Noble Blood

iHeartPodcasts and Grim & Mild

Author Dana Schwartz explores the stories of some of history’s most fascinating royals: the tyrants and the tragic, the murderers and the murdered, and everyone in between. Because when you’re wearing a crown, mistakes often mean blood.

  • 32 minutes 22 seconds
    The Murder of Licoricia of Winchester

    In the 13th century, Licoricia of Winchester rose to prominence as the wealthiest Jewish woman in England. Twice widowed, she ran a successful business and worked closely with King Henry III. But antisemitism was rising in England, and Licoricia would face multiple stays in the Tower of London before an ultimately bloody end.

    Support Noble Blood:

    Bonus episodes, stickers, and scripts on Patreon

    Noble Blood merch

    — Order Dana's book, 'Anatomy: A Love Story' and its sequel 'Immortality: A Love Story'

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    5 November 2024, 8:01 am
  • 36 minutes 29 seconds
    The Impossible Identity of Elegabalus

    In 2023, a museum in England determined that they would refer to the Roman emperor Elegabalus using feminine pronouns. Elegabalus, who allegedly asked to be referred to as a lady, has become a node in queer history as a trans woman. Though it's impossible to fully know the truth of how she may have identified, we can try to unpack the ways in which sex and gender were seen in Roman society.

    CW: sexual content

    Support Noble Blood:

    Bonus episodes, stickers, and scripts on Patreon

    Noble Blood merch

    — Order Dana's book, 'Anatomy: A Love Story' and its sequel 'Immortality: A Love Story'

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    29 October 2024, 7:01 am
  • 42 minutes 38 seconds
    The Amazing Journey of the Three Kichis

    In 1834, the Three Kichis were on a routine journey to deliver rice to Tokyo. But when a typhoon interfered, they were swept out into the Pacific for 5,000 miles — and became the first Japanese people in the Pacific Northwest. But that was only a single moment in one of history’s most amazing journeys.

    The trio would end up going halfway around the world and back again, seeing things they never could have imagined, accidental pioneers in a world on the precipice of being transformed.

    *

    On the Very Special Episodes podcast, we tell one incredible story each week. Stranger-than-fiction tales about normal people in extraordinary situations. Stories that make you say, “this should be a movie!” Follow us down a different rabbit hole every Wednesday.

    VERY SPECIAL CREDITS
    Hosted by Dana Schwartz, Zaron Burnett, Jason English
    Written by Bess Lovejoy
    Produced by Josh Fisher
    Story Editor is Marisa Brown
    Editing and Sound Design by Jonathan Washington and Josh Fisher
    Mixing and Mastering by Baheed Frazier
    Original Music by Elise McCoy
    Research and Fact Checking by Meredith Danko, Bess Lovejoy, and Austin Thompson
    Show Logo by Lucy Quintanilla
    Executive Producer is Jason English

    Thanks for listening! If you're enjoying Very Special Episodes, please leave us a rating and review on your favorite podcast platform. You can reach us at [email protected]

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    23 October 2024, 9:05 pm
  • 33 minutes 45 seconds
    Gilles de Rais, Baron Serial Killer of Legend

    Gilles de Rais was a powerful, wealthy French baron who fought alongside Joan of Arc. But a castle sale gone-wrong would lead to an investigation, revealing gruesome and salacious details of murder.

    CW: murder, pedophilia

    Support Noble Blood:

    Bonus episodes, stickers, and scripts on Patreon

    Noble Blood merch

    — Order Dana's book, 'Anatomy: A Love Story' and its sequel 'Immortality: A Love Story'

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    22 October 2024, 7:01 am
  • 27 minutes 37 seconds
    The Notorious Banquet of Chestnuts

    On October 31, 1501, the notorious Italian family. the Borgias, threw a party in the Papal Palace. The salacious details of that event, known as the "Banquet of Chestnuts" has captivated gossips for centuries.

    CW: sex

    Support Noble Blood:

    Bonus episodes, stickers, and scripts on Patreon

    Noble Blood merch

    — Order Dana's book, 'Anatomy: A Love Story' and its sequel 'Immortality: A Love Story'

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    15 October 2024, 7:01 am
  • 27 minutes 36 seconds
    Napoleon's Brother Off Exit 7

    After Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo, it became a dangerous thing to be a Bonaparte in Europe. And so Joseph, Napoleon's older brother, sailed to America, where he lived for more than two decades, building a luxurious estate in New Jersey filled with art and historical artifacts.

    Support Noble Blood:
    Bonus episodes, stickers, and scripts on Patreon
    Noble Blood merch
    — Order Dana's book, 'Anatomy: A Love Story' and its sequel 'Immortality: A Love Story'

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    8 October 2024, 7:01 am
  • 43 minutes 33 seconds
    Miscalculations in the Court of Richard II (with Helen Castor)

    Richard II, grandson of the great King Edward III, inherited the throne when he was 10 years old, and was told he was a Messiah. The power went to his head. Dana is joined by historian Helen Castor, author of the upcoming The Eagle and the Hart, a dual biography of Richard II and his cousin, Henry IV, who would depose him.

    Support Noble Blood:

    Bonus episodes, stickers, and scripts on Patreon

    Noble Blood merch

    — Order Dana's book, 'Anatomy: A Love Story' and its sequel 'Immortality: A Love Story'

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    1 October 2024, 7:01 am
  • 27 minutes 47 seconds
    Lettice Knollys and her Pride

    When Queen Elizabth I's favorite, Robert Dudley, got married without her permission, nothing would protect the new couple from the Queen's wrath. But Lettice met the prospect of her exile from court with her head held high.

    Support Noble Blood:

    Bonus episodes, stickers, and scripts on Patreon

    Noble Blood merch

    — Order Dana's book, 'Anatomy: A Love Story' and its sequel 'Immortality: A Love Story'

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    24 September 2024, 7:01 am
  • 39 minutes 42 seconds
    The Witch of the Ottoman Empire

    When Roxelana was a teenager, she was captured from her homeland and brought to Istambul to be sold as a slave. With a famusly dazzling personality, she rose in the ranks to become the Sultan's favorite concumbine and, eventually, his wife, a
    breach of tradition that left an entire empire reeling.

    Support Noble Blood:
    Bonus episodes, stickers, and scripts on Patreon
    Noble Blood merch
    — Order Dana's book, 'Anatomy: A Love Story' and its sequel 'Immortality: A Love Story'

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    17 September 2024, 7:01 am
  • 42 minutes 30 seconds
    Henry V (with Dan Jones)

    Was Henry V the greatest king in English history? Or was he a violent and vindictive monarch overrated by history? Historian Dan Jones joins us to talk about Henry V, the subject of his new biography, available in the United States October 1.

    Support Noble Blood:
    Bonus episodes, stickers, and scripts on Patreon
    Noble Blood merch
    — Order Dana's book, 'Anatomy: A Love Story' and its sequel 'Immortality: A Love Story'

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    10 September 2024, 7:01 am
  • 37 minutes 18 seconds
    "The Princess with the Sad Eyes"

    It should have been a fairytale romance: after a whirlwind courtship, Soraya Esfandiary-Bakhtiary married the Shah of Iran and the two fell deeply in love. But their happiness would be challenged at every turn by the roadblocks that come from royal obligation.

    Support Noble Blood:

    Bonus episodes, stickers, and scripts on Patreon

    Noble Blood merch

    — Order Dana's book, 'Anatomy: A Love Story' and its sequel 'Immortality: A Love Story'

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    3 September 2024, 7:01 am
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