- 1 hour 17 minutesSo This A**hole: Henry VIII
Henry VIII stomped all over the Tudor era, and for a long time people thought he was a great guy. Some people knew he was not, like the six women unlucky enough to marry him. But in a post-Six world, Henry is now seen as the villain of this story.
We're joined by Jillian Laine, author of the new novel Henry Tudor Must Die, to explain why Henry VIII was, in fact, The Worst.
Buy a copy of Henry Tudor Muse Die (affiliate link)
—
Get 30% off paid Patreon memberships with code TUDOR all month at patreon.com/annfosterwriter
—
Buy a copy of Ann's book Rebel of the Regency
—
Get 15% off all the gorgeous jewellery and accessories at commonera.com/vulgar15 or go to commonera.com and use code VULGAR15 at checkout
—
Get Vulgar History merch at vulgarhistory.com/store (best for US shipping) and vulgarhistory.redbubble.com (better for international shipping)
—
Vulgar History is an affiliate of Bookshop.org, which means that a small percentage of any books you click through and purchase will come back to Vulgar History as a commission. Use this link to shop there and support Vulgar History.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
29 July 2026, 5:00 am - 58 minutes 24 secondsShakespeare's Greatest Character, Margaret of Anjou
Margaret of Anjou was a prominent figure during England's Wars of the Roses, just before the Tudor Era. At the end of the Tudor Era, William Shakespeare wrote several plays about the Wars - and in these, we see Margaret progress from young Princess to warrior Queen to mystical witch-crone. No other character has such a dramatic portrayal across Shakespeare's plays.
The new book Shakespeare's Margaret is a biography of both Margaret, the real person, and also Margaret, the character written by Shakespeare. The book's authors Charles O'Malley and Scott W. Stern join us to talk all things Margaret and Shakespeare.
Buy a copy of Shakespeare's Margaret: The Dramatic Life of a Warrior Queen (affiliate link)
—
Get 30% off paid Patreon memberships with code TUDOR all month at patreon.com/annfosterwriter
—
Buy a copy of Ann's book Rebel of the Regency
—
Get 15% off all the gorgeous jewellery and accessories at commonera.com/vulgar or go to commonera.com and use code VULGAR at checkout
—
Get Vulgar History merch at vulgarhistory.com/store (best for US shipping) and vulgarhistory.redbubble.com (better for international shipping)
—
Vulgar History is an affiliate of Bookshop.org, which means that a small percentage of any books you click through and purchase will come back to Vulgar History as a commission. Use this link to shop there and support Vulgar History.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
22 July 2026, 5:00 am - 55 minutes 55 secondsThe Women Behind the Tudor Dynasty
The Tudors are the most famous royal family in English history (or at least, the most notorious). Where did they come from? The surname came from Wales; their claim to the throne came partly from France, and it was, frankly, a little dodgy, which is why later Tudor Kings didn't want you to think about their claim to the throne too hard!
This week, we look at the women responsible for bringing the Tudor name to the throne: Catherine of Valois and Margaret Beaufort. With cameo appearances by Margaret of Anjou, Elizabeth Woodville and Elizabeth of York! Plus: the shortest possible explanation of the Wars of the Roses and all of the battles therein because this is NOT a battles-discussion podcast.
—
Get 30% off paid Patreon memberships with code TUDOR all month at patreon.com/annfosterwriter
—
Buy a copy of Ann's book Rebel of the Regency
—
Get 15% off all the gorgeous jewellery and accessories at commonera.com/vulgar or go to commonera.com and use code VULGAR at checkout
—
Get Vulgar History merch at vulgarhistory.com/store (best for US shipping) and vulgarhistory.redbubble.com (better for international shipping)
—
Vulgar History is an affiliate of Bookshop.org, which means that a small percentage of any books you click through and purchase will come back to Vulgar History as a commission. Use this link to shop there and support Vulgar History.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
15 July 2026, 5:00 am - 58 secondsVulgar History: Tudors (trailer)
The Tudors are the most famous dynasty in English history. Names like Anne Boleyn, Bloody Mary, and Henry VIII are still known today.
This season on Vulgar History, we'll spill the tea on the notorious Tudors.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
10 July 2026, 3:52 pm - 2 hours 15 minutesZelda Fitzgerald Deserved Better (featuring Alicia from Trashy Divorces)
Zelda Fitzgerald is best known as the long-suffering wife of author F. Scott Fitzgerald. But she was MUCH more interesting than he ever was, and we're here to tell her story.
My guest this week is Alicia from Trashy Royals and Trashy Divorces, and she's got a LOT of feelings about Zelda.
Listen to Alicia's podcasts Trashy Royals and Trashy Divorces wherever you get podcasts!
AND stay tuned to the very end of this one to learn what the theme will be for Vulgar History season 9!
—
Buy a copy of Ann's book Rebel of the Regency
—
Get 15% off all the gorgeous jewellery and accessories at commonera.com/vulgar or go to commonera.com and use code VULGAR at checkout
—
Get Vulgar History merch at vulgarhistory.com/store (best for US shipping) and vulgarhistory.redbubble.com (better for international shipping)
—
Vulgar History is an affiliate of Bookshop.org, which means that a small percentage of any books you click through and purchase will come back to Vulgar History as a commission. Use this link to shop there and support Vulgar History.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
8 July 2026, 5:00 am - 1 hour 16 minutesRemember Abigail Adams (with Meredith Constant)
When John Adams was working to establish the United States of America, his wife, Abigail Adams, urged him to "remember the ladies" and grant women greater freedom.
Who was Abigail Adams? America's first feminist? The most prolific letter-writer of all time? Queen Charlotte's number one hater? All of the above? We dig into her life with special guest Meredith Constant (from Off With Their Headlines podcast).
Listen to a playlist of Vulgar History episodes about the American Revolution.
Follow Meredith's podcast Off With Their Headlines
Follow Meredith's Substack, Pulling Threads
—
Buy a copy of Ann's book Rebel of the Regency
—
Get 15% off all the gorgeous jewellery and accessories at commonera.com/vulgar or go to commonera.com and use code VULGAR at checkout
—
Get Vulgar History merch at vulgarhistory.com/store (best for US shipping) and vulgarhistory.redbubble.com (better for international shipping)
—
Vulgar History is an affiliate of Bookshop.org, which means that a small percentage of any books you click through and purchase will come back to Vulgar History as a commission. Use this link to shop there and support Vulgar History.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
1 July 2026, 5:00 am - 1 hour 41 minutesIntroducing NeferTV: Spartacus Blood and Sand - season 1 episode 1 - The Red Serpent
Enjoy the first episode of the new podcast NeferTV with Ann Foster and Gina Berry! New episodes every alternate Monday. Subscribe to NeferTV wherever you get podcasts!
Gina Berry has watched Spartacus: Blood and Sand many, many times. Ann Foster has never seen it before. Together, they will recap every episode of this series in our new podcast, NeferTV! New episodes every other Monday.
In the first episode, we meet all the main characters and set up the dramatic (and BLOODY) rivalries of the season.
You can watch Spartacus: Blood and Sand on Starz+ in the US, and on Crave in Canada.
Share your thoughts about Spartacus with us at [email protected]
Save 15% off beautiful ancient Roman-inspired jewellery from Common Era with code NEFERTV at commonera.com/nefertv or use code NEFERTV at checkout
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
29 June 2026, 5:00 am - 1 hour 3 minutesYou Wouldn't Want To Be Enslaved In Ancient Rome! (with Emma Southon)
Ancient Rome is often thought of as an ideal society where toga-clad men debated democracy while eating grapes. But in fact, the Roman Empire and Republic couldn't have existed without slavery. What were these enslaved people's lives like? Pretty awful, actually!
Historian Emma Southon joins us to talk about slavery in Ancient Rome: what it was like, why people like to pretend it wasn't so bad, and what did Spartacus have to do with it all?
Buy a copy of Emma's new book Not Built In A Day (affiliate link)
—
Listen to our new podcast NeferTV, where we are discussing the TV show Spartacus: Blood and Sand!
—
Buy a copy of Ann's book Rebel of the Regency
—
Get 15% off all the gorgeous jewellery and accessories at commonera.com/vulgar or go to commonera.com and use code VULGAR at checkout
—
Get Vulgar History merch at vulgarhistory.com/store (best for US shipping) and vulgarhistory.redbubble.com (better for international shipping)
—
Vulgar History is an affiliate of Bookshop.org, which means that a small percentage of any books you click through and purchase will come back to Vulgar History as a commission. Use this link to shop there and support Vulgar History.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
24 June 2026, 5:00 am - 43 secondsTRAILER: NeferTV with Ann Foster and Gina Berry
NeferTV is a new TV recap podcast by Ann Foster and Gina Berry, where we talk about shows set in the ancient world. This season, we're going through every episode of SPARTACUS: BLOOD AND SAND.
Subscribe to NeferTV wherever you get podcasts!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
22 June 2026, 1:00 pm - 2 hours 4 minutesQueen Zenobia vs The Roman Empire
We're joined by return guest Gina Berry (previously heard on our Cleopatra, Nefertiti, Hatshepsut, and Livia episodes) to talk about Syrian icon Queen Zenobia. Queen Z was maybe descended from Cleopatra, and definitely defeated the Romans (several times) - and lived to tell the tale.
Want more of Gina and me in your lives? Follow our new podcast NeferTV wherever you get podcasts!
You can also follow the NeferTV podcast on Instagram!
—
Buy a copy of Ann's book Rebel of the Regency
—
Get 15% off all the gorgeous jewellery and accessories at commonera.com/vulgar or go to commonera.com and use code VULGAR at checkout
—
Get Vulgar History merch at vulgarhistory.com/store (best for US shipping) and vulgarhistory.redbubble.com (better for international shipping)
—
Vulgar History is an affiliate of Bookshop.org, which means that a small percentage of any books you click through and purchase will come back to Vulgar History as a commission. Use this link to shop there and support Vulgar History.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
17 June 2026, 5:00 am - 53 minutes 11 secondsWhat Accent Did People Really Have in Shakespeare's Time?
English accents have been evolving ever since the first people started speaking this very strange language. People in historic films often speak with a modern British accent, and when they don't, people think it's inaccurate. But what did people really sound like during Shakespearean times? Or American Revolution times?
Author and linguist Valerie Fridland joins us to discuss all these questions and more!
Buy a copy of Valerie's book Why We Talk Funny: The Real Story Behind Our Accents (affiliate link)
—
Buy a copy of Ann's book Rebel of the Regency
—
Get 15% off all the gorgeous jewellery and accessories at commonera.com/vulgar or go to commonera.com and use code VULGAR at checkout
—
Get Vulgar History merch at vulgarhistory.com/store (best for US shipping) and vulgarhistory.redbubble.com (better for international shipping)
—
Vulgar History is an affiliate of Bookshop.org, which means that a small percentage of any books you click through and purchase will come back to Vulgar History as a commission. Use this link to shop there and support Vulgar History.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
10 June 2026, 5:00 am - More Episodes? Get the App