This is History: The Tudors

S1 E6: The Caledonian Scheme

2026-10-27

Perkin finds a patron. And king Henry loses his cool.In late 1495, Perkin Warbeck, the Flemish fraudster claiming to be one of the lost princes in the tower, talks King James IV of Scotland into treason.For Henry VII, who’s reeling from treason, invasion, trade war, and the death of his young daughter, this enemy alliance is the last straw.  Will he crumble under the pressure of his two newfound rivals?As Perkin Warbeck and James IV plot to invade England, Henry has the weight of the Tudor dynasty on his shoulders…–Catch this week's bonus episode where Dan opens Henry VII's big, bad book of tragedies — the full catalogue of everything 1495 threw at the broken king. Plus, they discuss Pope Alexander VI's rhyme written for Henry Tudor. Write your own Tudor verse on Patreon — the best entry wins a signed copy of Dan's new book, Castles: A Fortified History of the World.Find it all on our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thisishistory––A Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Presented by Dan Jones Sound Design - Amber Devereux Producer - Alan WeedonSenior Producer - Dominic TyermanJunior Producer - Dulcie Whadcock Executive Producer - Louisa Field Executive Producer - Dan JonesProduction Coordinator - Eric Ryan Head of Content - Chris Skinner Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

No. of episodes

199

Latest episode

2026-10-27

Where can you listen?

Historian Dan Jones returns with This Is History: The Tudors. Season one gives you the extraordinary origin story of England’s most iconic royal family. This is the ultimate story of kings and queens, seduction and spectacle, where power is seized in private chambers, performed in public and, too often, lost on an executioner’s block. In just over a century, the Tudors alter the fabric of the state and Church. Theirs is the era of the Reformation, of Shakespeare, and of voyages to the New World. Their story starts on 22 August 1485. At the bloody Battle of Bosworth Field, Henry Tudor defeated King Richard III, ending more than three centuries of Plantagenet rule and claiming the English throne as Henry VII.As the embers of the Wars of the Roses finally cool, Henry VII discovers that winning a crown is far easier than keeping one. Too soon, die-hard Richardians team up with a vengeful English princess and plot to replace Henry with pretenders. One is a ten-year-old boy, another, a Flemish teenager who reinvents themselves as long-lost princes. England is once more plunged into chaos. It's a far cry from the story Henry VII hoped to tell.To dive deeper into Tudor lore, subscribe to bonus episodes on Apple podcasts or become a Royal Favourite in Dan’s royal court on patreon/thisishistory.A Sony Music Entertainment production.To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email [email protected]