Battle Royale: French Monarchs

Dec 02 2024 106 ep. 76 mins 473
Battle Royale: French Monarchs Podcast artwork

Passing judgement on all the Kings and Emperors of France from Clovis to Napoleon III. Each episode, Ben recounts the story of a monarch to Eliza, then together they decide on how to score them in 5 categories. But who will they select as the crème de la crème, and who will they send to the Guillotine? Proudly inspired by the Rex Factor podcast.

  Education  Comedy  Society & Culture
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58 - Henry IV, Part 1

Dec 02 2024 80 mins  
We're back!!! And we're starting off a new royal line with Henry IV, the first Bourbon king. Is this stinky, ill-mannered heretic really the hero France has been waiting for after 30 years of civil war?Stay tuned for Part 2 next week, when we will rate Henry and decide whether he deserves the guillotine. ⚜️ Visit our Wordpress for episode images, score summaries, contact detail

57.5 - Marguerite de Valois (Queen Margot), Part 2

Sep 20 2024 54 mins  
It's time for Margot to truly REBEL.How will Margot's rollercoaster end, and how will she rate compared to the rest of the Valois clan? ⚜️Visit our Wordpress for episode images, score summaries, contact details and more!Make sure you leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen.You can also support the show on Patreon! Join the official Angry Mob and get

57.5 - Marguerite de Valois (Queen Margot), Part 1

Sep 12 2024 58 mins  
The last surviving of the Valois, this beautiful and intelligent princess is often seen as either a victim or a villain, but the memoirs she left behind and the reevaluation of modern historians show a different side to her story. She was a woman who struggled to find agency and self-determination in a world where the cards were stacked against her from the start. Can Margot break

Ranking Roundup #3 - The House of Valois

Aug 24 2024 44 mins  
Au revoir, Valois! We have now ranked all the kings of France belonging to the House of Valois, the cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty which reigned supreme from 1328 to 1589. Before they take a well-earned break and start gearing up for the Bourbon kings, Ben and Eliza step back to re-examine the Valois. Who did the best? Who did the worst? And who escaped the guillotine?Spoiler

57 - Henry III

Aug 12 2024 92 mins  
This week we delve into the treacherous, tumultuous and frankly bizarre reign of King Henry III, who is certainly unlike any other king we've seen thus far! Will his entertaining shenanigans earn him a place in the tournament? And how much of his scandalous legacy is historical fact? ⚜️ Visit our Wordpress for episode images, score summaries, contact details and more! Make sure

56.5 - Catherine de' Medici, Part 2

Jul 29 2024 95 mins  
This episode, we close out Catherine de' Medici's life and give her a score. How does this notorious queen measure up against the likes of Charlemagne and Philip Augustus?⚜️ Visit our Wordpress for episode images, score summaries, contact details and more! Make sure you leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen.You can also support the show on Patreon!

56.5 - Catherine de' Medici, Part 1

Jul 26 2024 66 mins  
In our first part of the endlessly fascinating life that is Catherine de' Medici's, we chart her rise from an orphaned Italian "merchant's daughter" to the Queen-Mother of Europe's most prestigious kingdom. Next episode, we will conclude the story and ask ourselves, is she really the scheming sorceress history has made us believe? Well ... she's no angel, that's for sure!⚜️ Vis

56 - Charles IX

Jul 06 2024 81 mins  
There will be blood.⚜️A summary of the major political figures in this episode (most of whom will be dead by the end):Catherine de' Medici, ruling on behalf of her son Charles IX, a moderating force between the factions (at first)The Ultra-Catholics:Duke Henry of Anjou, Charles IX's precocious younger brotherThe Duke and Cardinal de Guise, recently kicked out of powerAnne de Mo

55 - Francis II (ft. Mary, Queen of Scots)

Jun 23 2024 61 mins  
After the sudden demise of his father, young Francis II struggles to grasp his new responsibilities as King of France. Meanwhile, his ambitious young wife Mary Stuart and her relatives, the Guise family, make their first big bid for power. And the rumbles of religious unrest in France are only getting louder...⚜️ Visit our Wordpress for episode images, score summaries, contact

54 - Henry II

Jun 08 2024 80 mins  
He's the husband of Catherine de' Medici, the lover of Diane de Poitiers, the father-in-law of Mary, Queen of Scots. Can Henry II stand out in a period dominated by these legendary women? How will he fare against the might of the Hapsburg Empire? And how will he reconcile his religion with the unlikely allies he has to make?⚜️ Visit our Wordpress for episode images, score summa