Royal Mistresses who became Queens

Through most of history, male monarchs have been the norm. Their wives held the title of Queen or Empress, but were merely consorts, with little real power. Many monarchies, like France, The Ottoman Empire and Bhutan have strictly barred women from inheriting the throne and have ...  Show more

For most of history, men ruled the world. But for 3 decades in the late 1500s two powerful women dominated Europe. Catherine de Medici was Queen of France and Elizabeth I was Queen of England. Neither one was expected to be Queen. But both bid their time until they could seize po ...  Show more

Catherine of Braganza, Charles II’s Portuguese queen, faced political turmoil, religious strife, and a scandalous court—yet her influence endured. In this episode, historian Susan Abernethy joins me to discuss her book on Catherine’s remarkable life, from roya ...

Is this strangest threesome in royal history?!We're endlessly fascinated with the lives of royal mistresses, and this has to be one of the most notorious.It takes place in 16th century France between Henry II, his wife Catherine de Medici and his much older mistress, Diane de Poi ...  Show more

Greg Jenner is joined in 16th-Century France by Dr Estelle Paranque and comedian Shaparak Khorsandi to learn all about controversial queen Catherine de’ Medici.Catherine’s life was dramatic from the moment she was born: orphaned when she was just a few weeks old, she was brought ...  Show more

Queen Victoria was the last English monarch of the House of Hanover and gave her name to an era in British history. Although small in stature, she was a towering figure as she witnessed major turning points in British history. Yet she is often caricatured as a spiky and stubbo ...