Episode 27: Romanova P2 (OTMA)

In 1878 archeologists were conducting expansive excavations on the island of Björkö in Sweden. A millennia before, this quiet spot had been a bustling port of international trade and one of the last bastions of Norse paganism in Viking culture. As they worked, the researchers soon uncovered a massive tomb, filled with weaponry. It was the final resting place of a great warrior and military leader, whose bones (greatly degraded) were discovered in the center of the tomb.

In an age before DNA testing, the quickest way to determine the gender of a Viking grave was by observing the items contained in the tomb. Jewelry = the tomb of a woman and weapons = the tomb of a man (or warrior). In 1878 and for over a century afterward, it was taken for granted that the great warrior in Björkö was a man. Until a new study and DNA testing were undertaken in 2017... the results of which, would turn our assumptions of the Viking world on its head.

The Tudors may be one of Western history's most well-known families. Their real-life traumas, dramas, and intrigues still inspire plot lines in popular media today. One of the often overlooked members of this family is Mary Tudor, the youngest daughter of Henry VII.

Although her story has been the inspiration for many a romance novel (she famously married for love rather than power) these fanciful tales fail to capture the character of the real woman. Mary Tudor was more than a swooning damsel. She was self-assured, determined, and fiercely loyal to those she loved. She may have also been the only person in England who would dare to defy the fearsome Henry VIII, her dearest big brother.

Another release from the Patreon vault!

At its height, the Roman Empire stretched across the regions of what today makes up most of Western Europe, portions of Eastern Europe and West Asia, down into the Middle East, and across northern Africa. And at the farthest western reach of that great Empire was the island of Britannia.

But in 60/61 CE, the unquestionable might of Rome was nearly upended by a band of rebellious tribes at the edge of the empire. This violent uprising would leave three Roman cities in ruins and thousands dead. The rebellion was eventually quashed, its leaders annihilated, and considering the war lasted one year, it should have been only a footnote in history. Instead, it captured the attention and imagination of chroniclers, rulers and historians across the world and down the generations.

In part because this fierce and bloody rebellion was led by a woman: Boudica, Queen of the Iceni. Her name and her life have become the stuff of legends.

TW: Discussion of SA

Something a little different for you this month... I'm releasing what was originally my first Patreon-exclusive episode, Rosa Parks P3. If you need a refresher on Parts 1 and 2, just scroll back to 2022 and give those episodes a listen. Otherwise, let's dive into the conclusion of this incredible story:

The name Rosa Parks will be forever linked to the early years of the American Civil Rights Movement, particularly in the Deep South.  But she would spend more than half of her life living in Detroit, fighting against the racist policies and oppressive systems that were often overlooked and downplayed in the North.

In the decade following WW2 Parks, like many other African Americans, would flee racial violence in the South. Heading north, searching for the opportunity of a better way of life. What many of them would find was the same systems of segregation and degradation they had hoped to leave behind.

Rosa would refer to Detroit as "The northern promised land that wasn't." But she would meet these challenges head-on, with the same grit and quiet determination that had made her famous in Montgomery.

Part 2 and conclusion of my Nur Jahan series. We pick up right where we left off:

The year is 1608 and 31-year-old Mihr-un-Nissa has arrived in the capital of Agra. Recently widowed, she and her daughter will join the royal harem of Emperor Jahangir. But her place here is far from certain. Her late husband died a suspected traitor, her brother was also executed for treason, and her father has been imprisoned under suspicion of being the same.

But, unlike the mostly sheltered women of the harem, Mirh was a woman of the world. Her noble upbringing, combined with her years in the untamed region of Bengal, had molded her into a woman of cunning intellect and unflinching boldness. She would soon climb high in the Emperor's affections, becoming his 20th (yet most beloved) wife. Within a few years of their marriage, Jahangir would raise her status from consort to co-regent. Crowned with a new name: Nur Jahan (Light of the World), ruled as Empress of Hindustan.

In the winter of 1577 a great comet lit up the skies across the globe. Scholars of the age from every kingdom, pondered what omen this celestial body might portend. Meanwhile, in a caravan camp along the road outside of Kandahar, a young refugee couple would welcome their fourth child. A daughter, whom they named Mihr-un-Nisa, meaning Sun of Women.

The family was making their way to the Mughal-ruled empire of Hindustan (India). Despite their refugee status they were of the noble ruling class of Persia and would find themselves welcomed in the court of Emperor Akbar.

Hindustan of the late 16th and early 17th centuries was a land of wealth, power, philosophy and art. Nurtured by a ruler who embraced curiosity and rejected orthodoxy, the culture of Hindustan had become a melting pot, welcoming travelers and transplants from the East and West. It was also a land of strict moral codes, gendered segregation and violent retributions to those who stepped too far out of line. This is the world that would shape Mihr (Nur Jahan) into the woman she would one day become...

In 1931 Hattie McDaniel arrived in Los Angeles with only a few dollars in her pocket. After over a decade of singing in jazz clubs and touring the vaudeville circuit, she was ready to try her hand in the booming film industry.

Already familiar with the prejudices and limitations placed on black entertainers, McDaniel was well-equipped to navigate the expectations of white Hollywood, and quickly found herself booking featured parts. Then, in 1939, her fame would be catapulted to new heights when she was cast in one of the most anticipated films of all time.

From there, Hattie would ascend to the heights of critical acclaim and popularity. But her rise would come at a steep cost to her reputation, health and career. Leaving behind a legacy that is as profound as it is complex.

Before MGM, the Oscars, and fame, Hattie McDaniel was a struggling stage actress and singer. 

The daughter of a Union soldier, her family endeavored to find a better way of life in the aftermath of the Civil War. But injustice, poverty, and discrimination hindered them at every turn. Amid the strife and uncertainty of their youth, the McDaniel children would find salvation through performance.

As a black woman, strict societal standards regulated every facet of her life. But up on the stage, Hattie found the freedom to express her desires, anger, heartache, and laughter. 

Since its founding, the city of Alexandria had been the pinnacle of wisdom in the ancient world. A beacon of knowledge and research, it boasted the largest library the world had ever seen and attracted the greatest scholars of every generation.

But in the spring of 415 CE, a brutal slaying would irrevocably shatter this pristine image, when the city's leading philosopher was dragged through the streets and murdered by a mob of enraged fanatics.

This tragedy, and the events leading up to it, would lay bare the deep divides that threatened to tear the city apart. A clash of religions and social castes would culminate in the death of the woman who had dedicated her life to keeping the city whole.

The third and final chapter of my Caterina Sforza series! We follow our heroine through the final trials and tribulations of her life: 

After nearly losing herself to vengeance in the aftermath of her second husband's murder, she will find redemption through acts of service. Eventually, she will learn to love and learn to grieve all over again. With unflinching nerve, she will withstand continued plots against her family, another foreign invasion, and the desertion of those who were supposed to be her closest allies.

Abandoned and left to her fate, she will nonetheless face her destiny with the strength and resolve that made the Sforza name famous. Her refusal to submit will lead her toe-to-toe in a final showdown with the 'Antichrist' himself.