The Scandalous Royal Mistress Who Ruled France
Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society
10/03/25
•37m
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Is this strangest threesome in royal history?!
We're endlessly fascinated with the lives of royal mistresses, and this has to be one of the most notorious.
It takes place in 16th century France between Henry II, his wife Catherine de Medici and his much older mistress, Diane de Poitiers.
How does this three-way power dynamic play out, inside and outside the bedroom? And how does Diane claim more power than the Queen?
Joining Kate is the fantastic historian and author, Estelle Paranque, to take us back to this time and fill us in on the details.
This episode was edited by Tom Delargy and produced by Sophie Gee. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.
Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.
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All music from Epidemic Sounds.
Betwixt the Sheets: History of Sex, Scandal & Society is a History Hit podcast.
Voting is now open for the Listener's Choice Award at this year's Podcast Awards! UK & Ireland listeners please place your vote on the Spotify mobile app here: https://open.spotify.com/s/xhg6PJa
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Previous Episode
Inside The 18th Century Brothel Ship
September 30, 2025
•37m
Why did a British ship carry over 200 women to Australia in the late 18th century? In this episode, we are going inside the Lady Juliana, a convict transportation ship.
What crimes were these women being punished for? What was life like on the ship? And why was it called a 'floating brothel'?
Our guest, Siân Rees, is the author of ‘The Floating Brothel: The extraordinary true story of an 18th-century ship and its cargo of female convicts’.
This episode was edited by Tom Delargy and produced by Sophie Gee. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.
Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.
You can take part in our listener survey here.
All music from Epidemic Sounds.
Betwixt the Sheets: History of Sex, Scandal & Society is a History Hit podcast.
Voting is now open for the Listener's Choice Award at this year's Podcast Awards! UK & Ireland listeners please place your vote on the Spotify mobile app here: https://open.spotify.com/s/xhg6PJa
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Next Episode
Inside Imperial Japan's Brothels
October 7, 2025
•50m
After the first licensed brothel opened in the 17th century, how was sex work thought of in Japan throughout the following centuries?
From the brothels in the pleasure quarters, to the rise and popularity of male sex workers and where geishas fit into the picture, Kate is joined by Elizabeth Lublin to explore this world.
This episode was edited by Tim Arstall and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.
Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.
You can take part in our listener survey here.
All music from Epidemic Sounds.
Betwixt the Sheets: History of Sex, Scandal & Society is a History Hit podcast.
Voting is now open for the Listener's Choice Award at this year's Podcast Awards! UK & Ireland listeners please place your vote on the Spotify mobile app here: https://open.spotify.com/s/xhg6PJa
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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