Anyone seen 'She Wolves' on BBC4 (it's on Iplayer too).

[LRDtheFeministDragon]

It's about English queens.

www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01dpqtx/SheWolves_Englands_Early_Queens_Jane_Mary_and_Elizabeth/

I'm really enjoying it so far. The presenter has just had a look at the document Edward VI wrote to put Lady Jane Grey in the line of succession - it's amazing seeing his actual handwriting.

Thanks for the heads up on this LRD, watched it on iplayer yesterday, I thought it was a great programme. Seeing the actual succession document was quite chilling knowing what the outcome was for Jane.

It was, wasn't it?!

I thought it was a great programme too.

I wondered about Mary's 'pregnancies' though. The presenter just said it was a phantom pregnancy but I assume there's some guesswork. I think I read somewhere else (in a novel, not fact) that she had stomach cancer or something, but I don't remember details.

I find this a really interesting period of history. Mary and Elizabeth lived on a knife edge, being in/out of favour with the king, being bastardised, step mothers and all. Being a princess was definitely not plain sailing in those circumstances.

Just found this:
mary-tudor.blogspot.co.uk/2010/05/queen-marys-big-belly-phantom-pregnancy.html

Yep - great series and good book as well.

Have you seen the earlier programmes on Matilda and Eleanor of Aquitaine, Isabella of France and Margaret of Anjou?

tribpot no, didn't see the other programmes as I only just found out that is was on, they don't appear to be on iplayer.

The book is great, although I watched the series and felt it was a bit light on the various characters. They can only fit so much in one programme though!

I read a book called Queen's Consort, which was about each queen, going back to William the conqueror's queen, all the way through to Anne Neville. That was fabulous, little intro to each of them, including the obscure ones. I'd highly recommend that one as well.

I really enjoyed this series - you can see all the episodes on Youtube.

I am a Tudor nerd but I really loved the episodes with Matilda and Eleanor and Isabella and Margaret. Amazing woman, all.

Brilliant series. I've always been fascinated by Mary and Elizabeth but since watching these programmes I've looked more into Matilda and the other queens and have found them equally as interesting, if not more so. I'll always feel so sorry for poor Jane Grey, so young and so intelligent but helpless against the men in power.

I've got these recorded to watch when I can concentrate. Watched some of the Matilda ./ Eleanor one and thought the detail was pretty good.

Thanks for linking thi the iplayer - looks brilliant

It's repeated every now and then, I think this is its third showing - so I will try to remember to bump this thread when it's next on.

Ooh, it didn't occur to me to look on youtube. Thank you!

No problem :) There's quite a few history docs and stuff on there - I tend to listen to them while I'm at work, takes the edge off the crushing boredom on days when we're quiet :) David Starkey's Unknown Tudors is on there and a hilariously inaccurate series (well, the tudor episode anyway) The Kings and Queens of England that I think was on channel five once upon a time.

Ooh my mistake, it was on UKTV History and called The History of the Kings and Queens of England.

Oh thanks for the youtube links, I missed the first one and watched a bit of the second. I started reading She Wolves this week, actually I thought it was LRD who recommended it on the Richard III thread (I think) a while ago! Really enjoying it so far, although only have the 20 min commute to work in which to read at the moment.

I dont have the knowledge or passion that most of you have for history but reading these threads on mn has been amazing for me. I've got the Sunne in Splendour lined up to read next and then I have some Starkey tudor books to re-read. It's really opened up a genuine interest for me, it's been a long time since anything has really 'grabbed me' but I really want to find a History eveing class now!