Podcasts · History · Society & Culture
Noble Blood
iHeartPodcasts and Grim & Mild
300 episodes
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.
Episodes page 1 of 6
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The Scottish Podcast
Double, double, toil and trouble... Almost everyone has heard of Macbeth, in the context of Shakespeare's famous play. But Macbeth was also a real king, and Shakespeare wrote about him for a very specific reason.…
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The Secret Lives of Snape Wives [from Very Special Episodes]
Plenty of Harry Potter fans love Severus Snape. A few truly worshipped him. In the early 2000s, these fans found each other online and came to believe Harry’s least favorite professor was real. A god in an alternate…
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Introducing: Midnight Radio, A New Horror Fiction Podcast from Ethan Hawke
Hi, Noble Blood listeners! We're excited to share with you a sneak peek at iHeartPodcasts' latest release, Midnight Radio! Midnight Radio: Starring five-time Academy Award®-nominee Ethan Hawke as “The Radio Man,”…
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Three Henrys Walk into a War...
When the childless King Henry III's brother died, the heir to the throne became a cousin from the Bourbon dynasty. There was only one problem: he wasn't Catholic. Support Noble Blood: —ORDER 'THE ARCANE ARTS' — Bonus…
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The Clothes that Make the Queen (with Kate Strasdin)
How does a queen show her power through her clothing? In her book DRESSING THE QUEEN, historian Kate Strasdin traces two hundred years of the most important garments that a royal can wear. Support Noble Blood: —ORDER…
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Betrayal and a Tudor in Scotland
When she was still a child, Margaret Tudor, sister of the future King Henry VIII, was married to the King of Scotland. But it wouldn't be until her husband's death that Margaret would face the greatest challenges of…
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The Last Plantagenets
During Henry VIII's reign, his dynasty was looking shaky: he had only one son, and if Henry died before his heir came of age, the country would be in danger of a civil war. Worse, there were still heirs to the York…
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The Woman of Canossa Castle
In 1077, the King of Germany and future Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV walked barefoot in the snow and waited three days outside of Canossa Castle. He had been excommunicated by the Pope and was hoping to appeal to the…
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Anne and Religion Askew
In the reign of Henry VIII, religion in England became a minefield of confusing and shifting doctrine. Anne Askew, the daughter of a well-connected courtier, preached her interpretation of the Bible. Her punishment was…
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A Ploughman's 'Uprising' (with Dan Jones)
In the new film Uprising, a ploughman played by Andrew Garfield joins in the 1381 Peasants' Revolt against Richard II of England. Historian Dan Jones served as the medieval consultant on the film, and joins us to…
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"The Apple is Ripe; Pick It Now Or It Will Rot"
Leopoldina married into the royal family of Portugal, which meant moving to Brazil with her husband. But civil war was bubbling on both sides of the Atlantic, and while her husband was out of town and Leopoldina was…
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Lord Kitchener Wants You!
The image of Uncle Sam saying "I Want You!" is one of the most famous poster designs in the world... but it was a copycat of a British original. Their version didn't feature a fictional mascot, but a very real, very…
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Frances Duff's Jamaican Inheritance
When Frances was a child, her mother went before the Assembly to petition that she be legally classified as "white." Frances would go on to become a wealthy heiress, and marry into the British aristocracy, but the cost…
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The Surreal Life of Elsa Schiaparelli
Elsa Schiapparelli was the founder of a fashion house which has become known for its sometimes outrageous, always glamorous designs. But beyond fashion, her transatlantic life would involve a conman and an FBI…
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The Tudor Villainess
She has been called "the most hated woman in Tudor England." Jane Boleyn, sister-in-law to Anne, served five queens. Two of them were beheaded. How much was her fault? Support Noble Blood: —ORDER 'THE ARCANE ARTS' —…
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The House of Boleyn (with Tracy Borman)
Where does a woman go when a King is wooing her and won't stop? Dana speaks with Chief Historian of Historic Royal Palaces, Tracy Borman, about her newest historical fiction novel, THE HOUSE OF BOLEYN. Support Noble…
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The King for a Day
In December of 1586, the King of Poland died suddenly and without an obvious successor. King was an elected position, and the noblemen bickered and tried to advance their own agendas, to no avail. It was a complete…
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Wyatt and Elizabeth in Revolt
Queen Mary I's decision to marry a foreign prince turned people against her. Some were so against her they planned an uprising to overthrow her in favor of her half-sister, Elizabeth. But how much did Elizabeth know?…
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How to Start a Monarchy from Scratch (Part 2)
The British Monarchy were using the divisions of the Māori people against them. And so, some Māori thought that what they needed to face off against a monarch.... was a monarch of their own. Support Noble Blood: —ORDER…
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How to Start a Monarchy from Scratch (Part 1)
Eventually, Te Wherowhero would become the first Māori king. But decades before that, he would face off against rival tribes, proving his leadership ability and bravery in the face of an enemy coming right at him.…
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Countess of the Demimonde
At the dawn of La Belle Epoch in Paris, a trans woman who became known as "The Countess" would journey from ballrooms to prison and back, a key figure in queer history who wrote her own autobiography to tell readers…
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The Chloroform Baronet (Part 2)
In 1847, James Young Simpson successfully used chloroform for the first time to help in childbirth. But the anesthetic was still controversial and dangerous, which made it all the more risky when Simpson was faced with…
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The Chloroform Baronet (Part 1)
James Young Simpson, as a young surgeon, was distraught at the seemingly inescapable pain and fear that patients were suffering. He decided to try to find a better solution. Support Noble Blood: —ORDER 'THE ARCANE…
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Napoleon's Forgotten Wife
When Josphine failed to produce heirs, Napoleon secured a divorce and arranged for another marriage: to the 18-year-old daughter of the Emperor of Austria. Young Marie-Louise arrived in Paris and, to her surprise,…
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When the Kennedeys met the Windsors (with Caroline Hallemann)
Two families captivated the 20th century: the Kennedy clan in America, and the Windsors, the royal family of the UK. Both faced the tribulations of fame and power, and the challenges of the 21st century media. Dana…
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Kaspar Hauser Came to Town
In 1826, a young man stumbled into town with limited language and a mysterious past: he revealed that he had spent his life in isolation, in a single room with no human interaction. Was he telling the truth? And if he…
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The Mind of Émilie du Châtelet (Part 2)
Part two of our episode on Émilie du Châtelet, the brilliant female mathematician and physicist who helped to redefine our understanding of how the world works.. Support Noble Blood: —PRE-ORDER 'THE ARCANE ARTS' —…
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The Mind of Émilie du Châtelet (Part 1)
History has often reduced the brilliant mathematician and physicist Émilie du Châtelet to her relationship with a famous man (Voltaire). But she was a fascinating figure in her own right, an 18th century polymath at…
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The Virgin and Thomas Seymour
When the future Queen Elizabeth I was just 13 years old, she was living with Catherine Parr, who remarried after the death of Henry VIII. Catherine's new husband was handsome and charming, but he was also someone who…
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The Mad Baron in Mongolia (Part 2)
For eight months, Roman von Ungern-Sternberg took control of the capital of Mongolia, in a campaign that was less about international politics and more about his own warped sense of purpose. Support Noble Blood:…
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The Mad Baron in Mongolia (Part 1)
In 1921, a Russian officer named Roman von Ungern-Sternberg invaded Mongolia, ostensibly with the goal to liberate it from Chinese forces. But he had his own ulterior motives, and a pattern of cruelty that was only…
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The Queen Mother Who Refused to Die
Against the odds, Idia's son, Esigie, became the leader—Oba—of the Edo people. And against even greater odds, Idia survived to help him rule. Support Noble Blood: —PRE-ORDER 'THE ARCANE ARTS' — Bonus episodes,…
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A Medievalist of the Seven Kingdoms (with Dr. Hugh Doherty)
Dr. Hugh Doherty (University of East Anglia), the historical consultant for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, joins the podcast to discuss 14th century tournament culture, the dangers of jousting, and the Bayeux…
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Fortune Has Changed My Life
Born in Africa, enslaved, and brought to a foreign land, Abram Petrovich Gannibal forged an incredible path for himself, rising until he became a respected nobleman and member of Russian court. Support Noble Blood:…
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Politics and Murder in the Harem
Kösem Sultan was the favorite of the Sultan and the mother of a ruler. She had extraordinary power over the Ottoman Empire, but, as we've learned from this podcast, power can have deadly consequences. Support Noble…
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A Terrible Waste
When Heinrich VI, King of Germany, called a gathering of noblemen to deal with a property dispute, he couldn't have predicted how tragic—and disgusting—the meeting would turn out to be. Support Noble Blood: —PRE-ORDER…
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Daughters of the Empress (with Veronica Buckley)
Veronica Buckley, author of the new book SEVEN SISTERS, joins us to discuss the daughters of Empress Maria Theresa of Austria, who remade Europe with their marriages. Support Noble Blood: —PRE-ORDER 'THE ARCANE ARTS' —…
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Olympic Glory for a Princess
Though Queen Elizabeth II's daughter, Princess Anne, competed in the Olympics, the first princess to do so beat her to it by more than a thousand years. Support Noble Blood: —PRE-ORDER 'THE ARCANE ARTS' — Bonus…
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The Winter Queen
Elizabeth Stuart was the daughter of King James I and VI of England and Scotland. Her husband was offered the throne of Bohemia, and who would ever say no to a crown? Support Noble Blood: —PRE-ORDER 'THE ARCANE ARTS'…
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A Philosopher's Death
Giovanni Pico Della Mirandola was a brilliant and precocious philosopher, who caused a stir in Italy with his writings before he was even 25. But Pico would have many powerful enemies and rivals, and his suspicious…
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Maria Theresa's Medical Legacy (with Matt Kaplan)
Dana is joined by the science writer for The Economist, Matt Kaplan, to discuss 18th century medical progress, the legacy of Maria Theresa, and the tragedy of Ignaz Semmelweis. Order Matt's new book, I TOLD YOU SO!,…
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The Real Cyrano
Cyrano de Bergerac is a larger-than-life figure in pop culture, whose story has been adapted countless times. But it turns out, Cyrano was a real man, albeit possibly with a smaller nose than media has led you to…
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The Missing Diamond in Case XIII
The Florentine Diamond was one of the crown jewels (sorry) of the Habsburgs—a 137-carat diamond that had come from the court of the Duke of Tuscany. But after World War I, when the Austrian Empire collapsed, the royal…
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Antoine Lavoisier's Head
Antoine Lavoisier was a French chemist, who gave us the name for oxygen and other terminology that we still use today. But he was also a wealthy man who collected taxes and served the Ancien régime, and when the…
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Cruelty and Murder, War and Peace
Natasia Minkin was the mistress of one of the cruelest men in tsarist Russia. She apparently tried to give him a run for his money. Support Noble Blood: — Bonus episodes, stickers, and scripts on Patreon — Order…
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The Affair of the Poisons
In the 17th century, aristocratic France was set on high alert—women were procuring poisons and using it for nefarious, murderous means. It was a scandal that mortified the nobility, quite literally. And it all seemed…
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The Mitford Communist (With Carla Kaplan)
The glamorous Mitford sisters—six daughters of a Baron—have captivated the public imagination for decades. One became a duchess, one a famous novelist, one retired into a life of privacy, two become fascists, and one…
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How Lola Montez Took Down a King
Though she was born in Ireland with no Spanish blood, the self-named "Lola Montez" captivated Europe with her charm and sexuality, eventually entangling King Ludwig I in a scandal that would lead to the end of his…
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The Noblewoman Marooned on the Isle of Demons
While sailing from France to the New World, Marguerite de La Rocque and her lover were punished, marooned on an island where they would be tormented by natural forces and, according to some stories, demons. Support…
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The Kennedy Marchioness
One of the most glamorous members of the Kennedy clan, Kathleen "Kick" Kennedy dazzled and scandalized British society. But her story would ultimately end in tragedy. Support Noble Blood: — Bonus episodes, stickers,…
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