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PODCAST

Difficult Damsels

Difficult Damsels is an amateur podcast, brought to you by two ridiculous humans, that explores the difficult damsels throughout history who said “f💋ck this” and broke out of their preordained roles as meek and obedient to be their most authentic selves. Your hosts Rachel and Kat delve into what it means to be a difficult damsel and just how these women changed history only to be labeled witch, mad, crazy because they dared to rise against societal and patriarchal norms and change their world!

history

All Episodes

01:47:57

43. Queen Elizabeth I - Part 3 Gloriana

Difficult Damsels ·

2022/09/28

As Elizabeth settled into her reign as queen, she quickly learned to master the art of traversing the treacherous world of courtly politics at home in England as well as France and Spain. Despite this carefully crafted persona, her throne was never completely safe. As religious strife escalated across Europe between Catholics and Protestants, the conflict hit closer to home when a certain Scottish Queen stumbled onto English shores amidst scandal and rebellion. And now it’s up to Elizabeth to

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01:27:27

42. Queen Elizabeth I - Part 2 The Virgin Queen

Difficult Damsels ·

2022/09/14

Upon ascending the throne of England, Elizabeth was faced with two very pressing issues: reverting England back to Protestantism and getting herself a husband. Finding herself in the very unique position of having her pick of suitors, Elizabeth frustrated her counselors by refusing to marry or name an heir. Thus, the Virgin Queen is born – though we learn the moniker is a bit deceptive. As it turns out, Elizabeth had many suitors, none more prevalent in her life than the roughish and just out of

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01:49:46

41. Queen Elizabeth I - Part 1 Becoming Elizabeth

Difficult Damsels ·

2022/08/31

Elizabeth Tudor was never supposed to be Queen. The daughter of Henry VIII and his second and most notorious wife, Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth was born amidst religious and political turmoil in England. Join us for the origin story of Elizabeth I. Before she was the Virgin Queen and Gloriana, she’d been an illegitimate princess used as a pawn to prop up the ambitions of the unscrupulous men around her. This story has it all: lecherous old men, terrible fathers, annoying brothers, formidable sisters

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01:23:41

40. Difficult Damsels: House of Dragons Edition

Difficult Damsels ·

2022/08/17

It is said that whenever a Targaryen is born the gods flip a coin and the world waits to see how it will land: the side of greatness or the side of madness. In this episode, we discuss the upcoming show, House of the Dragon, and the many new difficult damsels we are looking forward to meeting. At the center of the drama is Rhaenyra Targaryen – a woman whose coin teeters on the edge of greatness and madness. We also delve into the real life parallels between Rhaenyra and Empress Matilda, who was

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01:38:02

39. Mary Tudor - Queen of England

Difficult Damsels ·

2022/06/15

Mary is one of the more notorious monarchs on record, due in large part to her relentless persecution of Protestants earning her the moniker of “Bloody Mary.” But was this reputation earned? Mary’s brutality was not unique to the 16th century, but the lens of history loves to vilify women for doing the same things their male counterparts do. Mary’s reign is chalk full of religious upheaval and reform in England. Following the death of Henry VIII (good riddance!), England had two religions

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01:37:20

38. Mary, Queen of Scots - Part III

Difficult Damsels ·

2022/06/01

In the conclusion of Mary’s story, we discuss one of history’s most exaggerated rivalries between the Queen of Scots and the Queen of England. After the Scottish noble families turn on their queen, Mary flees Scotland for England where she hopes to find sanctuary from her cousin, Elizabeth. We discover that Mary was in fact much more difficult than we originally gave her credit for . . . much to her own detriment. In the end, all roads have led Mary to her infamous fate, a block that awaits her head

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01:39:30

37. Mary, Queen of Scots - Part II

Difficult Damsels ·

2022/05/18

Following the death of her first husband, Mary returns home and finds a less than warm reception in Scotland. Considered a foreigner in her own native country and, worse yet, a Catholic Queen in a recently converted Protestant country, Mary had an uphill battle to fight. Fortunately for our Mary, Queen of Scots, Europe is full of eligible bachelors and she gets her pick of the lot! Unfortunately for Mary, she chose Lord Darnley, who we can all agree was the literal worst. Join us for a tale of

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01:30:03

36. Mary, Queen of Scots - Part I

Difficult Damsels ·

2022/05/04

Mary, Queen of Scots might be one of the most popular and well-known monarchs in Scottish history, but who was she really? Orphaned and the new Scottish Queen by the absurdly young age of six days old, Mary was marked by tragedy right from the start. From Henry VIII’s “Rough Wooing” of Scotland to Mary’s early years in France under the watchful eyes of her powerful Guise uncles and her headstrong mother-in-law, Catherine de’ Medici, Mary outshines her perpetually sickly and sniveling French

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01:43:40

35. The Lesser Evil

Difficult Damsels ·

2022/03/30

Dear Listener, we present you with a special episode about a tale of morality, power and petty letters to old lovers who have vexed us. In this relaxed episode Rachel and Kat discuss one of their favorite fantasy series and the nuanced women (and men) that make up the world of The Witcher. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/difficultdamsels/support

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01:38:41

34. Jeanne d’Albret (Jeanne the Queen!)

Difficult Damsels ·

2022/03/16

Jeanne refused . . . that is all. We’ve discussed the French Wars of religion through Catherine de Medici’s own story and that of the Catholics. Now let’s flip it and reverse it, taking a look at the conflict through Jeanne d’Albret Queen of Navarre’s eyes and the side of the Protestants. Trust us, you won’t be disappointed! From an 11-year-old bride kicking and screaming down the aisle to the obstinate Queen of Navarre with an alliance and marriage offer for her son that sounds a little too good

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01:39:04

33. Catherine de’ Medici - Part IV:

Difficult Damsels ·

2022/03/02

It is said that Catherine de’ Medici had dreams that came true and there was one in particular that haunted her throughout her family’s reign over the French Kingdom. In the final episode of our four-part series, Rachel and Kat discuss the fall of the Valois dynasty, thus fulfilling the prophetic dream Catherine fought so hard to prevent. But before the fall, we have more family drama, more awkward carriage rides following failed attempted coups and more people ignoring warnings about attempted

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01:50:59

32. Catherine de’ Medici - Part III

Difficult Damsels ·

2022/02/16

Every villain has an origin story and this is where the Wicked and Evil Italian Queen is made: Catherine de Medici’s evolution from powerless pawn and scorned wife to master manipulator and Regent of France beside her son, King Charles, has been rife with religious unrest. The French Wars of Religion between the Catholics and the Huguenots has ramped up and, even with a union of Protestant and Catholic royalty on the horizon, Catherine’s own precarious strategizing will inevitably be her downfall

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01:47:57

31. Catherine de’ Medici - Part II

Difficult Damsels ·

2022/02/02

The saga of Catherine de Medici continues with the death of Francis I and the ascension of Henry II and Catherine to King and Queen of France. Sidelined once again while her husband’s focus remained on his mistress, Diane de Poitier and the overly ambitious Guise family her father-in-law warned him about, Catherine could do little but sit quietly and bide her time. After a series of unfortunate events and more of Henry ignoring the sage advice of those around him, Catherine was left widowed and

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01:30:00

30. Catherine de' Medici - Part I

Difficult Damsels ·

2022/01/19

Orphaned at just 21 days old, Catherine de Medici’s early life was every bit the storybook damsel tale. As the pawn of a wealthy Italian merchant family, she set off from Italy to marry her young husband, the future King Henry II of France. This strictly political match was intended to tie the Papacy in Rome and the wealth of the Medici family to the noble blood of France. But, thanks to a series of unfortunate events, Catherine suddenly found herself penniless and friendless in a foreign court. The

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01:18:15

29. Fear is the mind killer

Difficult Damsels ·

2022/01/05

In this relaxed episode we drink champagne, eat Dill Pickle Kettle Chips and chat about our love for Dune and a new dawn of fantasy and sci-fi in film and television. Come get nerdy with us in the new year. We may just throw in some Therapy Treehouse sessions in for you free of charge as well! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/difficultdamsels/support

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01:20:23

28. Teuta of Illyria

Difficult Damsels ·

2021/12/22

In the 3rd century BCE, aggressive expansionism is the game. Rome defeats Carthage in the First Punic War, the Gauls are pushing further into new territories while actively avoiding the Greeks and the Ardiaei of Illyria are at the height of their power under the rule of their king, Agron. When King Agron dies, his wife Teuta picks up the mantel of her late husband’s expansionism. While her naval forces push to unify the Illyrian tribes along the Adriatic’s eastern coast, Illyrian pirates –

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01:08:51

27. Sayyida al-Hurra

Difficult Damsels ·

2021/12/08

Continuing with our theme of pirate queens, we take you back to the early 16th century in Northern Africa where we take a closer look at the life and reign of Sayyida al Hurra, the last woman in Islamic history to hold the title al-Hurra or Queen. After fleeing the Reconquista in Spain, Sayyida’s family would settle in Northern Africa as refugees. As they worked to unite their fellow refugees to create a unified Morocco, an informal navy of privateers assembled to serve up revenge against the

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01:21:12

26. Ching Shih

Difficult Damsels ·

2021/11/24

Ching Shih, who lived and pillaged in the China Sea during the Qing Dynasty, has been called the most successful pirate in history (No, seriously! Google it!). A former prostitute from a floating brothel in the city of Canton, Ching Shih wed Cheng I, a fearsome pirate by family trade, and together they worked to unify the pirate bands against the Chinese and Portuguese Navy. At the height of her pirating days, Ching Shih commanded over 1,800 pirate ships, and an estimated 80,000 men – more than

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01:23:33

25. Guilia Tofana & La Voisin

Difficult Damsels ·

2021/11/10

In a very special spooooky 2-for-1 Samhain episode, Rachel and Kat – along with a special guest – introduce two of history’s deadliest poisoners. Operating in the 17th century, Guilia Tofana and La Voisin had the men of Italy and France glancing over their shoulders and terrified of their soup (and the perfume!). Whether it was offering disenfranchised women an escape from their abusive marriages or providing noblewomen alternative means to secure an inheritance, both women created an elaborate

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01:13:34

24. Olga of Kiev

Difficult Damsels ·

2021/10/27

If ever there was a woman you did NOT want to mess with during the Medieval Ages, it was Olga of Kiev. Venerated as a saint within the Russian Orthodox Church and recalled as a vengeful and deadly Viking Princess by ancient Russian and Slavic chroniclers, the story of Olga has perplexed historians for over 1000 years. Was she a sinner or a saint? A clever strategist amidst the chessboard of Kievan Rus politics or a blood thirsty heathen without scruples, hellbent on avenging her brutally murdered

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