March is Women’s History Month, and seeing as how I am a woman, I have managed to put together a pretty good collection of episodes on women (go figure). I remember when I was a kid, fascinated by history, it always seemed like we only ever talked about the men. My first job in high school was as a student docent at the home of General Edward Hand, Washington’s Adjutant General, in Lancaster, PA. The whole damn tour we only ever really talked about him. I wanted to know more about his wife, what life was like for her while her husband was fighting. I wanted to know about how she planned the banquets and dinners they had. I wanted to know about how she managed the household. What were her thoughts about rebelling against England? Nada. We got nada on her. As a 16 year old budding feminist I found this very frustrating.

Of course if you’re going to talk about the major events in history as a series of battles and political maneuverings it makes sense to talk about the men, as until recently they were the only ones in that sphere. But there was so much more to everyday life, and it was in that world that women excelled. Managing the estates while the men were away at Parliament. Making sure the home ran smoothly. Knowing and understanding healing balms and herbs. Birthing babies. Taking care of children. Basically, everything you needed to make life run outside of the government and court. Which is a pretty big sphere of influence. It’s just not the dramatic bombastic world that we teach kids in school. It’s a quieter, more nuanced world of simply getting on with things.

I contend, of course, that it’s every bit as valuable as the world of Parliamentary bills, foreign policy, building a navy, making wars, etc. This was the world where life actually happened for most people. And it’s a world where women played a much bigger part.

So here’s a quick list of all the women-centric episodes I’ve done so far in the podcast. Enjoy!

Sarah Gristwood at the 2017 Tudor Summit talking about Queenship in the 16th century

Tudor Times on Mary Queen of Scots



Tudor Times on Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury





Alison Weir on Anne Boleyn



Tudor Times on Elizabeth of York



Chat episode with James Boulton on Catherine of Aragon



Cosmetics and Make Up (aka: Getting Girly as a Tudor)



Tudor Times on Bess of Hardwick



Interview with Linda Porter



Anne of Cleves



Interview with Sarah Gristwood



Tudor Times on Anne of Denmark



James Boulton (Queens of England Podcast) on Bessie Blount



Tudor Times on Margaret Tudor



Tudor Times on Honor Grenville



Tudor Times on Catherine of Aragon



Alison Weir interview



Tudor Times on Margaret Beaufort



Witches and Witchcraft



Bess of Hardwick



Suzi Digby, OBE on Elizabethan choral music



Mary Queen of Scots



Pregnancy and Childbirth



Mary Tudor



Elizabeth Woodville



Margaret Beaufort



Lady Jane Grey



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