Episodes

  • More Heads Will Roll: Executions Pt 2
    Apr 21 2025

    You thought the scaffold was silent after last time? Think again.

    In this follow-up to Heads Will Roll, we return to the blood-soaked stage of Tudor justice—where fear was policy and death was performance. This time, we uncover the executions you weren’t taught in school. Forgotten figures. Suppressed trials. Brutal ends that slipped through the cracks of history.

    From abbots hung on the heights of Glastonbury… to rebels, servants, and traitors whose stories were nearly erased—we bring them back.

    These were more than punishments. They were messages. And in Tudor England… messages were carved in flesh.

    🎧 The Lion and the Rose Keep your sword sharp—and your history sharper.

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    30 mins
  • The Knight Who Lived...Charles Brandon
    Mar 17 2025

    He was Henry VIII’s closest friend, a fearless knight, and the only man daring enough to marry the king’s sister without permission. So how did Charles Brandon survive where so many others lost their heads? In this episode, we dive into his rise from obscurity to Duke of Suffolk, his role in Henry’s court, and the scandals that nearly cost him everything.

    🎙️ Loyalty, ambition, and survival—this is the story of England’s ultimate Tudor power player.

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    23 mins
  • The Great Pretender
    Feb 24 2025

    🎭 Was he England’s lost prince or the greatest con artist of the Tudor era?

    In this episode of The Lion & The Rose, we unravel the unbelievable story of Perkin Warbeck—a Flemish merchant’s son who convinced kings, nobles, and even entire armies that he was Richard of York, the missing Prince in the Tower.

    Backed by Margaret of York, the Duchess of Burgundy, and supported by France, Scotland, and the Holy Roman Empire, Warbeck was treated like a true king. He led invasions, raised armies, and was even proclaimed King Richard IV.

    But then… it all came crashing down.

    Join me as we break down: ⚔️ Warbeck’s mysterious origins—was he really a fraud? ⚔️ How he nearly took down Henry VII’s Tudor dynasty ⚔️ The failed invasions that led to his ultimate downfall ⚔️ The role of Margaret of York in shaping his royal lie ⚔️ And the final twist—did Warbeck actually believe his own deception?

    Was he a master conman, a Yorkist puppet, or did he truly believe he was Richard of York?

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    Less than 1 minute
  • The Great Escapes
    Feb 10 2025

    The Tower of London—a fortress, a palace, and one of history’s most feared prisons. Few who entered ever left, but in 1597,Father John Gerard pulled off one of the mostdaring escapes in history.

    A Jesuit priest imprisoned for his faith, Gerard enduredbrutal torture at the hands of Elizabeth I’s interrogators. But even as his hands were mangled and his body broken, Gerard plotted his way to freedom. With the help of an underground network, awell-placed bribe, and arope stretched across the Tower’s moat, Gerard risked everything in adeath-defying escape that left the authorities baffled.

    How did he outwit the Tower’s guards? What drove Elizabethan England’sobsession with crushing Catholic priests? And how did Gerard make sure his allies inside the Towerdidn’t pay the price for his escape?

    This is more than just a story of survival—it’s a masterclass in courage, strategy, and resilience.

    🔔Follow @TheHistoryMike on Instagram, TikTok, and The Lion & The Rose onYouTube and Facebook for behind-the-scenes content and updates on the next episode in theGreat Escapes Series!

    🎧 Subscribe toThe Lion & The Rose for more thrilling stories from English history.

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    19 mins
  • Ambition and Betrayal: The Downfall of Buckingham
    Jan 28 2025

    🏰 "The Downfall of Buckingham" 🔪 Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, had everything: royal blood, immense wealth, and a grand vision for his legacy. But in the dangerous world of Henry VIII’s court, ambition was a double-edged sword.

    In this episode, we uncover Stafford’s rise from privilege to peril, his bold defiance of Tudor law, and the whispers that sealed his fate. Why did Henry VIII turn on his cousin? Was Stafford guilty of treason—or a victim of paranoia?

    🎙️ Dive into the intrigue, ambition, and betrayal that led to one of the most dramatic executions of the Tudor era. This is Part 1 of a two-part exploration into the life and legacy of Edward Stafford—and the deadly game of power in Tudor England.

    ⚔️ Keep your sword sharp and your history sharper.

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    15 mins