A pyrotechnic dragon roared flames into the river Thames during the coronation week of Elizabeth of York in 1487. These explosive displays were employed as a sign of might and majesty throughout the reign of Henry VIII, and Elizabeth I was the first English monarch to establish their own fire master. By the time of the Gunpowder Plot, fireworks were used not only to celebrate, but to commemorate and incite.

Professor Suzannah Lipscomb talks to John Withington about the remarkable development of pyrotechnics throughout the Tudor and Stuart eras.

Presented by Professor Susannah Lipscomb. The researcher is Alice Smith. Edited and produced by Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcast

Related episode:

The Gunpowder Plot - The Tudor Origins >

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In 1609, some 80 people were executed for witchcraft in France's Basque region. It inspired a final push to eradicate witches by the Spanish Inquisition across the border. One of the judges, Pierre de Lancre, published a sensationalist book which has been the source of every subsequent account. But newly discovered evidence paints a very different picture.

Professor Suzannah Lipscomb finds out more from Dr. Jan Machielsen whose book The Basque Witch Hunt: A Secret History shows that almost everything historians thought they knew about this brutal episode is inaccurate.

Listen to our previous episode with Jan Machielsen, An Early Modern Teenage Werewolf >

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

Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcast.

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In the 1640s, Black communities existed in London and in most of England's port cities, communities from which men would fight and die throughout the English Civil War. There's still little evidence of the lives of these individuals. So what do we know of the Black men who took up arms during the Civil War? On which side did they fight? Were they free or enslaved? And what can this participation tell us about how race was perceived in the early modern period?

Professor Suzannah Lipscomb finds out from Sophie Merrix, whose research is uncovering the lesser known racial diversity of the Civil War battlefields.

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

Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcast

If you found this episode interesting, then do check out these past episodes:

Black Tudors >

How Shakespeare Depicted Race >

Legacy of the Mary Rose >

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The oldest surviving part of Hampton Court Palace is a series of chambers and closets built in the 1520s for Henry VIII's chief advisor and Lord Chancellor, Cardinal Wolsey. They are now the setting for a wonderful exhibition bringing together artworks created during Henry VIII's reign alongside some evocative 16th century objects and brilliant interactive displays.

Professor Suzannah Lipscomb goes to Hampton Court to meet curator Brett Dolman and talk about the exhibition which takes visitors back into the Tudor world and the lives not just of the kings and queens, but of the ordinary people whose labour upheld the functioning and magnificence of the Tudor court.

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

Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcast.

Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original TV documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off your first 3 months using code ‘TUDORS’ https://historyhit.com/subscription

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In July 1588 the Spanish Armada set sail to conquer England. Three weeks later a fierce naval battle foiled the planned invasion. Many myths surround these events. The "genius" of Sir Francis Drake is exalted, while Spain’s efforts are belittled. But what really happened during that fateful encounter?

Professor Suzannah Lipscomb gets the fullest possible account from Professor Geoffrey Parker who co-wrote the definitive and authoritative history of the Spanish Armada in 1988. A new, much-expanded edition, titled Armada: The Spanish Enterprise and England's Deliverance in 1588, was published in 2023.

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

Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcast.

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Related episodes:

Francis Drake’s Discovery of West Coast America >

Walter Raleigh’s Quest for Eldorado >

Henry VIII loved the spectacle of a tournament to show off. In addition to jousting displays with François I of France, Henry and the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I gifted each other armour and jousted to broker alliances.

Not Just the Tudor's listener Karin Nieswohl from Vienna got in touch to request an episode on this fascinating subject. Professor Suzannah Lipscomb obliges in the company of Dr. Karen Watts, Curator Emeritus at the Royal Armouries, to look at the meaning behind the metal.

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

Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcast.

Related episodes:

Henry VIII and Jousting >

Henry VIII’s Billionaire Wardrobe >

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How did Oliver Cromwell navigate the many forces ranged against him and rise to the pinnacle of his power? From the execution of Charles I, through the establishment of the Commonwealth, to savage campaigns in Ireland and Scotland, was Cromwell nothing more than a ruthless and brutal dictator?

In this episode of Not Just the Tudors, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined once again by Professor Ronald Hutton, whose new groundbreaking account Oliver Cromwell: Commander in Chief reveals a different kind of Cromwell.

Listen again to Professor Ronald Hutton in our episode, The Making of Oliver Cromwell >

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

Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcast

Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original TV documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off your first 3 months using code ‘TUDORS’

You can take part in our listener survey here >

A trusted advisor to Queen Elizabeth I, Dr. John Dee was an astronomer, mathematician, astrologer, and navigator with ties to the occult.

But what role did astrology or the occult have alongside Christianity in the Elizabethan court?

Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr. Benjamin Woolley to discuss this fascinating figure and find out how much of an impact Dee had on the reign of Elizabeth I.

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

Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcast.

Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original TV documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off your first 3 months using code ‘TUDORS’ https://historyhit.com/subscription

You can take part in our listener survey here > https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/6FFT7MK