Noble Blood

It should have been a fairytale romance: after a whirlwind courtship, Soraya Esfandiary-Bakhtiary married the Shah of Iran and the two fell deeply in love. But their happiness would be challenged at every turn by the roadblocks that come from royal obligation.

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In 1980, a story captivated the Spanish media — the Marquis and Marchioness of Urquijo were found dead in the summer home, with no clear suspect in sight. Eventually, attention would turn to their playboy son-in-law, but the mysterious details of the case offer more questions than answers.

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CW: Cannibalism, child death Dante's Inferno presents a stark view of the ninth circle of Hell, the circle reserved for traitors, in which sinners are stuck in agony in a frozen lake. One such sinner is the Ugolino della Gheradesca, a Pisan nobleman who, as Dante imagines, is forced forever to chew through the skull of the man in front of him, an eternal reminder of the crimes he committed in life.

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If you're familiar with the musical 'Hamilton,' yoiu probably know about "America's favorite fighting Frenchman:" the Marquis de Lafayette. A teenage nobleman enraptured by the ideals of the American Revolution, he would put his life on the line to fight alongside George Washington, only to face another revolution when he returned back to France.

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In 2021, Princess Mako of Japan made headlines for giving up her royal title in order to marry a commoner. On the surface, it sounds like a picture-perfect love story. But the truth of their courtship, and the rules around the imperial family in Japan, are anything but simple.

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In 1777, Benjamin Franklin made his way across the Atlantic to Paris. He was the most famous American in the world, a celebrated inventor thought of as Galileo reincarnate. But Franklin would need more than just his celebrity if he were to achieve his mission: convincing the French monarchy to support the Americans in overthrowing a king.

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In the 1930s, America was captivated by a scandalous courtroom drama - a custody battle of little 10-year-old Gloria Vanderbilt (mother of Anderson Cooper). Gloria's mother, Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt, was accused of improperly managing her daughter's trust and galivating around Europe when she should have been parenting. The trial was already a media circus -- and that was before the British Royal family got involved.

For more on this trial and other fascinating trials in American history, listen to HISTORY ON TRIAL from Mira Hayward.

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The Benin Bronzes are some of the most famous artifacts in the world. And the story of how they were looted from the Kingdom of Edo in the 19th century by the British is the story of colonialism, revenge, and the European scramble for African resources.

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The tiny island of Sark, in the English Channel, had the distinguished honor of being the last fiefdom in Europe. And in 1929, an American businessman named Robert Hathaway became its lord. He could not have known just how challenging the next few decades would be, for all of Europe and for a tiny island that would soon be occupied by enemy forces.

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On October 6, a mob from Paris descended on Versailles, demanding blood. They stormed the palace, trying to find the private chambers of Marie Antoinette. But more shocking than a mob forcing their way through the royal gates was the member of the group rumored to be in their midsts: Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orleans, and a prince of the blood. A cousin of Louis XVI, he became a folk hero of the revolution. But did he actually believe in what the revolutionaries stood for, or was he merely serving his own best interests? In the end, he would be forced to make a choice and pick a side, a decision that would cost more than his title.

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Anne Marie's father was the brother of the King of France. Her mother was one of the country's richest women. And though in her youth Anne Marie had dreamed she would marry her cousin, King Louis XIV, in the end she would lead a life far more interesting—becoming a symbolic leader during a political civil war, and embarking on an attempt for a doomed love match marriage that would, in the end, cost her more than her heart.

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King Charles II's oldest illegitimate son, the Duke of Monmouth, was handsome and charismatic. But more importantly, he was Protestant, which made him an attractive alternative to the Catholic Duke of York, next in line for the throne. Eventually, the power and propoganda would go to Monmouth's head.

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The Taj Mahal is one of the most famous buildings in the world, a tourist destination that attracts travelers from all over the globe. But the story of its construction is fascinating—a monument (sorry) to lasting love and an intricate architectural celebration of a diverse empire.

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When the monarchy of England was restored and King Charles II became king, the playhouses were reoppened. And for the first time, women would be permitted to be on stage, performing. The most popular comedic actress of the age, Nell Gwyn, would become a success, but her most famous role would be as the King's mistress.

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Over her lifetime, Dame Barbara Cartland would write over 700 books that would sell more than 750 MILLION copies worldwide. Though her books were primarily aimed and read by women, Cartland's messages were strickingly regressive, with an ephasis on purity that seems strange to modern readers of romance novels. As her step-granddaughter Diana Spencer would one day discover, some fairy tales don't align with reality.

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When Pope Stephen was putting his predecessor on trial, there were signs that what he was doing wasn't quite right. For one, in the middle of the trial, an earthquake shook Rome. For another, his opponent was a dead body.

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From wife and sister of a Pharaoh, to regent to eventually Pharaoh in her own right, Hatshepsut is one of the most compelling figures of the ancient world, a woman who sought to preserve her legacy in real time by carving her accomplishments in stone.

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George Villiers was in his early twenties when he caught the eye of King James the VI and I. Almost immediately, George became an intimate "favorite," catapulted into a new title and world of courtly power. Whether the relationship between the two men was sexual is still a question historians debate, but the thing that can't be denied is that their relationship would have deadly consequences. Dana is joined by author Benjamin Woolley, whose book The King's Assassin inspired the new television series Mary & George.

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CW: murder, gore.

Sister Virgina (born Marianna) had made a terrible choice in secret lovers. When a young secular boarder at the convent where she was a nun threatened to expose her illicit relationship with a neighboring nobleman, the man killed the young boarder. Together they tried to cover up the crime, but there would be no way for Marianna to run from her sins forever.

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For plenty of young women in the early modern era, if their families couldn't afford their dowries, they simply shipped them off to a nunnery. That was the case for Marianna, a young girl who rose in the ranks of her monastery as an exemplary nun... until she crossed paths with the rakish nobleman who lived in the estate next door.

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Why did the Roman Empire do away with kings? Simone de Beauvior would write that, through women, "certain historical events have been set off, but the women have been pretexts rather than agents. The suicide of Lucretia has had value only as symbol." CW: Sexual assault, suicide

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History is fascinated by the possible escape of Anastasia Romanov, the Grand Duchess killed alongside her family in the Russian Revolution. But there was a Grand Duchess that DID escape - Anastasia's aunt, Olga Alexandrovna, who would hold onto hope that her favorite niece escaped as well.

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When a coalition of European nations invaded Paris in 1815, they offered Napoleon what they believed to be very generous terms of surrender: he would keep his head, but be exiled to a life as Emperor of the insignificant island of Elba off the coast of Italy. Though Napoleon claimed to be content with the thought of retirement, less than 11 months later, he had returned to France and reclaimed his throne.

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When Mohammad Reza Shah got into a helicopter in 1979, he had no idea that it would be the last time he would ever see his country again. Nor did he know that he would be ending a 2,500 year tradition of monarchy in Iran.

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The Western Roman Empire was conquered by Odoacer, who styled himself as the "King of Italy." But the leader of the Ostrogoths, a warrior named Theodoric, would challenge Odoacer for supremacy. But were both men just playing into the hands of the Eastern Roman Emperor?

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Was Napoleon a military dictator, or a man who did what was necessary in order to preserve a French republic that was crumbling? To discuss the coup in which Napoleon became "First Consul" of France, Dana is joined by Pascal Confraveaux from the French Embassy.

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When Annabella Millbanke had a daughter with her husband, Lord Byron, she was terrified that their child might inherit his poetical madness. And so she steered the girl, Ada, toward math and logic, where eventually, Ada Lovelace became obsessed with the potential of computers.

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Mary Eleanor Bowes managed to escape her abusive husband, Andrew Stoney, but the trial to divorce him and secure her financial freedom would ultimately risk her reputation, and her life. CW: spousal abuse, rape

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When Mary Eleanor Bowe's first husband died, he left her a letter warning her that, "A living man have no interest to mislead. A living man may." He could not have possibly predicted just how deceitful Mary Eleanor's next husband would be.

CW: spousal abuse, pregnancy termination.

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In 2018, Sheika Latifa bint Mohammed Al Maktoum, the daughter of the ruler of Dubai, attempted a daring escape to international waters, away from what she characterized as a dangerous and oppresive life among her family. She was captured and brought back to the United Arab Emirates, and though there have been public statements saying she is safe and content, her wellbeing has become a matter of international concern. Dana is joined by New Yorker staff writer Heidi Blake.

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From the Salem Witch Trials to O.J. Simpson, trials have always revealed hidden truths about our society. History on Trial will dig into these cases, focusing on the real people behind the headlines, and the powerful cultural contexts that shaped the verdicts. We’ll dive deep into the grimy underworld of sports betting with the 1919 Black Sox Scandal, investigate mid-century Soviet espionage through the cases of Alger Hiss and the Rosenbergs, and explore the scandalous sex lives of Victorian preachers via the adultery trial of Henry Ward Beecher. Fans of true crime, legal dramas, and history alike will be captivated by the unbelievable true cases that played out in the courtrooms of history.

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Along the walls of the Chamber of the Great Council in the Doge's Palace in Venice, there are portraits—one after another—of the Republic's doges. Each man has his likeness, and a description of some of his accomplishments. But there's a gap in the parade -- one man was painted over, and covered with a painted black veil. A man who committed a crime against the Republic so great, that he was "condemned in memory."

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On Very Special Episodes, we tell one incredible story each week. Stranger-than-fiction tales about normal people in extraordinary situations. Stories that make you say, “this should be a movie.” Follow Dana Schwartz, Zaron Burnett, and Jason English down a different rabbit hole every Wednesday.

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Jean Baptiste Charbonneau is best known for something that he accomplished as an infant -- traveling with his mother, Sacagawea, and Lewis and Clark with the Corps of Discovery to the Pacific Ocean. But as he reached adulthood, he would become a symbol of a new American identity, eventually spending six years living alongisde an eager explorer who happened to be a German Duke.

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In the late 19th century, French writer Marc de Montifaud was sentenced to prison for indecency in his work. But rather than being sent to the rather cushy location for literary criminals, he was sentenced to forced labor... as a woman. Born Marie, but ultimately living as Marc, the Comtesse de Montifaud remains one of the most interesting and enigmatic figures in literary history, a trans man who defied social conventions to live and work as he pleased.

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Alchemist, magician, astronomer, astrologer - John Dee served as an advisor to Queen Elizabeth I, interpreting the stars for her. And when a comet crossed the sky, he told her that it portended the birth of something he came up with the name for: the British Empire.

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CW: Gore, cannibalism.

The village of Hautefaye was a sleepy town in France best known for a local fair. But in the summer of 1870, gripped by paranoia and political anger, the villagers turned on a young nobleman and unleashed a torrent of horrific violence that would scar the town for a century.

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According to legend, around 1100, a woman disguised herself as a man and was unanimously elected Pope. The ruse lasted until she gave birth while riding her horse through the streets of Rome. The story isn't true, but how the story came to be, and why it persisted, becomes its own history of Christianity in Europe and the power of propoganda.

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William the Conqueror is considered the first King of England. But the road to his victory at the Battle of Hastings was strange and challenging, and it would take more than a coronation to get England to submit to him.

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The wife of Napoleon Bonaparte, Josephine went from a sugar plantation to prison to Empress. But her rise and her fall reveal a dark undercurrent in the trend toward women in post-Revolutionary France. Dana is joined in conversation by the writer Jennifer Wright.

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When her husband, King John of England died, the widowed Isabelle of Angouleme sailed back to France to fight for her own independent kingdom. But over decades of trying to pit England and France against each other, sacrificing her reputation and her relationships with her children, Isabelle's efforts would have a greater cost than she could afford.

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A minor aristocrat, Charlotte Corday could have lived an ordinary life in Normandy in the 18th century. Instead, she took it upon herself to kill the prominent leader of the Jacobin revolutionaries - a newspaper writer named Marat - while he soaked in his bathtub.

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CW: Spousal abuse, miscarriage.

In the UK in the early 19th century, married women didn't exist as their own legal entities; they were extensions of their husbands. Caroline Norton's abusive husband took full custody of their children, and Caroline tried to do everything in their power to get them back.

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Khutulun was a 13th century Mongolian princess born in the war-torn years after Genghis Khan's massive empire began falling apart at the seams. She fought valiantly at her father's side to defend his Khanate, but when it came to marriage she made a demand: she would only marry a man who could beat her in a wrestling match.

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Rudolf II, the Holy Roman Emperor, was an obsessive collector — of art, of rare and expensive artifacts, of scientific equipment, of natural curiosities. (He claimed he had a siren's jaw and a phoenix feather.) But religious tension and foreign invasion was tearing his empire apart at the seams, and Rudolf's response was to retreat further into his own private world.

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Princess Margaret, Queen Elizabeth II's younger sister, was one of the most famous and glamorous women of the 20th century. But her life was lived in view of, and in response to, the tabloid scandals that threatened to undo her.

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After marrying the Duke of Gloucester, Eleanor Cobham became one of the wealthiest and post powerful women in England. She and her husband were a heartbeat away from being King and Queen, and the promise of power tempted Eleanor into making a fatal mistake.

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After Vatican II, many traditionalist Catholics around the world decided that the heresies of the Pope meant that the papal throne was actually empty. For one member of that group, the only solution was to fill the position himself.

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When Mehmed III, sultan of the Ottoman Empire, died, his young son Ahmed took the throne. Tradition dicrated that Ahmed should have killed any rivals to the throne, specifically his half-brother, Mustafa. He didn't. Historians still don't know why, and Mustafa's strange life—as pawn, prisoner, and sultan—continues to raise questions about the nature of power and royalty itself.

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In 1836, a stranger arrived to a remote Russian town on a snow-white horse. The man spoke fluent French and had a noble bearing, but he refused to give any information about where he came from or who his family was. And then someone noticed a striking resemblance to the former Tsar, Alexander I. The only problem? Tsar Alexander I had been dead for eleven years.

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William Somer (or Will Summers), Henry VIII's fool, became known to history as a famous wit, the man who spoke truth to power and advocated for the common people. But in reality, the man's life was more nuanced, and far sadder. Dana speaks with historian Peter K. Andersson about his new book, FOOL: In Search of Henry VIII's Closest Man about the man who was arguably Henry VIII's longest-term relationship.

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Marie Lafarge's trial was a sensation. But when chemists begin to disagree on their conclusions, who's to say what the real story is? NOTE: This is the second part of our discussion of the trail of Marie Lafarge. If you haven't listened to last week's episode, begin there.

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In 1840, the trial of Marie Lafarge scandalized France. Marie was a woman from noble birth, raised in all of the right social circles in Paris, who ended up married to an iron-master, heavily in debt. When he died less than a year later, his family suspected his new bride of sprinkling arsenic into his food.

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[CONTENT WARNING: this episode contains depictions of violence and spousal abuse.]

On November 7, 1974, John Bingham, 7th Earl of Lucan committed a horrible crime: attacking his wife, Veronica, Lady Lucan, and murdering their nanny, Sandra Rivett, in the family's quiet Belgravia home. But it's what happened after that turned the story into a true-crime legend: the morning after the murder, Lord Lucan disappeared.

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King Alfonson XII of Spain died without a male heir—but there was hope: his wife was six months pregnant. And as great fortune would have it, the Queen gave birth to a healthy baby boy, who would be Alfonso XIII. At the turn of the century, Spain was at a crossroads. It could either regress, into a conservative Catholic monarchy, or become a more liberal constitutional government. But the King facing those challenges was entirely unequipped to rise to the occasion, and his cloistered and limited worldview would allow Spain to fall into chaos and then worse.


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Rita Boncompagni Ludovisi lived many lives—as political researcher, congressional wife, Playboy model, and actress. But it would be her role as wife of an Italian prince that would eventually lead her into the battle of her life: an inheritance fight for a $500 million villa. [The archive mentioned in the episode epilogue here]

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Eleanor of Aquitaine is one of the most famous women in European history for good reason. After annulling her marriage from the King of France, she would marry the man who would become Henry II, King of England. But that marriage would sour, and in the end, Eleanor would turn against him.

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TRIGGER WARNING: this episode contains references to sexual content.

The Marquis de Sade, the namesake of "sadism," is famous for his writings cataloguing the full extent of brutal and abusive sexual acts. Today, he's perhaps more famous as a concept than an actual living, breathing person, a man who wrote his most famous manuscript in prison, aided by a shockingly devoted wife.

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Robert Dudley is famous for being the favorite of the "Virgin Queen" Elizabeth I, but the death of his first wife, Amy Robsart would be his most enduring scandal. Amy, the jilted wife of a man who ignored her in favor of social climbing at court, was found dead at the bottom of a staircase. Whether it was an accident, a suicide, or foul play is a matter of debate to this day.

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Alexander Dumas is famous for his swashbuckling novel The Count of Monte Cristo, but more thrilling than fiction is the real-life story of his father, Thomas-Alexandre Dumas. Born the son of an enslaved woman, Dumas would become one of the most celebrated soldiers in the French army, and would end up on a collision course with another young general: Napoleon Bonaparte.

For more information, please read Tom Reiss's excellent book, The Black Count.

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Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands was raised like a fairy tale princess — but she would reign over one of the most tumultuous periods in European history and she would attempt to lead her people while in exile after the Nazis invaded her country.

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When her council forced her to marry, Tamar immediately knew their selection was the wrong choice. When he would eventually try to lead an invading army into overthrowing her government, I bet she wished she could have said, "I told you so."

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Dana is joined by the Tudor historian—and Joint Chief Curator of Historic Royal Palaces—Tracy Borman to discuss her latest book, Anne Boleyn and Elizabeth I, and how two of British history's most famous women created their own legacies.

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The story of King Henry VIII is famous, as are the stories of his daughters, Mary and Elizabeth. King Henry's only son, the sickly Edward VI, had a short reign, often overlooked and too often ignored.

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The men knew they needed to get rid of Lorenzo de Medici, they just didn't know how. In the end, they decided the right place would be High Mass, on a Sunday, in the Cathedral of Florence. When the archbishop raised the host, the assassins pulled the blades from their cloaks.

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Lorenzo de Medici was the center of power in Florence. Three men—Girolomo Riario, Francesco de Pazzi, and Francesco Salviati, Archbishop of Pisa—were determined to take him down. They just needed the authority of a Pope behind them.

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Our two part series on the Chevalier de Saint-Georges continues, with our hero rubbing elbows with Whig politicians and fighting for freedom during the French Revolution—perhaps setting a record for meeting the greatest number of previously-covered 'Noble Blood' subjects along the way.

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In the late 1700s, one man became a celebrated fixture of Parisian salon culture: he was a prodigy fencer, and then a brilliant composer and violinists. He befriended Marie Antoinette and lead one of the city's most famous orchestras. And he was the son of an enslaved woman, fighting against the stigma of his skin color in a world where it made him hyper-visible but didn't let him be truly seen. 

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When it comes to fairy tales, most people know Charrles Perrault and the Brothers Grimm. Fewer know of Madame d'Aulnoy, whose own life of murder and political inrigues inspired the stories where love is hard won and happiness is harder when the parties are human.

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More than a hundred years before the selfie became commonplace, a woman in France used photographs to immortalize her favorite subject: herself. But as she aged, she became a lighting rod for our cultural conversation about growing old and the power of beauty.

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TW: This episode contains discussions of violence towards children that might be disturbing for some listeners.

For decades, one woman was the heart and soul of Versailles: Madame de Pompadour. Dana speaks with Jennifer Wright (author of Madame Restell) about the courtier's rise to the King's Mistress and her strengths as a diplomat and great party guest.

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In August 1661, the superintendent of finance in France threw the party of the century. In September, he was arrested. The lesson: don't fly too close to the sun (king).

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In the aftermath of World War I, aristocratic Germans were clinging to whatever sense of identity and social structure they could. They relished the opportunity to parade around with the deposed Prince Wilhelm, delighted to become his friend and shower him with gifts. The only problem? Their new friends wasn't Prince Wilhelm. It was a nobody named Harry Domela who was all too happy to make a new name for himself.

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After the Battle of Bosworth Field, Henry Tudor became King Henry VII. But what happened to the king he replaced, King Richard III? Well, we weren't quite sure. Not until 2012, when a group of archeologists galvanized by an amateur named Philippa Langley made a momentous discovery in a Leicester parking lot. 

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Before he was King Charles II, Charles was a prince in exile. His relationship with a young woman named Lucy Walter and their subsequent child would have ripple effects through English history.

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Isabella of Parma had a fairy tale wedding to Joseph, the son of Empress Maria Theresa of Austria. But he wasn't the great love of her life: his sister was.

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For centuries, historians have debated the legacy of Pope Pius XII. Did he prudently avoid angering fascists, or did he stand by silently while atrocities against the Jewish people were occurring all over Europe, and right outside his window?

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During the reign of Empress Kogyoku in 7th century Japan, two clans — the Soga clan and the Nakatomi clan — were rivals for power. But the Nakatomi clan would ally with the Empress's son, Naka no Oe, and together they would plot one of the most influential assassinations in Japanese history.

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The mystery of the fate of the two princes who dissapeared into the Tower of London during the Wars of the Roses has captivated historians, and the public, for years. What if one of the princes managed to survive? In 1491, a charismatic man with a handsome face gathered supporters around him, claiming to be Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York, the younger of the two boys. Was he a prince, or an imposter? Either way, he spelled trouble.

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In recent years, Queen Charlotte has recieved new attention for being the only primary character on Bridgerton with a real historical counterpart. But despite the love in her marriage, the real Queen Charlotte's life was far more tragic than any romance novel.

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When King Charles VI of France suffered from severe mental illness, a council ruled in his place. And on that council was his brother, Louis of Orleans, and his uncle, Philip of Burgundy. As they vied for power, their rivalry would turn bloody, and ultimately, set France on the path to Civil War.

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*Note: this episode contains sexual situations.* Lady Seymour Fleming's husband was suing her lover into destitution. She would rather destroy herself than let her husband win. Support Noble Blood: 

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For much of the history we're discussed on this podcast, marriages were the best way to advance one's social position. In the Gilded Age, a special subset of advantageous marriages emerged: in which wealthy American heiresses paid generous dowries to marry into the European nobility.

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Isabella of France was a pre-teen when she came to England to marry King Edward II. Though the two had plenty in common, a series of betrayals would ultimately drive Isabella to crossing the sea with an invading force.

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Joanna of Naples is one of the most infamous figures of the 14th century, a woman who ruled in her own right who faced treachery and betrayal by her own family and nearly everyone around her but still managed to persevere.

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In the summer of 1346, English soldiers landed at Normandy and mounted a campaign that would become one of the most famous in the Hundred Years War. Historian Dan Jones joins the podcast again to talk about Edward III, the Black Prince, and his new novel, ESSEX DOGS.

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Dido Elizabeth Belle is one of the most unusual women in the Georgian era: a woman who inherited wealth, who was raised as a lady by her powerful aunt and uncle, who also happened to be the daughter of an enslaved woman.

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The plot was set: 36 barrels of gunpowder ready to blow beneath the House of Parliament on November 5, 1605. But the conspirators would be betrayed, and soon the authorities would be hot on their heels...

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After the reign of Elizabeth I, Catholics in England were hoping their next monarch would be more leniant with them. But when James I turned out to continue his predecessor's intolerant policies, a small group of men gathered in an inn to take action.

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What is the "Holy Roman Empire" and why does it seem to be in... Germany? The answer goes back to the King of the Franks, and a very vulnerable Pope.

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Grace O'Malley, or Gráinne Mhaol, has become an Irish folk hero, a woman who led a crew of men and galley ships and stood up to the English occupiers in Ireland. But it's her legendary meeting with Queen Elizabeth I—a moment of diplomacy—in England that has fascinated historians for centuries.

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Over the centuries, the fabled Koh-I-noor diamond has been a symbol of conquest and power. Now, it sits in the Tower of London. But how it got there is a story of blood and tragedy.

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Bonus special episode! Dana Schwartz guests on Significant Others, a narrated, nonfiction podcast about folks just beyond the spotlight of history, hosted by Liza Powel O’Brien. Each episode tells the story of a talented, difficult and little-known individual who altered the destiny of their better-known partner, child, sibling, or friend, and impacted the world they left behind. 

-- 

Liza is joined by Dana Schwartz, host of Noble Blood, which explores the stories of the world’s most fascinating nobles. Today, Dana takes us on a crash course through the complicated dynamics of royal marriages and answers our burning questions! What set Catherine the Great apart? Did Anne Boleyn play her cards right? And who was the first appointed royal spouse that was male? Turns out that relationships aren't so easy when your nation depends on their success. Who knew?

Want to support Significant Others? Rate and review wherever you listen to your podcasts and keep sending suggestions of Significant Others you’d like to hear about our way at [email protected]!

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While I seldom cover modern royals on this podcast, the recent announcement of Princess Martha Louise of Norway stepping away from royal duties in the wake of her engagement to an American "mystic," we dive into the role of modern royalty and the problems that come from a legitimized platform.

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King Pedro I of Portugal had one love of his life. And when she died, in 1355, Pedro would do everything in his power to make those who were responsible pay.

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After the American Revolution, the Founding Fathers were desperate to prove America's strength on the world stage, especially compared to Europe. To Thomas Jefferson, this meant refuting the theory of "degeneracy" put forth by French naturalist, the Comte de Buffon. And of course, there was only one way to do that: have a moose shipped across the Atlantic.

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Procopius is considered the preeminent historian of the Byzantine age, writer of works that extolled the virtue and power of Emperor Justinian. But in the 17th century, a work discovered in the Vatican library revealed that Procopius also wrote another book—a secret book, that threatened to undo all of the good will he once built for the Emperor he served.

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Lady Mary Wroth is often considered the first female writer in England to publish a work of prose under her own name. But her romance, The Countess of Montgomery's Urania, would lead to scandal for more reasons than just a female author...

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Mansa Musa is often considered to be the richest man who ever lived. And, in the 14th century, he set out on a hajj to show his wealth and power to the world.

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In 1599, Beatrice Cenci, the daughter of a wealthy Roman nobleman, was convicted of her father's murder. She almost certainly did it—no one was arguing that. But some things are more complicated than they first appear.

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In 1841, it seemed inevitable that the small, impoverished principality of Monaco would be absorbed by one of its larger neighbors. But the new Princess had an idea, a risky and possibly dangerous idea to save her country: a casino.

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To this day, no one knows who stole the Irish Crown Jewels in 1907, but in the years since a number of suspects have emerged, and the mysterious case involves an Artic explorer, midnight "orgies," and an unlocked room.

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Historian Helen Carr, author of The Red Prince: The Life of John of Gaunt, to talk about a key event in the life of the third surviving son of Edward III. John of Gaunt, father of the Lancasters and eventually the Tudors, was an unofficial regent for his young nephew. And when taxes were raised too high, the unpopular John became a target of their ire.”

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King Philip IV had three sons, who he married to three girls (two of whom happened to be sisters themselves). In 1314, a group accusation of adultery would spell the downfall of the Capet dynasty.

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It's a legend, nothing more, about the founding of Prague, but in the story of a woman allegedly from the 8th century, we see the power of myth and the reasons some stories are told again and again.

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The death of Queen Elizabeth is the death of a symbol: after 70 years on the throne, she is the only English monarch many of us have ever known. The story of a disaster in Wales in 1966 highlights that stoic inaction was both the greatest strength, and the greatest weakness, of the late queen.

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After Georgiana Cavendish gave her husband an heir, she was free to pursue extramarital lovers. But her affair with Charles Grey would leave her forced to give birth in France while a revolution raged, terrified, and writing letters in her own blood.

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When she was seventeen years old, Georgiana Spencer married William Cavendish and became the Duchess of Devonshire. Almost overnight, she charmed everyone in London society... except her husband.

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Two sisters raised an army in 1st century Vietnam against Chinese colonialists. Over the next two thousand years, their story would change and twist. Support Noble Blood:

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In 1936, King Edward VIII abdicated the throne in order to marry a twice-divorced American woman named Wallis Simpson. Just a few short months later, the two were hosted in Germany by Adolf Hitler himself.

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William the Conquerer's youngest son, Henry, had to scheme and fight to become King of England. But his dreams of peacefully united England and Normandy would run into rocky waters.

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Even though King George III had 13 living children, in 1817, he only had a single legitimate grandchild: Princess Charlotte. And then the unthinkable happened: Princess Charlotte died in childbirth and the Hanovers were left without an heir. Suddenly, all of George III's unmarried adult children were in a race to find eligible princesses and have children to carry on the family business.

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Sophia Duleep Singh was the granddaughter or Ranjit Singh, the 'Lion of Punjab,' but she had been born and raised in England, a goddaughter of Queen Victoria. But rather than spending her life quietly enjoying her wealth and social status, she fought on the front lines for women's right to vote.

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"[T]he science of healing stood baffled before the science of destroying." The consequences of World War I weren't limited to deaths on the battlefield. Men returned home disfigured beyond recognition, and the esteemed surgeon, Sir Harold Gillies—(hard "G" sound)—made it his mission to help. I interview the historian Lindsey Fitzharris about her new book, The Facemaker.

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A living, male heir was essential to a monarch in the 16th century who wanted a secure dynasty. So why did Ivan the Terrible, the first Tsar of Russia, murder his only viable heir to the throne? The story might be more complicated than the way it's been told for centuries.

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Queen Victoria wore white to her wedding, to emphasize that she was not just a monarch but also a loyal, obedient wife. The rituals of her life became heavily imitated, and we still feel the cultural consequences of her choices today.

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Before the HBO Max series, 'Our Flag Means Death,' Stede Bonnet was a footnote of history, an aristocrat who partnered with, and then was betrayed by, Blackbeard. But the full story of Stede Bonnet is a fascinating saga, equal parts comedy and tragedy.

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When the Shah of the Safavid empire died in 1576, three of his sons would eventually become Shah. But the real power behind the scenes was their sister, Pari Khan Khanum, a brilliant strategist and political thinker who maintained control of the kingdom until it led to her tragic death.

Support Noble Blood:

— Bonus episodes, stickers, and scripts on Patreon

— Merch!

— Order Dana's book, 'Anatomy: A Love Story' and pre-order its sequel 'Immortality: A Love Story'

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In 1600, Guaman Poma began writing what would become a nearly 1,200-page open letter to King Philip III of Spain. Part history, part social critique, it's an illustrated depiction of Inca life and culture that was lost to history for 300 years, until it was rediscovered by accident.

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Sophia Dorothea of Celle was forced to marry a cousin she loathed. Stuck alone in restrictive Hanoverian court, her one happiness was the affair she began with a dashing visiting Count. But royal affairs almost always lead to tragedy, and though her husband's position in the courts of Europe would continue to rise, Sophia Dorothea would suffer only tragedy.

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Margaret Whigham Sweeney Campbell was the most notorious tabloid figure of her day. Her divorce from Ian Campbell, Duke of Argyll, would be the longest and costliest divorce in British history until that point, and would help usher in the all-too-modern tabloid trend of tearing scandalized women apart.

Listen to Margaret, Duchess of Argyll - In Her Own Words (BBC Archive) for more. 

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In the 14th century, Jeanne de Clisson's husband was accused of being a traitor and beheaded by the king of France. In response, Jeanne decided to get her revenge.

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The day began with an explosion, and it ended in death, and it changed the course of history forever.

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Franz Ferdinand (the Archduke, not the band) is a central figure in the history of Europe, known the world over for being the target of the assassination that ignited World War I. But before his death, he was a shy, reluctant and awkward boy who was never meant to be the heir to an Empire, who fell in love with a woman he wasn't allowed to marry.

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Dan Jones is a historian, television presenter, the author of a dozen books of history and the upcoming novel ESSEX DOGS. We chat about medieval history, the truth behind Arthurian legends, and castles, in honor of Noble Blood's 75th episode!

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The rumors about Rasputin—the mad monk who treated the hemophilia of the Tsar and Tsarina's only son—range from comical to absurd. But the truth is buried somewhere beneath, in a story about power and manipulation.

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A volcanic eruption turning 1816 into the "year without a summer." A group of Romantic poets stuck inside would change literary history forever.

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— Bonus episodes and scripts on Patreon

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Elizabeth was Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary. She was a beauty icon with long, chestnut brown hair that came down, allegedly to her ankles. But she also lived a life of quiet, lonely depression. She was a ghost, even before her assassination.

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Princess Charlotte of Wales was England's grand hope for the future, directly in line for the throne after the infirm King George III and the buffoonish Prince Regent George IV. She fought for her independence, for the ability to choose her own husband, and ultimately succeeded. But her love story was short-lived.

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— Bonus episodes and scripts on Patreon

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— Order Dana's book, Anatomy: A Love Story

— Sign up to join Dana on the Mary Shelley Pilgrimage in April

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In 1483, the two sons of the late King Edward IV went into the Tower of London, preparing for the older son's coronation. Instead, their uncle, Richard III was crowned, and the two boys were never seen again. The truth of what happened to the "princes" in the tower is one of history's greatest mysteries, and writers have imagined answers for centuries.

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When Lucy Moss and Toby Marlow were students at Cambridge University, they co-wrote a musical about the six wives of Henry VIII. From Edinburgh Fringe to the West End to Broadway, 'Six' has become a global phenomenon. Dana speaks to Moss and Marlow about theatre, women in popular culture, and revisionist history.

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Prince Sado of Korea had gone mad. He was prone to violent fits of rage; he would assault and threaten and even kill servants at court. His father, King Yeongjo, needed a way to get rid of him.

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— Bonus episodes and scripts on Patreon

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When Sarah Forbes Bonetta was seven years old, she was enslaved in the African kingdom of Dahomey and presented as a gift to a visiting British naval captain. The captain brought her to London in order to "rescue" her. The young girl would soon become the goddaughter to the most powerful woman in the world: Queen Victoria.

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— Bonus episodes and scripts on Patreon

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Boudica is one of the most famous folk-heroines of Great Britain, a woman who led thousands of troops in 61 A.D. against the Roman occupiers. Though her rebellion was ultimately uncessful, Boudica's final victory would be in becoming a symbol that endured through the centuries.

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In a small town in the northeast of Spain, in a small pub, a man named Albert Solà works as a waiter. He might also be the rightful King of Spain.

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— Bonus episodes and scripts on Patreon

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In 1386 France, Jean Carrouges and Jacques Le Gris faced each other in a fight to the death. The two were former friends turned bitter enemies. Le Gris was accused of a terrible crime, and the courts determined that only God could determine the guilty party.

Support Noble Blood:

— Bonus episodes and scripts on Patreon

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Throughout history, there have been stories of royals going mad. But very few kings have committed murder in their fits of insanity.

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At the end of the 1700s, Tipu Sultan was the leader of the Kingdom of Mysore, facing off against the encroaching invasion of the British East India Trading Company. Today, Tipu's legacy is complicated and still confused with propaganda and mythology. Was he a crusading hero, or a religious bigot?

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In the 18th century in Russia, a noblewoman named Darya Nikolayevna Saltykova was well known in her area for treating her serfs with unique cruelty. But the true situation was far worse than the rumors. Eventually, she would be convicted of beating 38 young women to death, but many think she might have killed over a hundred more.

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Elizabeth Báthory is famous for being one of history's most prolific serial killers, a Hungarian Countess who tortured and slaughtered hundreds of young women, protected by her power as a noble. But what is the story is a little more complicated? What if the political power that allegedly protected her was actually a target for her political enemies? Is it possible that history's favorite murderess is actually innocent?

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King Edward VIII is notorious for abdicating the British throne to marry a twice-divorced American woman. But Wallis Simpson was far from his most notorious paramour...

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Hortense Mancini is perhaps most famous for being a royal mistress, but her life was a series of adventures and scandals. Hortense was willing to do whatever it took to be a woman who lived on her own terms in the 17th century.

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Frances Howard wanted to divorce her first husband and marry someone else. Someone was standing in the way. [Support Noble Blood on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/noblebloodtales. Noble Blood merch is available here: https://store.dftba.com/collections/noble-blood]

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The rivalry between Mary, Queen of Scots, and Queen Elizabeth I is stuff of legends: neighboring queens, cousins, opposites, and deadly opponents. [Support Noble Blood on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/noblebloodtales. Noble Blood merch is available here: https://store.dftba.com/collections/noble-blood]

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Vincenzo Gonzaga's first marriage ended in a humiliating divorce by non-consummation,. His next set of would-be in-laws wanted to make sure the same problem wouldn't happen twice, and so the Vatican was called in to help orchestrate a public trial for Gonzaga to undertake. Turns out there was nothing simple about sex and masculinity in Renaissance Italy. [Side note: I wrote a book! It's a gothic love story about 19th century Edinburgh, and you can pre-order here: https://read.macmillan.com/lp/anatomy-a-love-story/ ]

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A bisexual, sword-fighting, opera-singing, 17th century arsonist... no wonder there are so many stories about her. [Side note: I wrote a book! It's a gothic love story about 19th century Edinburgh, and you can pre-order here: https://read.macmillan.com/lp/anatomy-a-love-story/]

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When Mary rode into London to claim her crown, she was met with celebration the likes of which had never been seen before in the city streets. Five years later, at the end of her reign, she was a hated figure. Today, she's known as Bloody Mary. [Side note: You can pre-order ANATOMY: A LOVE STORY here! https://read.macmillan.com/lp/anatomy-a-love-story/]

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The oldest daughter of Henry VIII, Mary Tudor, is commonly known today as "Bloody Mary" for her persecution of Protestants in England during her reign as queen. But as a young woman, she was a girl whose life was ripped out from under her when her father declared that she was no longer a princess. [Side note: I wrote a book! It's a gothic love story about 19th century Edinburgh, and you can pre-order here: https://read.macmillan.com/lp/anatomy-a-love-story/]

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Christina of Sweden is one of the most compelling figures of the 17th century, a queer Catholic convert who rejected social norms and stepped down as a monarch to live a life completely on her own terms. [Side note: my novel, ANATOMY: A LOVE STORY is available for pre-order at read.macmillan.com/lp/anatomy-a-love-story]

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For our 50th (!) episode, Noble Blood is tackling historical rumors: "Let them eat cake," Elizabeth I being a man, the lost dauphin of France, and....... *that* rumor about Catherine the Great. [Side note: I wrote a book!!!! It's a novel about a 19th century surgeon and body snatcher, and you can pre-order it here: https://read.macmillan.com/lp/anatomy-a-love-story/]

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In American history books, King George III is painted as the despotic villain keeping us from our independence. That he was "mad," then, makes perfect sense. But in reality, his madness was a sad coda to a long reign, a tragic untreated illness that left him completely alone.

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The Chevalier d'Éon was a diplomat, spy, traitor, and international celebrity. She's also sometimes regarded as one of the most prominent transgender figures in European history.

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Catherine the Great's son, Paul I, idolized his deceased father Peter III and resented his powerful mother. Unfortunately for him, when he finally became Tsar, he would learn that wielding power isn't as easy as it looks.

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At the end of the 19th century, a man in San Francisco declared himself the Emperor of the United States. Was he mad? Possibly. But he also became a beloved fixture of a city, a unifying symbol, and a monarchical mascot. This is the story of Emperor Norton I.

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The daughter of a Jewish heiress and Polish count went on to become one of the most infamous secret agents in British history. The story of Krystyna Skarbek reads like part-spy novel and part-political thriller.

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Thanks to the popularity of the television series The Crown, a new generation has become captivated by Princess Diana—her life and her tragedy. She remains an enigmatic figure, undeniably captivating, for both her vulnerability and her power. To better understand her life, and her legacy, Dana speaks with Sarah Marshall and Michael Hobbes of the podcast 'You're Wrong About.'

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Her first lover was found dead in a river. Her second husband was strangled in his bed. Perhaps it's no surprise that in popular culture, Lucrezia Borgia has become a femme fatale, a black widow murderess who stepped over husbands in order to achieve her own ends. But the real Lucrezia is a figure far more complex and tragic than the stereotypes might lead you to believe. [Support Noble Blood on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/noblebloodtales. Noble Blood merch is available here: https://store.dftba.com/collections/noble-blood]

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Queen Njinga ruled the united kingdoms of Ndongo and Matamba while facing off against the constant threat of Portuguese colonization. All it took was the cunning to know who to trust and when. [Support Noble Blood on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/noblebloodtales. Noble Blood merch is available here: https://store.dftba.com/collections/noble-blood]

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In the winter of 1891, a group of 15 Prussian visited a hunting lodge in the woods for what was supposed to be an ice-skating party. Instead, it became an orgy. And then the anonymous letters began arriving. [Support Noble Blood on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/noblebloodtales. Noble Blood merch is available here: https://store.dftba.com/collections/noble-blood]

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Depending on which stories you read, Juana of Castile is either a woman who went mad after the death of her husband, or a maligned figure who was manipulated by the men in her life so they could rule Spain in her place. Her life is a perfect example of the stories we like to tell about women who go mad. [Support Noble Blood via our Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/noblebloodtales. Noble Blood merch is available here: https://store.dftba.com/collections/noble-blood]

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The Duke and Duchess de Praslin were originally a love match. But two decades—and a beautiful, young governess—led to growing tensions and resentment. When the Duchess was found murdered in her bedchamber, the police had no choice but to arrest her powerful husband. (Unrelated: Noble Blood merch is here! https://store.dftba.com/collections/noble-blood)

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The great love of King Edward II's life was a man named Piers Gaveston. As one contemporary wrote, “I do not remember to have heard that one man so loved another... and our king was incapable of moderate favor." But favoritism has its price. And love would cost both men their lives. Unrelated: Noble Blood merch is here!!!! https://store.dftba.com/collections/noble-blood

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One of the most enduring stories about the founding of the United States of America is that before George Washington accepted the position as President, he declined the position as King. But "enduring" doesn't necessarily mean true.

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While feverish and riding on a hot day, King Charles VI had a fit of madness, and murdered one of his own men. For the rest of his reign, he would be plagued by periods of insanity during which he often couldn't remember his own name. And without a clear regent, greedy factions attempting to rule in his place led to chaos for France. 

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On April 3, 1817, a strange woman in a turban and ruffled black dress appeared in a small village to the north of Bristol. She would claim to be a Princess from a distant island, and for a summer, she would dazzle and charm an entire town of Englishmen and women all too ready to enjoy a spectacle of the "exotic."

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Georg Friedrich, the great-great-grandson of Kaiser Wilhelm II is embroiled in a legal battle with Germany, attempting to reclaim millions of euros worth of property that was taken from his family during the Soviet occupation of Germany. But the law that allows property reclamation has one major caveat: property is forfeited if your ancestors significantly contributed to the rise of the Nazi party. So exactly how significant was the role of the Kaiser's son, Crown Prince Wilhelm, in the Nazi party? Because the photos don't look great for him...

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Yang Guifei is considered one of the four great beauties of China. But her role as imperial consort would have deadly consequences and spell the end of the Tang Dynasty.

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In 945, Olga's husband, Igor I, was murdered by a subjugated tribe. Olga then became the de-facto ruler of Kievan-Rus, and she would let the Drevlians who killed her husband know that mercy was not one of her strong suits.

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Tycho Brahe was the heir to several lines of Danish nobility. Rather than spend his life as a bureaucrat, he devoted himself to astronomy and collected the data that would lead to a new era of discovery. He also had no nose, a pet elk, a dwarf, and a mysterious death. Just your typical scientist stuff.

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In the words of Omar Little, "When you come at the king, you best not miss." A possible bungled assassination attempt on the King of Portugal in 1758 gave his prime minister the excuse he needed to unleash a bloody reign of terror on the nation's nobles.

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Leopold II, King of the Belgians, was a man obsessed with the profits that came with colonization. Using smokescreens of charities and shell corporations, he claimed a private landholding 76x larger than his own nation, and unleashed decades of horror on the land's inhabitants.

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King George III's "criminal sister" was sent to marry the King of Denmark when she was a teenager. Her husband wanted very little to do with her, and so her attention wandered over to a charismatic doctor. That doctor slowly gathered power until he became all but an autocrat. But power, and love, are both risky gambles.

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In 2001, a woman named Ghislaine de Védrines befriended a charming man named Thierry Tilly. The rest of her close-knit aristocratic family soon became close with him as well. For Noble Blood's one year anniversary, Dana is joined by her research assistant, Hannah Johnston to discuss the mysterious and bizarre brainwashing of the wealthy de Védrines family.

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Stories from history are not kind to Queen Ranavalona of the Kingdom of Imerina. They call her bloodthirsty, mad, a "female Caligula." People were killed under her rule—lots of them, and cruelly. But "madness" doesn't tell the whole story. Ranavalona was a canny political leader, protecting her kingdom from the insurrection of imperialism for her entire 33-year reign... at any cost. 

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The Archduke Rudolf, heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, retreated to his hunting lodge in Mayerling with his teenage lover in 1889 to enact a gristly suicide pact in an event both stranger and more tragic than it appears at first blush.

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Katherine Parr was Henry VIII's sixth wife.

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Catherine Howard was Henry VIII's fifth wife.

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Anne of Cleves was Henry VIII's fourth wife.

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Jane Seymour was Henry VIII's third wife.

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Anne of Boleyn was Henry VIII's second wife.

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Catherine of Aragon was Henry VIII's first wife.

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During a post-wedding detour in Denmark, James VI of Scotland learned of the evils of witches, and he brought his anti-witch fervor with him when he returned to Scotland.

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In 7th-century China, Wu Zetian went from low-tiered concubine to Empress and then, finally, to Emperor in her own right. Her legacy is murky and strange, and her rise to power is trickled with blood. 

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Catherine the Great, Russia's most famous Empress, wasn't born in Russia—she was a minor German princess engaged to the future Emperor. But less than a year after her husband ascended to the Russian throne, Catherine overthrew him in a coup with the help of her lover in one of the most extraordinary political maneuvers in history.

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She was born Charlotte of Belgium, before fate re-named her Carlota of Mexico. She and her husband were high-minded, idealistic imperialists, ready to forge their destiny on a new continent. But they were woefully unprepared for the reality that awaited them outside their palace walls. 

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Only days after he was deposed, King Ludwig II of Bavaria died in an apparent suicide. But was it murder? Or was it just the final act of a king who had gone mad with love and with passion, born into the wrong century?

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"The Queen's death must be dated from the Diamond Necklace Trial." The nation turned against Queen Marie Antoinette when she became an unwitting pawn in the most ambitious catfish in history.

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Bitterly lonely and abandoned by her family, Anna Ivanovna grew to hate love. And when she became the unlikely Empress of Russia she used her power to build an ice palace that was both a spectacle and a torture chamber. 

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The wedding between Margot of Valois and Henry of Navarre was meant to end religious fighting in France. It didn't.

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Lord Byron has become synonymous with the romantic, creative hero. But it may have been Lady Caroline Lamb, his most famous lover, who truly embodied the spirit of the age. Their romance led to blood, tears, fire, and pubic hair. Poets, am I right?

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The Marquise de Brinvilliers is a subject of operas and stories, a larger-than-life villainess who murdered her family with poison and almost got away with it. Almost.

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In the middle of the night on an otherwise quiet spring evening, Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, was attacked in his bedchamber by an assailant wielding a sword. The Duke survived, and in the chaotic aftermath, the household discovered the Duke's valet, dead by apparent suicide. But as the details of that night emerged, the story became murky. More questions than answers remain now to a murder mystery that will never be solved. 

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Arbella Stuart was a pawn her entire life—a possible successor to Queen Elizabeth I and a valuable marriage prospect to be dangled before foreign princes. But when Arbella finally decided to take her life into her own hands, she ignited a series of events straight out of a Shakesperean tragedy.

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When King George IV died, his obituary in The Times read: “There never was an individual less regretted by his fellow-creatures than this deceased king." But even George IV once fell in love. 

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The same day Queen Liliuokalani proposed a new constitution for Hawaii that would restore power to the monarchy and grant native Hawaiians the right to vote in elections, a group of white businessmen met at a law office in Honolulu, and hatched a plan that would change the course of nations.

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King George V and Tsar Nicholas II were first cousins who looked so much alike that people often jokingly called them twins. When one cousin's crown came under threat, the other had a decision to make. 

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An Australian man comes to England claiming to be a long-lost heir thought dead in a shipwreck. What happened next sparked a trial lasting 188 days—one of the longest in English history—and a scandal that captivated the Victorian public.

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By the time he was 17, Charles II was a prince in exile. When his father, the King of England, was beheaded, the country became a protectorate without a monarch. But Charles was willing to sacrifice whatever (and whoever) it took to win his crown back.

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In 1793, the infamous Marie Antoinette was moved to the Conciergerie in Temple Prison. A woman who became synonymous with indulgence spent her final months with almost no personal possessions, separated from her children, awaiting her imminent death.

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Your first sneak peek of Noble Blood, a brand new podcast from executive producer Aaron Mahnke and iHeart Podcasts. Join author Dana Schwartz on a narrative tour of history's most fascinating royals: the tyrants and the tragic, the murderers and the murdered, and everyone in between. But be warned: when you’re wearing a crown, mistakes often mean blood. Learn more at NobleBloodTales.com

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