The History of English Podcast

Episode 159: Elizabethan Voices

In 1569, an English scholar named John Hart published a manuscript called ‘An...

• 0
• 0
• 1 month

Episode 158: Planting Seeds

In the mid-1500s, England attempted to expand its influence in Ireland by establishing...

• 1
• 0
• 3 months

Episode 157: Highlands, Lowlands and Netherlands

During the first decade of the reign of Elizabeth I, Protestants in Scotland and the Netherlands...

• 0
• 0
• 4 months

Episode 156: Beggars, Cheats and Thieves

In the 1500s, England saw a significant rise in the number of beggars and vagabonds. Those who...

• 1
• 0
• 5 months

Episode 155: Back to Basics

In the 1553, Mary Tudor became the first queen to rule England as the head of the government. She...

• 0
• 0
• 6 months

Episode 155: Back to Basics

In the 1553, Mary Tudor became the first queen to rule England as the head of the government. She...

• 1
• 0
• 6 months

Episode 154: English Equality

By the mid-1500s, scholars were becoming more confident in ability of English to express...

• 0
• 0
• 7 months

Episode 153: Zombie Letters

In early Modern English, writers and printers began to revise the spelling of many English words...

• 0
• 0
• 8 months

Episode 152: As the Saying Goes

John Heywood was a playwright and poet who made two important contributions to the history of...

• 0
• 0
• 9 months

Episode 151: Sick to Death

During the reign of Henry VIII, medical books and herbals proved to be some of the most popular...

• 0
• 0
• 10 months

Episode 150: A Capital Offense

In the 1530s, Henry VIII declared himself to be the ‘Supreme Head’ of the Church of...

• 0
• 0
• 11 months

Episode 149: Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

In the years following Martin Luther’s protest against the Catholic Church, small fractures...

• 0
• 0
• 12 months

Episode 148: A Marital Union

In the early 1500s, a series of marriages between European royal families re-shaped the face of...

• 1
• 0
• 1 year

Episode 148: A Marital Union

In the early 1500s, a series of marriages between European royal families re-shaped the face of...

• 0
• 0
• 1 year

Episode 147: A Rude and Rusty Language

The European Renaissance provided a transition to the early modern era by looking back to the...

• 2
• 0
• 1 year

Episode 146: A Brand New World

In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue. The voyage marked the beginning of the European...

• 0
• 0
• 1 year

Episode 145: A Sea Change for Europe

The period of European exploration and discovery began in the 1400s as part of an effort to find...

• 0
• 1
• 1 year

Episode 144: A Murder of Crows and Princes

In the second half of the 1400s, there is written evidence of word play and new word formations...

• 0
• 0
• 1 year

Bonus Episode: Chaucer’s Purse and the Great Vowel Shift

In this bonus episode of the regular podcast, we explore the effects of the Great Vowel Shift on...

• 0
• 0
• 1 year

Episode 143: The Great Vowel Shift (Part 3)

In this final episode about the sound changes associated with the Great Vowel Shift, we explore...

• 0
• 0
• 1 year