Women Behaving Badly: Tudor Style

Women Behaving Badly: Tudor Style

From Tudors Dynasty & Beyond by RedTop Media / Rebecca Larson

April 19, 2026 · 1h 3m

About this episode

The episode explores how history has judged women in the Tudor era who behaved outside societal norms.

Welcome back to Off the Record ! Today, Amy and I dive into women “behaving badly”…or at least, that’s how history chose to remember them. And yes—we’re fully aware that women were judged by a very different standard than men. From alleged husband-murdering, to sharp-tongued insults, to a mother refusing her son the money he demanded, and even a woman boldly owning an affair (and naming her son after her lover)…we unpack the stories behind the scandal. Were these women truly outrageous—or simply refusing to play by the rules? Let’s get into it. -- Margaret Wotton article: https://tudorsdynasty.com/margaret-wotton-unnatural-mother/ Book I mentioned: A Biographical Encyclopedia of Early Modern Englishwomen: Exemplary Lives and Memorable Acts, 1500-1650. -- Hosts: Rebecca Larson & Amy McElroy

People in this episode

Hosts: Rebecca Larson, Amy McElroy

Topics covered

  • Tudor history
  • women in history
  • scandalous women
  • gender standards
  • historical judgment

Keywords

  • Tudor
  • women
  • scandal
  • history
  • gender roles
  • Margaret Wotton

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: A Biographical Encyclopedia of Early Modern Englishwomen: Exemplary Lives and Memorable Acts, 1500-1650

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