The Story of London

185 Episoden

Chapter 181- Erotic Aliens (c.1450-1550) (Sex and the City: 2)
14.1.2026 | 57 Min.
The Story of London takes a brief break from the usual narrative, to examine the sudden spate of cross-dressing women who appeared in the records of the early Tudor London courts. Who were these women who dressed as men? Why did they do this? What insights does it give us into the mindset (and the sex lives) of London and Londoners?
A fascinating slice of Tudor London’s life…
Cover art includes a section of ‘Portrait of a boy’ by Piero di Cosimo, painted sometime in the 1490’s.
Chapter 180- Cornwall Attacks! (1497-1500)
07.1.2026 | 45 Min.
In 1497 a veritable army of about 15,000 men from Cornwall turned up in south London, intent on bringing violence to the City. What follows is a grand tale of the queen deliberately remaining in the city, the Aldermen arming themselves to the teeth, and the campaign that followed.
Along with this we examine three years where the King’s health took a sudden turn, the career of Perkin Warbeck came to a bloody end, trade CONTINUED to be a complicated mess for London’s merchants, and much more. From decaying public landmarks, to royal palaces burning to the ground, to the ritual of bloody executions, welcome to London here at the final years of the 15th Century.
Chapter 179- The Spectre of Perkin Warbeck (1493-1497)
31.12.2025 | 52 Min.
The events and odd circumstances regarding the strange royal pretender to the throne of England, Perkin Warbeck, are often overlooked, and dismissed, rightfully, as a minor footnote in the grand saga of the Tudor dynasty. However at the time, it reveals a regime in crisis- a crisis that was to force London to have a front row seat, and which started many themes that are going to repeat themselves in the cities story to come… the rise of the use of spies, Tudor entanglement in Ireland, complicated trade situations and above all, the Tudors using their family for political purposes, all really begin now in these few years, as London continued to annoy King Henry VII.

Cover shows detail of ‘Saint Sebastian’ by Lorenzo Costa, c.1490’s
Chapter 178- The Young Man from Cologne (1490-1493)
17.12.2025 | 59 Min.
In 1493 a young german found himself involved in what was a seemingly minor affair, caused by an incident with a young woman, and a slight sexual scandal. But this incident played out as London was seething with anti-German sentiment and anger; people were being laid off, wages were being cut, fortunes were suddenly being lost and because of the actions of a small bunch of powerful and great men 9and also the actions of a young con-man pretending to be the Duke of York), London was to find itself dealing with violent riots, armed men on the streets and an international incident on Thames Street!
Join us as we discover how a small incident involving a rich German merchant, a young female servant and her employer illustrates the growing conflict between King Henry VII and the City of London…
Cover includes a detail of ‘Portrait of a Man’ by Andrea Solari (c1490)
Chapter 177- ‘Doth comfort the heavy and troubled mind…’ (c.1490’s)
10.12.2025 | 56 Min.
The story returns for a brief moment outside the normal timeline to ask ourselves some crucial questions- here, at the start of the Tudor age, what was the prevailing mindset of the Londoners of the period? How did they conceptualise themselves and a world that was brutal compared to our own conditions? How did they fundamentally differ from people living today? An important set of questions because it will hopefully help explain everything that is to come.
A deep dive into attitudes towards health, diet, grief, alcohol, risk assessment and faith.
Cover shows a detail of ‘Venus and Mars’ by Sandro Botticelli, c.1485

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Über The Story of London

Welcome to The Story of London, a podcast dedicated to telling the history of London as a single narrative tale; from its birth until the present day.Each episode takes us along that tale, a chronicle of the most fascinating and vibrant city on Earth.There is a lot of content in here and each listener can enjoy it in a variety of ways. You can listen to an episode by itself for a slice of life from London’s past; or, if you have a favourite period of time you want to explore, find the era and follow the Chapters in that section.Or maybe you want to join us on the grand journey, starting at the beginning and following along? Whatever option, welcome to the chronological tale of this amazing place.The Story of London covers events as they happened, from the actions of the great and the good, down to those of the poor and marginalised. We try to be as historically precise as possible, sometimes stumbling upon little gems of history that change the way we see the past, and never take ourselves too seriously.Feel free to join us… new episodes every week.

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