The Royal Diaries Unlocking History

As we end the series, we share our book rankings, which girl is "most likely to," who are the worst parents, our bloopers/outtakes, and our favourite learnings and takeaways from this project. Thank you to everyone who is part of the Royal Diaries Bookclub (aka fans of the pod). It's been wonderful to share the joy of nostalgia and love of history with you all! Follow us for more research, fun facts, soundtracks, and aesthetic posts ⁠https://linktr.ee/RoyalDiariesPodcast⁠

It's our last official episode and we're discussing Catherine the Great. There are many ways to talk about Catherine (her romances, intrigues and how she’s depicted over time in media, from political cartoons in her era to sexy #girlboss in campy, historically inaccurate shows). But we’re talking about the things that she used to redefine “Russian-ness” - her foreign policy, internal administration, and the duality of being an "Enlightened Autocrat." What makes a person great, and does great always mean good? Follow us for more research, fun facts, soundtracks, and aesthetic posts ⁠https://linktr.ee/RoyalDiariesPodcast⁠

In this episode, we are unpacking the history vs. legends regarding Anacaona and the Taíno people of the Caribbean. We get extra meta about how we make and understand history and share some pro tips for becoming a better amateur historian. We learn that so many words are actually Taíno in origin and that sometimes science catches up with facts people  knew all along (shocker, another Indigenous people group rumoured to be  'extinct' is very much still around!)  Also, again, we pay homage to the most excellent example of bad audio editing. Follow us for more research, fun facts, soundtracks, and aesthetic posts https://linktr.ee/RoyalDiariesPodcast

We are learning how history tends to repeat itself, especially for the royal women of Japan, namely, Kazunomiya AKA Chikako, Princess Kazu. We explore the history of Japan during the Edo period - arts, culture, food, and an interesting class structure while embarking on a side tangent into medical mysteries that could explain the collapse of the Tokugawa shogunate. Follow us for more research, fun facts, soundtracks, and aesthetic posts ⁠https://linktr.ee/RoyalDiariesPodcast⁠