Podcasts by Villains and Virgins History Podcast

Reformation Episode 2: Martin Luther, The Man Who Split Europe from 2023-10-25T03:15

In this episode we cover the unlikely journey of one young man from earnest Augustinian monk to rebel reformer.  Martin Luther ignited a firestorm of existing anti-clerical sentiment across Euro...

The Reformation Episode 1: John Wycliffe and the Middle Ages from 2023-07-10T16:33

What is the Protestant Reformation and why does it matter?  To begin to understand how thoroughly it has shaped Western Europe and North America we must travel back in time to see the world as i...

Ferdinand and Isabella: EP 5- Christopher Columbus and 1492 from 2023-01-11T15:48

1492 was a year that changed everything.  In Castile, it was the end of the Reconquista, as Isabella and Ferdinand ended a decade long war with a triumphant ride through the streets of Granada. ...

Ferdinand and Isabelle: EP4- The Spanish Inquisition from 2022-12-18T18:47

You have probably heard of the Spanish Inquisition, even if only from a certain Monty Python sketch.  The truth about why it was started and for what purpose will probably surprise you.  In this...

Ferdinand and Isabella: EP 3- Slavery, Slaughter and Stake-burning in the Reconquista from 2022-12-05T11:00

In this episode, our plucky and determined heroine discovers the mantle of religious warfare.  Isabella and Ferdinand respond to an attack on a Castilian city from Moorish forces.  This becomes ...

Ferdinand and Isabella: EP 2- Queen at Last from 2022-11-11T23:02

After a high risk secret marriage to Prince Ferdinand of Aragon, Isabella finds there is no easy path to gaining the crown of Castile.  An evil uncle, a civil war, and a heroic Portuguese flag b...

Ferdinand and Isabella: EP 1- The Crown of Castile from 2022-10-26T10:00

Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain are figures you may have heard of in passing, as the sponsors of Christopher Columbus.  The fact that Isabella's name is remembered in the same breath with Ferdin...

Operation Pied Piper: England's Darkest Hour from 2022-05-30T19:04

The remarkable story of the mass evacuation of Britain's children in the darkest days of WWII.  Britain, under Winston Churchill, faces aerial assault and imminent collapse.  This is a moment wh...

Henry VIII: Ep 5- A Tale of Two Queens from 2022-03-06T12:30:02

Henry VIII is dead, but he leaves behind an England that is forever changed by his Church of England legacy.  Two of his daughters, from very different mothers, will inherit the throne.  These two ...

Henry VIII: Ep 4- Fast and Furious, the Wives Edition from 2022-01-19T21:19:31

After the execution of Anne Boleyn, what is next for Henry VIII and for England?  A terrible jousting accident changes the king, and may be a hidden factor in his increasing ruthlessness.  The f...

Henry VIII: Ep 3- Off with her head! from 2021-12-21T21:39:19

This episode covers the sordid and sickeningly fast story of Anne Boleyn's fall from grace.  It has rumor, scandal, and a completely hilarious introduction to the codpiece.  This is also the mom...

Henry VIII: EP 2- Queen of Scandal from 2021-10-18T04:35:16

The woman who is blamed for turning Henry VIII from a most Catholic king into the one who separated Tudor England from the Catholic Church was a dark eyed stunner named Anne Boleyn.  This is the...

Henry VIII: The Accidental King from 2021-09-23T18:42:38

You may think you know all about Henry VIII, but the version of his life that gets passed around focuses on an obese maniac who married and divorced or beheaded quite a number of women.  There i...

Black Amazons: EP 4 The True History of the Dora Milaje from 2021-06-30T16:35:02

This episode uncovers the forgotten history of some of the most badass women you've never heard of.  The Kingdom of Dahomey in West Africa had all female army units who consistently fought bette...

Amazons: EP 3- Shirin and other stories from 2021-05-21T17:46:06

We know the Greek legends of the Amazons, but because the warrior women were real the Greeks were not the only ones telling stories about them.  In this episode we uncover legends of women fight...

Amazons: Ep 2-- Horse Tribes from 2021-05-11T16:32:58

The legends of the Amazons are based on real women who could ride, hunt, shoot bows, and fight.  In this episode we uncover the fascinating archaeological evidence on the horse tribes of the ste...

Amazons: Episode 1- The Legend from 2021-04-30T21:13:01

Stories of badass warrior women continue to fascinate us today, as they did the ancient Greeks.  In Greek stories the Amazons were a tribe of all female warriors who were formidable in combat an...

Warrior Queen: EP 3- Boudica's Revenge from 2021-03-13T18:05:20

After suffering horrifying violence and theft at the hands of the Romans, Boudica decides enough is enough.  This is the story of a woman who led a rebellion against Roman occupation, preferring...

Warrior Queen: Episode 2- Rebels and Romans from 2021-02-27T02:58:45

What happened when the Romans invaded Britain?  What did life under occupation look like for the native tribes?  In this episode we cover the Roman policies and projects that changed the face of...

Warrior Queen from 2021-02-06T20:52:23

What was Britain like before the Romans made contact?  The world of the Celts, with its wild blue Northerners, Druids, and sacrifices is painted here, setting the stage for one of the most aston...

War Games of the Steppe from 2021-01-14T17:06:12

Many fierce warrior tribes have emerged from the Eurasian Steppe, from the Huns to the Mongols and many others.  What made these people such effective fighters?  Learn about Mongolian wrestling,...

Attila the Hun- Episode 4: Blood on the Plains from 2020-12-17T16:36:49

In this final episode of our series, Attila takes a massive army and storms through western Europe to the gates of Orleans, in France.  The epic Battle of the Catalaunian Plains unfolds over two...

Attila the Hun- Episode 3: Attila and the Princess from 2020-11-29T18:30:17

In this episode we learn about Hunnish women and marriage practices.  A sex scandal breaks out in the Western Imperial Court, leading to pregnancy and execution.  A Roman princess makes a shocki...

Attila the Hun- Episode 2: The Emperor and the Barbarian from 2020-11-19T18:23:25

In this episode we see an imperial princess kidnapped, and an attempt to steal the Western Imperial throne goes wrong.  The Huns become famous for extortion and impalement.  An assassination plo...

Attila the Hun- Death from the Steppe from 2020-11-12T23:07:35

Attila the Hun still looms in our memory, though less and less is remembered about the man himself and the fierce people he led.  This episode introduces the Huns of history, paints the world th...

The Great Schism- Episode 4: The Rupture from 2020-09-09T17:21:25

After a century of scandal, a new Pope takes over in Rome.  Leo IX has sweeping plans for reform, and then gets taken prisoner by Norman warriors.  Meanwhile church controversies brew over every...

The Great Schism- Episode 3: Game of Thrones in the Vatican from 2020-09-02T14:15:30

A teenaged boy inherits the Papacy and the keys to Rome, and begins a career of wild partying.  John XII plays power games with dangerous military leaders, and attempts to backstab the most powe...

The Great Schism- Episode 2: House of Theophylact from 2020-08-19T15:55:02

Historians have called this period the "pornocracy".  Find out why in this episode, when the powerful and ambitious women of the House of Theophylact take over Rome and control the Papacy.  Sex,...

The Great Schism: Episode 1- Emperors and Popes from 2020-08-11T15:04:57

In 1054 an event occurred that split the Christian world.  It has never recovered.  In this mini series, we dive into the world before the Great Schism, to understand the forces that created the...

4: Salem Witch Trials --Trial and Terror from 2020-07-03T19:01:45

"Devil's marks would often be found 'in their secretest parts, and therefore require diligent and careful search'". The witch trials in Salem involved strip searching and inspecting the bodies o...

3. Salem Witch Trials- The Panic Begins from 2020-06-11T03:06:24

"What is the name of your demon lover?" "How many years have you been a witch?" These were the types of questions hurled at people accused of witchcraft in a small town in New E...

2. Salem Witch Trials- Burn the Witch! from 2020-06-11T03:04:38

"Innocent have I come into prison... innocent have I been tortured... innocent must I die. For whoever comes into the witch prison must ...be tortured until he invents something out of his head....

1. Salem Witch Trials: The Devil in the Old World from 2020-06-10T03:24:19

"Witchcraft comes from carnal lust, which is in women insatiable.” - from the Malleus Maleficarum, the 1486 witch manual.

Bodies swing from the gallows in the small town of Salem in New E...