England gets a counterfeit king… well, almost. 

Determined to destroy Henry VII, the implacable Margaret of Burgundy backs an audacious Yorkist conspiracy. Its secret weapon is Lambert Simnel, an organ-maker’s son remodelled as a royal heir, crowned in Dublin and shipped towards England with German mercenaries and half-naked Irish warriors.

–

Don’t forget to catch this week’s bonus episode where Dan delves deeper into the history behind each episode. This week, Dan tells producer Al some tips on how to become an imposter king. That means getting to know more about Margaret of Burgundy — the former Yorkist princess who wants to cut Henry down at the knees. 

That’s all for you to discover on our Patreon: patreon.com/thisishistory  

–

A Sony Music Entertainment production. 

Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts 

To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email [email protected] 

Learn more about your ad choices. 

Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices 

Images used in this podcast are generated and edited using an AI application that does not infringe on any copyright or intellectual property. 

–

Presented by Dan Jones 

Sound Design - Amber Devereux 

Producer - Alan Weedon

Senior Producer - Dominic Tyerman

Junior Producer - Dulcie Whadcock 

Executive Producer - Louisa Field 

Executive Producer - Dan Jones

Production Manager - Jen Mistri 

Production Coordinator - Eric Ryan 

Head of Content - Chris Skinner

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Henry VII’s reign starts with dirty feet and a dirty little problem.

Fresh from the Battle of Bosworth, Henry Tudor is trying to sell England on his brand-new dynasty. Tasks include: marry the right princess, rewrite the rules, invent a royal myth and hope nobody notices the joins. 

But when a diehard Ricardian slips through the net and whips up a rebellion, Henry has no time to lose. From plague-ridden London to rebellious Northern Yorkshire, the story of England’s first Tudor king begins with panic, propaganda and rapid peril. 

–

Don’t forget to catch this week’s bonus episode where Dan delves deeper into the history behind each episode. This week, Dan tells producer Al about King Henry’s three-pronged strategy to make him legitimate, while the pair take a detour about how late medieval kings displayed their piety — aside from feet washing. 

That’s all for you to discover on our Patreon: patreon.com/thisishistory  

–

A Sony Music Entertainment production. 

Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts 

To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email [email protected] 

Learn more about your ad choices. 

Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices 

Images used in this podcast are generated and/or edited using an AI application that does not infringe on any copyright or intellectual property. 

–

Presented by Dan Jones 

Sound Design - Amber Devereux 

Producer - Alan Weedon

Senior Producer - Dominic Tyerman

Junior Producer - Dulcie Whadcock 

Executive Producer - Louisa Field 

Executive Producer - Dan Jones

Production Manager - Jen Mistri 

Production Coordinator - Eric Ryan 

Head of Content - Chris Skinner

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

He’s the man who schemed, smashed and slashed his way to power. But as it turns out, winning a crown is far easier than keeping one.

This Is History: The Tudors traces the unlikely rise of King Henry VII — the man responsible for creating England’s most iconic royal family. 

Their story begins on 22 August 1485, a day that changed English history forever.

At the Battle of Bosworth Field, Henry Tudor defeated King Richard III, ending more than three centuries of Plantagenet rule and claiming the English throne as Henry VII.

He inherits a fractured kingdom, weakened by the Wars of the Roses, while ambitious nobles and foreign powers are ready to rally behind rival claimants. 

The results are often extraordinary.

Two pretenders emerge from obscurity: a ten-year-old boy and a Flemish teenager who reinvent themselves as long-lost princes. Both claim to be princes once locked up in the Tower of London and launch audacious bids for the throne. Across the Channel, kings, emperors and a vengeful English princess lend support to their cause, turning political intrigue into an international crisis.

It's a far cry from the story Henry VII hoped to tell.

His marriage to Elizabeth of York was meant to unite the rival houses of Lancaster and York and bring lasting peace to England. Diplomatic alliances strengthen England's position abroad, while explorers push further across the Atlantic than ever before. Yet invasions, rebellions, trade disputes and betrayals threaten everything Henry has built.

It’s a story packed with romance, betrayal, jealousy, revenge — and at least one weird case of a king giving someone a foot-rub. 

So who’s afraid of Henry Tudor? Not as many as he’d like. 

–

As always, Dan’s royal favourites can chime in anytime with Dan and the rest of the royal court on Patreon, too. Become a royal favourite today: patreon.com/thisishistory 

–

A Sony Music Entertainment production. 

Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts 

To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email [email protected] 

Learn more about your ad choices. 

Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices 

–

Presented by Dan Jones 

Producer - Alan Weedon

Senior Producer - Dominic Tyerman

Junior Producer - Dulcie Whadcock 

Executive Producer - Louisa Field 

Executive Producer - Dan Jones

Production Manager - Jen Mistri 

Production Coordinator - Eric Ryan 

Head of Content - Chris Skinner

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The story of disgruntled citizens feeling the need to rise up against a rigged system and distant elites is one that defines our moment. But we’re not unique in that feeling. Mistrust of the elite goes back a long way — like when England’s peasants almost toppled the ancien regime of King Richard II in 1381.

And that’s the focus of Oscar-nominated director Paul Greengrass’s latest film, The Uprising. Starring Andrew Garfield as a disgruntled ploughman, Cosmo Jarvis as Wat Tyler — and with our very own Dan Jones serving as historical consultant — the film takes us into the tumult of 14th-Century London to help explain why ordinary people brought the reign of King Richard II to the brink.

In this very special In Conversation episode, Dan and Paul explore how they told the story of the Peasants Revolt on the silver screen, while Paul peels back the curtain about how historic films actually get made — and why ‘accuracy’ is the wrong question. Plus, they reflect on why the lessons of the Peasants Revolt have incredible relevance to the fractious politics of today.

Catch The Uprising in cinemas from:

• September 11, US and Canada (and select US theatres from September 10)
• October 9, UK
• October 30, Latvia

–

Remember to stick around for Paul’s bonus episode with Dan, where Paul gives Dan’s his top five favourite historical films. That’s all for you to discover on our royal court on Patreon: patreon.com/thisishistory

–

A Sony Music Entertainment production.

Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts

To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email [email protected]

Learn more about your ad choices.

Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

–

Presented by Dan Jones

Producer - Alan Weedon

Senior Producer - Dominic Tyerman

Junior Producer - Dulcie Whadcock

Executive Producer - Louisa Field

Executive Producer - Dan Jones

Production Manager - Jen Mistri

Production Coordinator - Eric Ryan

Head of Content - Chris Skinner

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Did King Arthur exist? Amy Jeffs isn't fussed. In this episode, the historian and artist behind Arthur: A New Life takes Dan Jones beyond Camelot and the search for a "real" Arthur, into a world of Welsh myth, Breton storytelling, medieval chronicles, haunted landscapes and hyperbolically violent kings.

Together, they try to understand why one of Britain's most compelling legends has endured, and why centuries of writers, artists and dreamers keep remaking him.

–

If you want a deeper dive into the medieval world with Dan and Amy, grab their accompanying bonus episode at patreon.com/thisishistory. There, Amy shares her favourite absurd moments from medieval manuscripts, including the time when St Martin granted a woman’s wish to see her husband covered all over in male genitalia.

–

A Sony Music Entertainment production.

Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts

To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email [email protected]

Learn more about your ad choices.

Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

–

Presented by Dan Jones

Producer - Alan Weedon

Senior Producer - Dominic Tyerman

Junior Producer - Dulcie Whadcock

Executive Producer - Louisa Field

Executive Producer - Dan Jones

Production Manager - Jen Mistri

Production Coordinator - Eric Ryan

Head of Content - Chris Skinner

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Two men and two hundred years of history…

On this week’s This Is History: In Conversation, Dan Jones meets Mike Livingston — award-winning historian and novelist from across the pond — to discuss the Hundred Years War. 

A former Secretary-General for the United States Commission on Military History and professor at The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina, Livingston knows a thing or two about battles. 

They delve into Livingston’s latest book ‘The Two Hundred Years War’ and discuss : when did the war actually start and end? What did the French really think about it? Is the longbow overrated?

–

If you want a deeper dive into the Hundred Years War with Dan and Mike, grab their accompanying bonus episode at  patreon.com/thisishistory. There, they dig deeper into the gory, the genius and the gruesome medieval warfare involved in England and France’s most enduring military conflict.

–

A Sony Music Entertainment production. 

Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts 

To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email [email protected] 

Learn more about your ad choices. 

Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices 

–

Presented by Dan Jones 

Producer - Alan Weedon

Senior Producer - Dominic Tyerman

Junior Producer - Dulcie Whadcock 

Executive Producer - Louisa Field 

Executive Producer - Dan Jones

Production Manager - Jen Mistri 

Production Coordinator - Eric Ryan 

Head of Content - Chris Skinner

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dr Harini Bhat is a clinical pharmacist and science storyteller obsessed with questions that don't have answers. Every week she unravels real events from history that still can't be fully explained. Mass hysterias. Medical oddities. Vanished civilisations. Strange signals. Unexplained phenomena that keep repeating, centuries apart, as if history is trying to tell you something.

In this episode, uncover the chilling mystery of the Mary Celeste, the infamous ‘ghost ship’ found drifting in the Atlantic in 1872 with its entire crew vanished without a trace. From explosive alcohol fumes and navigation errors to sea monsters and conspiracy theories, this episode explores every possible explanation behind one of history’s most enduring maritime enigmas. Leaving you to decide whether it was a tragic mistake… or something sinister.

Follow Hidden History with Dr Harini Bhat now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or watch on YouTube @hiddenhistorypod. Listen here:  https://pod.link/1895066656

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s time for a Dan-off.

To celebrate the return of This Is History: In Conversation, Dan Jones meets the other history podcaster called Dan.

Dan Snow’s an award-winning historian, best-selling author, and host of Dan Snow’s History Hit.

Together, the history Dans have racked up quite a lot of air miles, and in this special episode, they discuss their FAVOURITE destinations teeming with historical intrigue.

From the water meadows that birthed the Magna Carta, to the mysteries of Easter Island, let our Dans take you away…

–

If you want MORE of our Dan-off, grab their accompanying bonus episode at patreon.com/thisishistory. There, the Dans field some of naval history’s thorniest questions from Dan Jones’s royal favourites (yes, including a deep cut about Ernest Shackleton's Antarctic ship, The Endurance).

As always, Dan’s royal favourites can chime in anytime with Dan and the rest of the royal court on Patreon, too. Become a royal favourite today: patreon.com/thisishistory

–

A Sony Music Entertainment production.

Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts

To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email [email protected]

Learn more about your ad choices.

Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

–

Presented by Dan Jones

Producer - Alan Weedon

Senior Producer - Dominic Tyerman

Junior Producer - Dulcie Whadcock

Executive Producer - Louisa Field

Executive Producer - Dan Jones

Production Manager - Jen Mistri

Production Coordinator - Eric Ryan

Head of Content - Chris Skinner

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Richard III’s son and heir, Edward of Middleham, dies unexpectedly. Then tragedy strikes twice: his wife Queen Anne dies, too. 

Richard, who ruthlessly diverted the line of succession away from his nephews, now has to contend with a dynastic line reset to zero. 

His solution? Incest. 

His niece, Elizabeth of York — daughter of late King Edward IV — is being pitched as England’s new Queen. But thrusting incest onto an increasingly agitated kingdom isn’t exactly what the people want. 

It’s fertile ground for other nobles who have any claim to the throne, like Henry Tudor. 

And so, he — along with Richard’s ever-growing list of enemies — descend on England. 

–

As always, Dan’s royal favourites can chime in anytime on the royal court on Patreon at patreon.com/thisishistory. It’s where you get your bonus episodes, and on this week’s episode Dan and Al discuss whether Richard III had buyers’ remorse, Henry Tudor’s shadow court in France, and why France’s Charles VIII was interested in driving a wedge between England and Brittany. 

–

A Sony Music Entertainment production. 

Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts 

To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email [email protected] 

Learn more about your ad choices. 

Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices 

––

Presented by Dan Jones 

Producer - Alan Weedon

Senior Producer - Dominic Tyerman

Junior Producer - Dulcie Whadcock

Executive Producer - Louisa Field 

Executive Producer - Dan Jones

Production Manager - Jen Mistri 

Production Coordinator - Eric Ryan 

Head of Content - Chris Skinner

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

*THIS IS HISTORY — A DYNASTY TO DIE FOR* 

*Season 10, Episode 11: Last Hope*

It’s 1482.  Margaret Beaufort and her husband, Thomas Stanley hold the most power in Northwest England…and they’re hungry for more.

They’ve asked their pal, King Edward IV, to organise a royal pardon for their exiled son, Henry Tudor, who’s in Brittany. The aim? To marry Edward’s daughter, Elizabeth of York and claim the crown.

But… there's a problem. Richard III has seized the throne, reversed Henry’s pardon and induced nationwide mayhem. 

Backed by Francis, Duke of Brittany, Henry incites a rebellion against Richard and aims to invade England by force. Will he succeed, or will the future of England remain in Richard III’s tyrannical hands?

–

00:00 Margaret’s Pardon Plan

03:38 Edward Dies, Richard Takes Over

08:32 Henry’s Weak Claim

12:08 Buckingham Turns Conspirator

16:57 The Collapsed Rebellion

21:06 Henry’s Stormy Landing That Wasn’t

24:52 Richard Strikes Back in Parliament

26:28 Christmas Oath to Marry Elizabeth

27:39 Finale Tease and Endgame

-

As always, Dan’s royal favourites can chime in anytime on the royal court on Patreon at patreon.com/thisishistory. It’s where you get your bonus episodes, and on this week’s episode Dan  and Al discuss the legitimacy of Henry Tudor’s claim to the throne, and whether Richard III, however brutish he is, may have had a point. 

A Sony Music Entertainment production. 

Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts 

To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email [email protected] 

Learn more about your ad choices. 

Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices 

––

Presented by Dan Jones 

Producer - Alan Weedon

Senior Producer - Dominic Tyerman

Junior Producer - Dulcie Whadcock

Executive Producer - Louisa Field 

Executive Producer - Dan Jones

Production Manager - Jen Mistri 

Production Coordinator - Eric Ryan 

Head of Content - Chris Skinner

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Richard Duke of Gloucester has the crown in his sights. But first, he needs to clear the room. 

Allies become enemies. Councillors are arrested. Lord Hastings is dead. And Edward IV’s heirs are locked in the Tower of London.  Then Richard needs to sell himself.

A preacher declares Edward IV’s children illegitimate while Richard positions himself as the antidote to his brother’s salacious decadence. Richard’s going to be England’s pious, orderly, righteous king. Or so he claims. 

The heirs locked in the tower slowly slip from public view — and history has never stopped asking about where they went. 

–

As always, Dan’s royal favourites can chime in anytime on the royal court on Patreon at patreon.com/thisishistory. It’s where you get your bonus episodes, and on this week’s episode Dan tries to understand why Elizabeth Woodville handed her son over to Richard III from sanctuary at Westminster Abbey. Plus, learn more about how Richard tried to legitimate his claims to the throne by sullying his deceased brother’s reputation. 

–

A Sony Music Entertainment production. 

Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts 

To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email [email protected] 

Learn more about your ad choices. 

Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices 

––

Presented by Dan Jones 

Producer - Alan Weedon

Senior Producer - Dominic Tyerman

Junior Producer - Dulcie Whadcock

Executive Producer - Louisa Field 

Executive Producer - Dan Jones

Production Manager - Jen Mistri 

Production Coordinator - Eric Ryan 

Head of Content - Chris Skinner

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices