We’re joined by historian, author, and podcaster Adam Pennington for an in-depth conversation on power, lineage, and survival in Tudor England.

Adam is the creator and host of "The Tudor Chest" website and podcast series, where he brings a fresh and thoughtful perspective to one of history’s most dramatic periods. He is also the author of the highly praised Henry VIII and the Plantagenet Poles: The Rise and Fall of a Dynasty, which examines the perilous fate of the Pole family during the reign of Henry VIII.

In this discussion, we examine how the Poles came to be viewed as a serious threat to the Tudor crown, resulting in the Exeter Conspiracy and the execution of eight individuals, along with twelve arrests. We also take a closer look at one of the most shocking moments of the period: the brutal execution of Margaret Pole.

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Bishop John Fisher was one of the most respected minds of Tudor England. He was also one of the very few men who dared to say “no” to King Henry VIII. Rising quickly through a series of early successes, Fisher became Bishop of Rochester, where he openly opposed the king’s divorce from Catherine of Aragon and refused to take the Oath of Supremacy, which named the king as the Supreme Head of the Church of England. His defiance led to imprisonment in the Tower of London and beheading in 1535. Fisher’s story is one of moral courage and the high personal cost of standing firm in one’s beliefs.

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Mary Hamilton was a young woman of Scottish descent who rose to prominence in the Russian court of Peter the Great. Serving as a lady-in-waiting to Empress Catherine I, Mary appeared to have a life worth envying. But behind the elegance of court life, she harbored dark and dangerous secrets.

Set in early 18th-century Russia, this episode examines how power, gender, and fear shaped justice under Peter the Great. While Mary Hamilton’s choices carried deadly consequences, her public execution became one of the most shocking and haunting scandals of the Romanov era.

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