Bloody Mary

Bloody Mary

From Dan Snow's History Hit by History Hit

April 30, 2026 · 49 min · Episode 1786

About this episode

This episode revisits the reign of Mary Tudor, exploring her legacy and challenging the perception of her as a ruthless tyrant.

In 1553, Mary Tudor became the first woman to sit on the English throne - a reign of just five years, that history has remembered almost exclusively through the lens of her enemies. But today, we revisit the story of "Bloody Mary" to ask: was she really a ruthless tyrant? Joining us is Professor Kate Williams, a historian and broadcaster who specialises in Royal history. She unpacks Mary's life from start to finish and reveals the real Mary Tudor. Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Matthew Wilson. We need your help! Let us know what you want from Dan Snow's History Hit by filling in our anonymous survey here: https://forms.gle/PvgayWLkWGjYT4St6 Dan Snow's History Hit is now available on YouTube! Check it out at: https://www.youtube.com/@DSHHPodcast 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 also email the podcast directly at ds.hh@historyhit.com . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

People in this episode

Host: Dan Snow

Guest: Professor Kate Williams

Topics covered

  • Mary Tudor
  • Bloody Mary
  • Royal history
  • English throne
  • historical analysis

Keywords

  • Bloody Mary
  • Mary Tudor
  • history
  • royalty
  • Professor Kate Williams

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: History Hit, Acast, YouTube

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