
Hortense Mancini: It Girl of Restoration England
2025-12-24 | 1h 52 mins.
Hortense Mancini was the It Girl of 17th-century France, then put on a pair of pants and ran away from her awful husband. She then became It Girl in exile around the European continent, finally winding up in London as mistress to the Merry Monarch, Charles II. And then her life really began, as for the next two decades she hosted an influential salon in London. Author and historian Annalisa Nicholson has two new books out about Hortense's life, especially her salon era. She joins us to celebrate the life of this underrated, iconic woman. Watch this episode as a video. Listen to the 2023 Vulgar History miniseries about Hortense Mancini here. Read Annalisa's book about Hortense's salon for free online. And buy Annalisa's book of Hortense's letters here! (affiliate link) — Preorder info for Ann's upcoming book, Rebel of the Regency! — Get 15% off all the gorgeous jewellery and accessories at common.era.com/vulgar or go to commonera.com and use code VULGAR at checkout — Get Vulgar History merch at vulgarhistory.com/store (best for US shipping) and vulgarhistory.redbubble.com (better for international shipping) — Support Vulgar History on Patreon — Vulgar History is an affiliate of Bookshop.org, which means that a small percentage of any books you click through and purchase will come back to Vulgar History as a commission. Use this link to shop there and support Vulgar History. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rachel: The One-Named Jewish Actress And Her Many, Many Lovers (revisited)
2025-12-17 | 1h 56 mins.
For this year's Hanukkah special, we're revisiting the timeless saga of RACHEL, the Jewish actress so iconic she needed only one name. It's so interesting to look at her story again after the French Revolution series, because it shows that Market Ladies: The Next Generation were just as riot-happy as the original Sans-Culottes Squad. We're joined by Allison Epstein, our French Revolutionary history advisor, to discuss Rachel's (sexual) Napoleon complex, and all the revolutions that she lived through. When we recorded this, Allison's book Fagin the Thief was not yet for sale. But now it is!! Get a copy of Allison's book Fagin the Thief (affiliate link) — Preorder info for Ann's upcoming book, Rebel of the Regency! — Get 15% off all the gorgeous jewellery and accessories at common.era.com/vulgar or go to commonera.com and use code VULGAR at checkout — Get Vulgar History merch at vulgarhistory.com/store (best for US shipping) and vulgarhistory.redbubble.com (better for international shipping) — Support Vulgar History on Patreon — Vulgar History is an affiliate of Bookshop.org, which means that a small percentage of any books you click through and purchase will come back to Vulgar History as a commission. Use this link to shop there and support Vulgar History. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mary Shelley's Scandalous Sister, Claire Clairmont (Revisited)
2025-12-10 | 1h 27 mins.
We're in our Regency Era and just finished Mary Shelley Month, and Claire Clairmont REFUSES TO BE IGNORED. We're revisiting the story of this iconic woman, whose story feels even more meaningful now that we've learned about her (kind of) stepmother Mary Wollstonecraft, as well as more about the Regency Era in which Claire made her mark. Plus, our guest Lesley McDowell's book Clairmont is now available in North America!! (It wasn't when we first recorded this a bit ago). Click here to buy the Clairmont eBook. (aff link) — Preorder info for Ann's upcoming book, Rebel of the Regency! — Get 15% off all the gorgeous jewellery and accessories at common.era.com/vulgar or go to commonera.com and use code VULGAR at checkout — Get Vulgar History merch at vulgarhistory.com/store (best for US shipping) and vulgarhistory.redbubble.com (better for international shipping) — Support Vulgar History on Patreon — Vulgar History is an affiliate of Bookshop.org, which means that a small percentage of any books you click through and purchase will come back to Vulgar History as a commission. Use this link to shop there and support Vulgar History. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Regency Era and Consent
2025-12-03 | 1h 6 mins.
Ever since the novel was invented, women have used it as a platform for sharing ideas about sexual consent. In her new book Courting Disaster: Reading Between the Lines of the Regency Novel, Dr. Zoë McGee reveals how Jane Austen and other women writers from this time used their stories to try to change society's mind about rape culture - and to reassure survivors they were not alone. Zoë joins us today to talk about how her research revealed a quiet feminist movement that still resonates today. Because every novel about marriage is also a novel about consent. Buy a copy of Courting Disaster (affiliate link) — Preorder info for Ann's upcoming book, Rebel of the Regency! — Get 15% off all the gorgeous jewellery and accessories at common.era.com/vulgar or go to commonera.com and use code VULGAR at checkout — Get Vulgar History merch at vulgarhistory.com/store (best for US shipping) and vulgarhistory.redbubble.com (better for international shipping) — Support Vulgar History on Patreon — Vulgar History is an affiliate of Bookshop.org, which means that a small percentage of any books you click through and purchase will come back to Vulgar History as a commission. Use this link to shop there and support Vulgar History. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thomas Jefferson, Monticello, and America's 250th Anniversary
2025-11-27 | 58 mins.
It's (American) Thanksgiving, so here's a special American History episode! In this, you can hear my discussion with Dr. Jane Kamensky, President and CEO of Monticello/The Thomas Jefferson Foundation. We talk about how Monticello strives to continually engage visitors with the complex history of enslavement, how Monticello honours Sally Hemings, how Monticello plans to celebrate America's upcoming 250th anniversary, and also we learn answers to burning questions like: is Monticello haunted?? And: can you get mac and cheese there? Learn more about Monticello at monticello.org Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices



Vulgar History: Regency Era