Helen Castor

Helen Castor explores how the people of the Middle Ages handled the most fundamental moments of transition in life - birth, marriage and death.

In the medieval and Tudor world there was no question in people's minds about the order of God's creation - men ruled and women didn't. Yet despite everything that stood in their way, a handful of women did attempt to rule medieval and Tudor England.

In the medieval and Tudor world there was no question in people's minds about the order of God's creation - men ruled and women didn't. Yet despite everything that stood in their way, a handful of women did attempt to rule medieval and Tudor England. Historian Dr Helen Castor explores seven queens who challenged male power, the fierce reactions they provoked and whether the term 'she wolves' was deserved. Helen looks at what happened when England was faced not just with inadequate kings, but no kings at all.

Historian Helen Castor pieces together the astonishing true story of Lady Jane Grey, the first reigning queen of England - an epic tale of dynastic rivalry, intrigue and betrayal.

Lucy Worsley and Helen Castor tell the real-life stories behind one of the world's grandest buildings. They reveal in vivid detail the colourful world of sex, drama and intrigue that Louis XIV and his courtiers inhabited. Lucy Worsley untangles Louis XIV's complex world of court etiquette, fashion and feasting, while court politics expert Helen Castor delves into the archives and unpicks the Machiavellian world that Louis created. Our historians meet the real people behind the on-screen characters.