Vulgar History

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. — Get 15% off all the gorgeous j

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

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 — Get 15% off all the gorgeo

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, A

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 — Get 15% off all the gor

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 st

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!) — Get 15% off all the gorge

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,

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: Cl

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 — T