Rex Factor

It's the first Hanoverian consort proper this week with Caroline of Ansbach, queen consort to George II. She's not so famous now, but Caroline was a highly influential consort, loved and respected by her husband and enjoying great influence through an alliance with Robert Walpole (the country's first Prime Minister). However, she also had to manage the usual Hanoverian family conflicts, with each generation hating each other, as well as her own husband's foibles and mistresses. So will Caroline emerge from the shadows and back into the Rexy spotlight? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sophia Dorothea of Celle was the wife of King George I but she was not, technically, a consort. We'll explain why this was the case, taking in dynastic politics, an unhappy marriage, a passionate romance, high drama and a new heroic character mostly invented by Ali. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A little bonus to finish 2023, we've dipped into the archives and pulled out this recording of a live show we did at the We Have Ways of Making You Talk Festival in July 2022. We Have Ways of Making You Talk is a Second World War podcast, so we were talking about the royals during the war, specifically focusing on the former king (Edward VIII) and the actual king (George VI), looking at their different experiences of the war and some of their relationship during it. The episode was not recorded through the sound desk, so the sound quality isn't up to our usual standards, but a big thanks to Mike Hammock who has helped to boost the audio quality. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Before we get started on the Hanoverian consorts, we read through various listener correspondence as well as sharing previews of our bonus content, including our new special episode on Edgar the Ætheling. You can sign up to join the Privy Council and gain access to all our bonus content here: https://www.patreon.com/rexfactor And you can purchase the Edgar the Ætheling special episode (as well as all our other specials) here: https://payhip.com/RexFactorPodcast  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We speak to Dr Ellie Woodacre again, this time about male consorts. Our last mini series had two male consorts (Philip II and Prince George of Denmark) as well as covering the time period of Elizabeth I (with no consort) and William and Mary. We speak to Ellie about where England's experience fits in with other European countries - did England come to queens regnant late? What kind of roles, powers and titles did male consorts have in other countries? You can follow Ellie on X/Twitter (@monarchyconf) or check out her podcast Royal Studies Podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We speak to Dr Emma Southon for the second time on the podcast, this time discussing her new book A History of the Roman Empire in 21 Women (or A Rome of One's Own in the US), a fascinating look at women from Roman history that (mostly) people don't tend to have heard of, but who give us a fascinating alternative look at the history of Ancient Rome and the varying experience of women in that history. For more on Emma, check out her website https://www.emmasouthon.com and her podcast History is Sexy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We speak to the author and historian Lead Redmond about her book 'Three Renaissance Women and the Price of Power', which looks at the lives of Catherine de' Medici (Queen Consort and Mother of France), Elisabeth de Valois (Queen Consort of Spain) and Mary Queen of Scots (Queen Regnant of Scotland and Consort of France). For a time, they all lived under one roof, but even when their paths diverged, they continue to be closely connected and were key figures in the web of European diplomacy in the second half of the sixteenth century. You can follow Leah on Instagram (@leahredmondchang) or find out more at her website: https://www.leahredmondchang.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Having finished our mini-series on the Stuart consorts (plus a couple of others), we go through some of your messages, responding to corrections, points of debate and whatever else comes up. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's the last of the Stuart consorts this time with the consort of Queen Anne, Prince George of Denmark. Often maligned by contemporaries, George nevertheless had a significant role as the first male consort not to be king. Derided by many but loved by Anne, George was a player in the tumultuous events of the late seventeenth century and a bit of a trailblazer for unambitious chaps, but is that enough for the Rex Factor? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mary of Modena is not one of the more famous names for English consorts but subject to one of the most notorious incidents as mother to the so-called 'bedpan baby'. We look at the truth of this as well as Mary's life, second wife to the man who would become James II, at the eye of the storm for the Glorious Revolution of 1688 and then the life of the Jacobite Matriarch in French exile. Will the real Mary warrant her notoriety and does she have enough about her to claim the Rex Factor? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Catherine of Braganza has often been overshadowed by Charles II's numerous mistresses, but she has an interesting story in her own right. She faced a difficult start in England, finding her own space in a court where the mistresses were publicly honoured, as well as being a Catholic queen for a decidedly not Catholic country. She would need to find a way to adapt to the more relaxed Restoration court, assert her own place in Charles's reign and leave a lasting legacy behind. Will she succeed? And will it be enough for the Rex Factor? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Elizabeth Cromwell was the wife to one of the most (in)famous figures in British history, but Oliver Cromwell's wife is something of a forgotten figure. Though the evidence for her life is limited, we track her from Essex and East Anglia to the dizzy heights of Lady Protector, seeing the Civil War and Protectorate from a different perspective. Elizabeth had to transition from managing a large but modest Puritan household to the pseudo-queen of the country, but would she be able to make the transition? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Henrietta Maria of France was the highly controversial queen of Charles I. An avowed Catholic in an increasingly Puritanical country, her efforts to promote her religion were one of the factors that led to the Civil War. A forceful character, Henrietta played her part in the war (despite being a target for Parliamentarians), but would she be able to survive? And can such an unpopular queen be in the running for the Rex Factor? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We start the Stuarts proper with Anne of Denmark, consort to James I, though originally to James VI of Scotland. Anne had quite a difficult time getting to Scotland, then found herself caught up in various controversies when she did get there, clashing with the church, nobles and James himself. When she became Queen of England, there were controversies over her religion and more person disputes, but also significant cultural patronage. But how will it all balance out? Will Anne enjoy renown for her legacy or push things too far? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Elizabeth I famously never married, but there were various suitors for her hand who came close to becoming Elizabeth's consort. We spoke to Professor Susan Doran about Elizabeth I and the marriage question, with a particular question on her relationship with Robert Dudley, the Hapsburgs and the French candidates and consider why she never married, if she ever wanted to and how close she came. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's our first chap of the consort series in the form of Philip II of Spain. A powerful king in his own right, and notorious in England as the man who launched the Spanish Armada against Elizabeth I, it's often forgotten that he was actually King of England through his marriage to Mary I. We learn about Philip's upbringing, how he came to marry Mary, what sort of powers he did or didn't have as King (consort) of England, and the impact he had on English history before the Armada. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As a lovely finale to our mini-series on the Six Wives of Henry VIII, we share our live podcast recorded at the Ludlow Assembly Rooms on Saturday 17 June 2023 in which we review all six of Henry VIII's wives in one go, compare them factor by factor and then get the audience to vote for who they think was the greatest of them all. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Before we get started on the Stuart consorts, we read through various listener correspondence as well as sharing previews of our bonus content, including our new special episode (also out today) on Catherine De' Medici. You can sign up to join the Privy Council and gain access to all our bonus content here: https://www.patreon.com/rexfactor And you can purchase the Catherine De' Medici special episode (as well as all our other specials) here: https://payhip.com/RexFactorPodcast If you want to watch us live, we are performing at the Ludlow Fringe on Saturday 17 June 2023 at 19:00 reviewing the Six Wives of Henry VIII in one show: https://ludlowassemblyrooms.co.uk/event/rex-factor-which-was-henry-viiis-best-wife Not Just the Tudors podcast: https://access.historyhit.com/not-just-the-tudors The Partial Historians podcast: https://partialhistorians.com Tudoriferous podcast: https://tudoriferous.podbean.com The Alexander Standard podcast: https://alexanderstandardpod.podbean.com For the album featuring compositi

This week, we chat with Dr Fiona Radford and Dr Peta Greenfield (AKA Dr Rad and Dr G, the Partial Historians) about their new book Rex: The Seven Kings of Rome. Much to Ali's surprise, before the Emperors and before the Republic, ancient Rome was ruled by kings. From Romulus and the founding of Rome to Tarquinius Superbus and the fall of the kings, we learn about the kings and the early history of Rome, then decide how well the kings would fare under the Rex Factor criteria. Find out more about the Partial Historians and their podcast at their website: https://partialhistorians.com order their book https://highlands-press.com/product/rex or follow them on social media: Twitter - @p_historians Instagram - @partialhistorians PG Warning - as this is the Romans, there's some adult content (sex, murder, etc.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Just a quick message to say that we are going to be doing a live show at the Ludlow Fringe on Saturday 17 June at 19:00 (BST), where we will be looking at all of the Six Wives of Henry VIII and asking the audience to vote for who they think was the best. We'd love to see some Rex fans in the audience, so if you're able to make it then you can book tickets at the address below: https://ludlowassemblyrooms.co.uk/event/rex-factor-which-was-henry-viiis-best-wife/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices