albany, and James IV's illegitimate line through James Stewart,…
A loose, curious Tudor what-if that turns royal change into overseas consequences.
Rebecca Larson and Amy McElroy keep this one loose and inquisitive. They start with listener reactions to the earlier Henry VIII-in-France question, then move into the poll and the next what-if without making the whole thing feel overworked.
A sharp Tudor succession puzzle that turns one illness into a court crisis.
This episode centers on a Tudor what-if: if Elizabeth had died while sick with smallpox, who could have claimed the crown, and how would the court have handled it? Rebecca Larson and Amy McElroy keep it grounded in the real pressure points. Catherine is in the Tower.
Phoebe Judge narrates true crime history and interviews the authors who uncovered it.
Dramatized deep dives into American history, from the Galveston hurricane to Harper Lee's Mockingbird.
Dana Schwartz narrates the violent lives of monarchs, warlords, and queens.
Tracy Wilson and Holly Frey narrate overlooked history, from Courbet's realism to IUD regulation.
Mike Duncan narrates Rome's full history solo, from Aeneas to Romulus Augustulus's exile in 476.
This segment discusses the surprising power, influence, and agency of Anglo-Saxon women, contrasting common media portrayals with historical realities.
Historian Michelle Schindler discusses her book on mental health in late medieval England, sparked by her research on the Beaumont family and the surprisingly kind treatment of a mentally ill relative.
The hosts introduce a continuation of their series on Medieval England, focusing on the sons of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, including Richard the Lionheart.
This segment introduces a discussion on medieval princesses, highlighting Sharon Bennett Connolly's research and upcoming books on the topic.
The hosts discuss listener reactions to a previous episode speculating on how Henry VII's remarriage and having more children might have affected Henry VIII's reign and succession concerns.
This segment discusses the transition from the conflict between Matilda and Stephen to Henry II's early life and strategic marriage, setting the stage for his rise as a medieval ruler.
The hosts introduce an episode focused on debunking common myths about the six wives of Henry VIII, emphasizing the importance of accurate historical understanding for newcomers to the Tudor period.
The hosts introduce a speculative historical topic about Henry VII's potential remarriage while discussing listener feedback from a previous episode on Tudor-era relationships.
This segment introduces Elizabeth Goff and her new book 'Bloody Brilliant Tudors', focusing on lesser-known stories of women in the Tudor dynasty.
The hosts introduce a 'what if' episode exploring the hypothetical scenario of Jane Grey remaining queen, based on listener feedback from previous episodes.
This podcast segment introduces a discussion on the historical what-if scenario of what would have happened if Elizabeth I had not executed Mary Queen of Scots, exploring its potential impact on history.
The hosts introduce a new segment called 'Parallel Tinders' that combines historical figures Mary I and Elizabeth I with a Tinder-style concept for the Tudors Dynasty podcast.
The hosts introduce a historical what-if scenario about Richard, Duke of York becoming king, following listener feedback on a previous episode about Mary Queen of Scots.
The host introduces a historical Tinder segment about Mary I and Reginald Pole, with a guest co-host and an announcement about a new Sunday podcast series.
This episode introduces the Normans by detailing Duke William's 1066 invasion of England, focusing on his flagship Mora and the preparations for the crossing.
The hosts discuss the topic of humanists in Tudor England, focusing on Erasmus as a central figure in education and history.
The hosts introduce their new series exploring historical what-ifs, focusing on how Anne Boleyn's life might have differed if she never married Henry VIII.
The host and guest discuss the Warren family, medieval Earls of Surrey, exploring their unique naming conventions and the guest's motivation for writing a book about them based on her local connection to South Yorkshire.
The hosts discuss an upcoming course on Catherine Aragon and how women influenced history from the Middle Ages, particularly in Castile.
This segment describes the bustling and unsanitary conditions of London in 1666, leading up to the outbreak of the Great Fire at a bakery on Pudding Lane.
The host and guest discuss the inspiration for focusing on Jane Boleyn and Susanna Horenbaut in a new book, particularly a Hans Holbein sketch in the Royal Collection labeled as Lady Parker.
The hosts introduce the podcast and share personal anecdotes about their beverage preferences before transitioning to the topic of Anna of Cleves and Katherine of Aragon.
This podcast segment introduces Sir Richard Rich as a notorious villain in Tudor history, focusing on his role in events like Anne Boleyn's downfall.
This segment is an introductory conversation between hosts discussing cold weather in Minnesota, with no substantive content on the titled topic of Philip IV of Spain and Diego Velázquez.
This episode segment introduces a discussion about Edward Seymour's wives, focusing on their scandals and myths, with guest Rebecca Batley and host Rebecca Larson.
The hosts introduce a speculative discussion on Thomas More's potential choice of exile over execution under Henry VIII, referencing listener comments from a previous episode about safety during his reign.
The hosts humorously discuss potential celebrity guests like Eminem and Cher for their podcast while introducing an episode about parallel lives of historical figures Christine de Pizan and Beatriz Galindo.
The host Rebecca Larson interviews Dr.
This podcast segment continues part two of debunking myths about Henry VIII's six wives, focusing on Anne of Cleves after covering the first three wives in the previous episode.
The hosts discuss listener feedback on a previous episode about Anne Boleyn, noting the consensus that becoming a duchess would have been her best alternative to being queen, and reflect on how hearing diverse opinions can change perspectives.
The hosts discuss which of Henry VIII's wives they would have served as a lady-in-waiting, with a focus on Anne Boleyn.
Rebecca Larson welcomes back Susan Abernathy to discuss her upcoming book 'The Formidable Women Who Shaped Medieval Europe', highlighting their mentorship and the shift from her previous work on Catherine of Braganza.
The hosts discuss historical what-if scenarios in Tudor history, focusing on the popular question of what would have happened if Arthur Tudor had not died.
This segment discusses King Edward I's reputation as a tyrant, exploring differing perspectives from Wales, Scotland, and England, and his military actions.
The hosts introduce an episode about three influential queens—Isabel I of Castile, Katherine of Aragon, and Mary I of England—and their historical legacy, but the transcript cuts off before substantive discussion begins.
Hosts Rebecca and Amy explore the historical 'what-if' scenario of Queen Elizabeth I dying from smallpox in 1562.
Host Rebecca Larson and historian Amy McElroy explore a major 'what if' of Tudor history: What if the Catholic Queen Mary I had borne a son with Philip of Spain?
Author Carol Rudder discusses her biography of Henry Wotton, the witty and often reckless Tudor diplomat who famously defined an ambassador as 'an honest man sent to lie abroad for the good of his country.' The conversation traces Wotton's journey from Oxford student and spy to his narrow escape after the fall of the Earl of Essex, and finally to his inventive, high-stakes tenure as England's ambassador to Venice.
Historian Dr.
Rebecca Larson and Amy McElroy examine what could follow if Margaret Tudor had no surviving children with James IV, who died at Flodden in 1513.
Host Rebecca Larson interviews Dr.
Historian Matt Lewis joins host Rebecca Larson to explore the life of Empress Matilda, the 12th-century daughter of Henry I who fought for two decades to claim the English throne.
Rebecca Larson and Amy McElroy frame Marriage Edition: Love & Lust (Off the Record) as a Tudor court scandal episode, not another what-if discussion.
Rebecca Larson opens Tudors Dynasty and Beyond with Breeze Barrington, author of The Graces: The Extraordinary Untold Lives of Women at the Restoration Court, and the cover art is tied to an embroidery Maria of Modena carried into exile.
Rebecca Larson and Dr.
["Rebecca Larson and Amy McElroy ask what changes if Henry VIII dies in France in 1513, after the Battle of the Spurs and before news can return to England.", "Catherine of Aragon is pregnant, acting as regent, and the hosts keep returning to whether a child, a queen, or no heir at all would matter most.", "The discussion moves through Margaret Tudor, Mary Tudor, Henry Courtenay, Edward Stafford, and the de la Pole line as possible successors.", "Foreign backing from Charles, Maximilian, and the Holy Roman Empire keeps shifting the outcome away from a simple Tudor succession."]
Guest historian Matt Lewis explores a wild conspiracy theory that connects Jane Guildford (mother of Robert Dudley) to the lost Princes in the Tower, suggesting hidden Yorkist heirs lived on in Tudor England under assumed identities like John Clement and Edward Guildford.
Historian Michelle Schindler joins host Rebecca Larson to discuss her book on royal childbirth in the Middle Ages, challenging common misconceptions about medieval pregnancy, gender preferences, and childbirth practices while revealing surprising historical details about noblewomen's experiences.
Dr.
This segment introduces a discussion on King John and the brilliant daughters of Henry II, contrasting them with his less capable sons.
Dr.