Margaret Beaufort was a leading figure in the tumultuous Wars of the Roses and would go on to become the matriarch of the Tudor Dynasty.

Mother to Henry VII and a key player in bringing the Tudors to the throne, was Margaret a manipulative schemer as she has sometimes been portrayed, or instead a resilient survivor of trauma and decades of civil conflict?

To better understand Margaret in the context of her time, Curator Charles Farris is joined by historians Dr Joanna Laynesmith and Lauren Johnson, as they explore the power and perception of this 15th century matriarch.

On the 1st of Janurary, 1604, Hampton Court Palace hosted a performance by William Shakespeare's acting troupe, The King's Men. They were booked to perform for the new King of England, James VI of Scotland, and one of the plays that they chose was 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'.

What did it mean to be part of 'The King's Men'? How did Shakespeare's relationship with James VI and I shape his life and his plays?

In this episode, Curator Brett Dolman welcomes Dr Will Tosh to the Great Hall at Hampton Court, one of few surviving places where we can tread in Shakespeare's footsteps, to discuss the nature and impact of royal patronage on Jacobean theatre.

Read more about Shakespeare at Hampton Court Palace on our website.

Dive into the history of Shakespeare's 'Macbeth' and 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' with blogs from The Globe.

Buy Will Tosh's book 'Straight Acting: The Many Queer Lives of William Shakespeare' here.

Empress Matilda wielded an extraordinary amount of power during the period known as the Anarchy in the 12th century, yet she just missed out on being crowned the first queen regnant in England.

Originally chosen as heir for her abilities as a ruler, Matilda was determined to fight her cause when her throne was usurped by her cousin Stephen. But how was she viewed by contemporaries, and what is the legacy she left behind?

Join Curator Charles Farris, alongside Professors Louise Wilkinson and Elisabeth Van Houts, for an in depth look into how Matilda pushed the limits and possibilities of female power. Who was her counter-part – Queen Matilda, and how did these women conform to, or disrupt medieval expectations of Queenship?