Episódios

  • It's a Halloween special! While the French Revolution turned into The Terror, people still had to keep working their regular jobs, including today's heroine: Madame Tussaud. And along with her mentor, she managed to turn the Terror into big business for her wax museum, such that many people still know her name today!
    Joining us is Gavin Whitehead, host of the Art of Crime podcast. Learn more about his show (including his Madame Tussaud series) at artofcrimepodcast.com

    As mentioned in the extro, Leah Redmond Chang's Substack about pregnancy death.

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  • Bonus! I'm hard at work right now writing my book Rebel of the Regency, a biography of Caroline of Brunswick (coming in 2026 published by Hanover Square Press!). I want to share part of the journée with you all, which is why I'm posting short podcast updates about it on my Patreon.
    This is a preview of one of the episodes, in which friend-of-the-podcast Allison Epstein joins me while I yell about how many Napoleon Bonaparte relatives show up in the Caroline saga.
    Subscribe to hear more of these bonus episodes by joining my Patreon (for free) at patreon.com/annfosterwriter
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  • In this instalment of How Do You Solve A Problem Like Marie Antoinette, we wrap up the saga of a man who Marie Antointte truly hated, the Marquis de Lafayette. And joining us to share the legendary life of this dirtbag (complimentary) is friend of the podcast Allison Epstein!
    As mentioned in the episode, here is more info on the French revolutionary calendar.
    Allison's new book Fagin the Thief comes out in February 2025. Click here to preorder a copy.

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  • In this instalment of How Do You Solve A Problem Like Marie Antoinette, we look at a man who really annoyed her: the Marquis de Lafayette. And joining us to share the legendary life of this dirtbag (complimentary) is friend of the podcast Allison Epstein!
    Allison's new book Fagin the Thief comes out in February 2025. Click here to preorder a copy.

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  • As our discussion of Marie Antoinette and the French Revolution continues, we're looking at the life of Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges. Saint-Georges was a mixed-race man born to an enslaved woman and her enslaver in Guadaloupe. Sent to Paris to be educated, his athleticism and musical gifts made him a celebrity.
    We're joined today by Professor Julian Ledford, Assistant Professor of French and French Studies at The University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee.

    References:
    The Chevalier de Saint-Georges: Virtuoso of the Sword and the Bow by Gabriel Banat
    Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges, Man of Music and Gentleman-at-Arms: The Life and Times of an Eighteenth-Century Prodigy by Gabriel Banat
    Joseph Boulogne, the Chevalier de Saint-George and the Problem With Black Mozart by Julian A. Ledford

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  • We're back on the Marie Antoinette train, and in Season 7 Part 2 the topic is "Meanwhile, Back in France."
    We're joined again by Amanda Matta to wrap up the scandalous saga of Madame du Barry.
    Follow Amanda on:
    TikTok
    Instagram
    Substack
    And keep up with her podcast, The Art of History!

    Reference:
    Madame du Barry: The Wages of Beauty by Joan Haslip

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  • We're back on the Marie Antoinette train, and in Season 7 Part 2 the topic is "Meanwhile, Back in France."
    To explain the French royal court system that Marie Antoinette eventually joined, we're taking a look at notorious mistress Madame du Barry in a saga so iconic it can't be contained in one podcast episode.
    Our guest this week is everyone's favourite TikTok royal commentator, Amanda Matta!
    Follow Amanda on:
    TikTok
    Instagram
    Substack
    And keep up with her podcast, The Art of History!

    Reference:
    Madame du Barry: The Wages of Beauty by Joan Haslip

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  • This used to be a Patreon-only bonus episode, but now everyone can hear it!
    Since we'll be discussing Versailles in upcoming episodes, it felt appropriate to share this episode about Louis XIV aka The Sun King, who basically invented that whole scenario.
    To hear more bonus episodes, subscribe at the $5/month or higher level at patreon.com/annfosterwriter

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  • It's a rerelease of a classic Vulgar History episode, now with better editing! Boudica was Queen of the Iceni, a Celtic tribe during the Roman conquest of Britain. She led a rebellion of united tribes against their Roman invaders, leaving a path of death and bloodshed in her wake. 
    Reference:
    Boudica: Warrior Woman of the Roman Empire by Caitlin C. Gillespie

    Intro ends/story starts 01:49
    Ad break 21:34
    Outro starts 44:58

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  • This week, we're revisiting a classic Vulgar History episode. Agrippina the Younger was also the sister, wife/niece, and mother of three different Roman emperors and also one of the villainesses in the 1976 BBC miniseries I, Claudius!

    Reference:
    Agrippina: The Most Extraordinary Woman of the Roman World by Emma Southon (now available in paperback!)

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  • There was no way I could revisit the Cleopatra episode and score without getting Gina Berry's assistance! She was a guest on our epic Nefertiti and Hatshepsut episodes, and now she's here to talk all things Cleo. As ever, when the two of us get together, it will be at LEAST 2 hours of episode.
    I recommend listening to the Cleopatra episode first before diving into this discussion, but you do you.

    Reference:
    Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff

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  • Remember in early 2020 when we were doing the season Women Leaders and the Men Who Whined About Them? This was the first episode of that series, now remastered by Cristina for improved audio quality! Plus, a special new intro and extro!
    Coming up next week: we revisit Cleo's score with a very special guest.

    Intro ends: 04:07
    Ad break: 34:54
    Story ends: 1:13:58

    Reference:
    Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff

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  • Ona Judge Staines, also known as Oney Judge, was born in 1774 into enslavement at Mount Vernon, the plantation owned by George and Martha Washington. She travelled with the Washingtons to New York City and Philadelphia, where she would eventually escape. In this week's episode, we hear about how she made that happen.

    Story starts: 02:15
    Ad break: 49:53
    Story ends: 1:10:09

    The episode image is an interpretive panel from Independence National Historical Park, Philadelphia PA.

    Reference:
    Never Caught: The Washingtons' Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge by Erica Armstrong Dunbar

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  • Ona Judge Staines, also known as Oney Judge, was born in 1774 into enslavement at Mount Vernon, the plantation owned by George and Martha Washington. She travelled with the Washingtons to New York City and Philadelphia, where she would eventually escape.

    Story starts 04:39
    AD BREAK: 28:30
    Story ends: 54:20

    Reference:
    Never Caught: The Washingtons' Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge by Erica Armstrong Dunbar

    The episode image is an interpretive panel from Independence National Historical Park, Philadelphia PA.

    Learn more about the Brister English Project, a non-profit passionate about connecting American descendants of chattel slavery with their ancestry.

    Buy tickets to The Edinburgh Seven at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival
    GoFundMe to support The Edinburgh Seven Fringe show

    Sign up for updates on the Vulgar History meet-ups in Edinburgh and London!

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  • In the second part of Peggy Shippen's scandalous saga, we see Philadelphia throw one of its classic riots, and she and Benedict visit a variety of places including my own hometown in Nova Scotia!

    Intro ends/story starts 04:07
    Ad break: 30:11
    Story ends/outro starts 1:01:04

    Reference:
    Defiant Brides: The Untold Story of Two Revolutionary-era Women and the Radical Men They Married, by Nancy Rubin Stuart

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  • Peggy Shippen was living a Revolutionary-era brat summer when she married the worst possible person, and things went buck wild from there. Featuring: most of the characters from Hamilton. And: the city of Philadelphia.

    Intro ends/story starts: 03:47
    AD BREAK: 21:11
    Story ends/outro starts: 47:30

    Reference:
    Defiant Brides: The Untold Story of Two Revolutionary-era Women and the Radical Men They Married, by Nancy Rubin Stuart

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  • Nanye'hi, also known as Nancy Ward, was a prominent leader and diplomat of the Cherokee Nation during the American Revolution.

    Intro over/story starts: 04:06
    Ad Break: 36:05
    Story ends/outro starts: 1:11:04

    References:
    Finding Your Roots “Fathers and sons”
    Nancy Ward: American Patriot or Cherokee Nationalist? by Michelene E. Pesantubbee
    Nanyehi's Experience of the American Revolution by Lillie Burke
    Women in World History entry by Deborah Jones
    Woman of Many Names by Debra S. Yates 
    Cherokee Nation: A History of Survival, Self-Determination, and Identity by Dr. Bob Blackburn, Dr. Duane King, and Dr. Neil Morton
    Cherokees and British Sign Treaty of Whitehall
    Nanyehi (Nancy Ward) episode of the Long May She Reign podcast


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  • This week on Beef, the brilliant 17th century nun Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz dares to defy the Catholic Church with her scholarship and searing wit. Pick up Dr. Stephanie Kirk's fascinating book Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz and the Gender Politics of Knowledge in Colonial Mexico.
    Hosted by Bridget Todd
    Written by Adrián Duston-Muñoz
    The actors who voiced Sor Juana’s words are Luisa Sofia and Franco Machado-Pesce
    Showrunning, Editing & Sound Design by Pete Musto
    Produced by James "Sam" Levine & Benjamin Austin-Docampo
    Created by Executive Producer Jeremiah TittleFind out more about all of Next Chapter Podcasts' incredible content at nextchapterpodcasts.com!
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  • All good stories must come to an end, and so it is with Peg Plunkett. Guest co-host Karyn Moynihan (co-host of Double Love: The Sweet Valley High Podcast) joins us to wrap up this instantly iconic trilogy.
    Karyn has also designed an incredible Peg-themed merch design! Pick up a Peg Plunkett tee, mug, sticker, pin and more at:
    Teepublic (better shipping for US people)
    Redbubble (better shipping for non-US people)
    — 
    Intro ends/story begins: 04:38
    Ad break: 31:24
    Story ends/outro starts: 1:06:37

    Follow Karyn on Instagram @karynmoy and follow her podcast Double Love @svhpodcast

    References:
    Peg Plunkett: Memoirs of a Whore by Julie Peakman
    Memoirs of Mrs. Margaret Leeson by Peg Plunkett aka Mrs. Leeson

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  • This week continues (but does not conclude) the tits out story of Irish icon, Peg Plunkett. Our guest is, again, Karyn Moynihan: Irish person, co-host of Double Love: The Sweet Valley High Podcast, and designer of several Vulgar History merch items.
    Next week: the thrilling conclusion of the Peg saga. Herman, my pills!

    Intro ends/story begins: 02:11
    Ads: 23:08
    Story ends/outro starts: 46:16

    Follow Karyn on Instagram @karynmoy and follow her podcast Double Love @svhpodcast

    References:
    Peg Plunkett: Memoirs of a Whore by Julie Peakman
    Memoirs of Mrs. Margaret Leeson by Peg Plunkett aka Mrs. Leeson

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