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HistoryExtra podcast - Women killers of the early modern era
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Women killers of the early modern era

HistoryExtra podcast

03/19/25

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34m

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From true crime pamphlets to reports from the scaffold, early modern Britain was gripped by tales of women who killed. But were these cases as common as they seemed, or was something else at play? Speaking to Lauren Good, historian Blessin Adams explores the obsession with female murderers in this period, and what this tells us about historical attitudes to gender, justice and power.

(Ad) Blessin Adams is the author of Thou Savage Woman: Female Killers in Early Modern Britain (Harper Collins, 2025). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fthou-savage-woman%2Fblessin-adams%2F9780008500177.

The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine.

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Previous Episode

While the Suffragettes were fighting to win the vote, over in Germany, Rosa Luxemburg was focused on overthrowing the entire system. A committed Marxist revolutionary and a fervent advocate of internationalism, Luxemburg believed that true freedom lay beyond ‘bourgeois democracy’. Her sharp intellect and uncompromising stance made her a formidable force in the politics of early-20th century Europe. Mark Jones speaks to Danny Bird about Luxemburg’s extraordinary biography – from her rebellious youth and opposition to the First World War to her brutal execution in 1919.

The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Next Episode

Even if you're not a fan of classical music, chances are you will have heard Handel's Messiah. Going behind the scenes of its creation, Charles King delves into the shifting politics of the Hanoverian court, the sex scandals of London’s West End, and the surprising role of the transatlantic slave trade in financing the arts. Speaking to Elinor Evans, he reveals why, despite the complex circumstances of its creation, this legendary composition still resonates today.

(Ad) Charles King is the author of Every Valley: The Story of Handel’s Messiah (Bodley Head, 2024). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Every-Valley-Story-Handels-Messiah/dp/1847928455/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty.

The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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