Henry VIII's Reign of Terror

14 Sep 2026 · 51 min · Episode 565

Episode Henry VIII's Reign of Terror

0:00 51:11

**Contains graphic description of execution**

What happened when one monarch's personal obsession dismantled an entire international order? How did Henry VIII transform a marriage crisis into the English Reformation—and at what point did royal ambition cross the line into outright tyranny?

When papal authority, international diplomacy, and canon law stood between the king and his quest for an heir, Henry did not yield. Instead, he rewrote the legal and religious fabric of the realm.

In the third episode of our series on Henry VIII, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and Dr. Joanne Paul enter the 1530s: the darkest, most consequential decade of Henry's reign.

Six Wives: Anne Boleyn

Listen on Apple

Listen on Spotify

Henry VIII's Reckoning: Pilgrimage of Grace

Listen on Apple

Listen on Spotify

Presented by Professor Suzannah Lipscomb. The researcher is Max Wintle, audio editor is Amy Haddow and the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds.

Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcast

History Hit is part of Little Dot Studios, a Certified B Corp™

Want even MORE fascinating history? Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week PLUS early access, ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Links in the notes 6

The episode on the publisher’s site (opens in a new tab)

Shows are listed from Apple Podcasts' charts and directory, and Podcast Index where it is used. Every show and episode belongs to its publisher and plays from the publisher's own feed; this site hosts none of them. Explicit shows are for adult profiles only, and children’s profiles hear only children’s shows. More about this list.