Matilda's Top Women In History, Melbourne (2026)

Matilda’s Top Women in History - A podcast where my co-host, Matilda the border collie, picks a fascinating historical woman each week (via slobbery tennis ball selection 🎾). I’m Amanda, a history-obsessed reader & writer, bringing their stories to life!

📅 New episodes drop every Monday morning! Choose between a full-length deep dive or a quick mini-episode. Available wherever you get your podcasts! 🕰️✨

14/08/2026

Did you know Catherine de’ Medici almost never made it to France? 😳🇫🇷

As a young girl in Florence, Catherine was caught up in the violent political turmoil surrounding her powerful Medici family. She was held captive and her enemies discussed some truly horrific ways of getting rid of her.

She survived - and eventually made her way to France, where she would become queen and one of the most powerful women in 16th-century Europe 👑

Those terrifying early years clearly left their mark. Catherine would go on to navigate religious wars, court intrigue, assassination plots and political upheaval with an extraordinary resilience.

Whatever else you think of Catherine de’ Medici, one thing is hard to deny: her upbringing forged her a backbone of steel ⚔️

🎧 Hear the full story on Matilda’s Top Women in History - available now wherever you get your podcasts!

Apple Podcasts 👉 https://apple.co/4dbpbtP
Spotify 👉 https://bit.ly/spotify_mtwih

06/08/2026

Often described as more Jezebel than Isabel, Isabella of Angoulême was one of England's most unpopular queens, married to one of its most unpopular kings: John, King of England. 👑

She witnessed her husband's military failures, the loss of vast English territories in France, and one of the most significant moments in English history - the sealing of the Magna Carta.

But Isabella's story didn't end there.

Widowed at just 27, she returned to Angoulême, where she ruled with determination, married her own daughter's fiancé to strengthen her position, sided against her son, King Henry III and was later accused of plotting against the King of France.

It's a story of ambition, betrayal, political survival and one unforgettable queen.

🎧 The episode is available NOW wherever you get your podcasts!

26/07/2026

Did you know one of history's biggest mountaineering rivalries was between two women? 🏔️👀

At the turn of the 20th century, F***y Bullock Workman and fellow climber Annie Smith Peck found themselves in a public dispute over one question: Who had climbed higher?

The newspapers loved it. For years, there had been virtually no women making headlines for mountaineering… and suddenly there were two extraordinary climbers competing for the altitude record.

Rather than simply argue her case, F***y commissioned a professional survey of her expedition to prove the height she had reached. The evidence confirmed her claim, and she held the women's altitude record for the next 28 years. 👏

What's even more incredible is that she achieved it without the lightweight equipment, technical clothing, weather forecasting or supplemental oxygen that modern climbers rely on today.

A fierce competitor, a meticulous record keeper and one of the greatest explorers of her generation.

🎧 Hear F***y Bullock Workman's incredible story on Matilda's Top Women in History - available now in both standard and mini episode formats wherever you get your podcasts!

Apple Podcasts 👉 https://apple.co/4dbpbtP
Spotify 👉 https://bit.ly/spotify_mtwih

***yBullockWorkman

14/07/2026

Did you know Isabella d’Este was known as the “First Lady of the Renaissance”? 👑🎨

Isabella wasn’t just a ruler and diplomat - she was one of the greatest art collectors of her age. She spent decades building an extraordinary collection of paintings, sculptures, rare antiquities, coins, gems and curiosities from across Europe and the ancient world. ✨

At the heart of her collection was her famous grotto, a series of private rooms filled with treasures that reflected her intellect, taste and love of learning.

Artists, scholars, nobles, and visiting dignitaries all hoped to gain access. Being invited to view Isabella’s collection was one of the great privileges of Renaissance Italy.

Long before museums opened their doors to the public, Isabella had created one of the most celebrated private collections in Europe.

🎧 Listen to the full episode of Matilda’s Top Women in History - available now wherever you get your podcasts.

10/07/2026

Did you know one of the most famous paintings in British history isn’t entirely accurate? 👀🎨

Lady Jane Grey is immortalised in a dramatic 19th-century painting showing the young queen, blindfolded and searching for the ex*****on block moments before her death.

While the artwork beautifully captures Jane’s innocence, vulnerability and courage, historians believe some details are unlikely to be accurate. For example, the ex*****on is shown taking place indoors, when it was almost certainly carried out outside within the grounds of the Tower of London.

Despite these historical liberties, the painting has shaped how generations imagine Jane’s final moments - a frightened yet remarkably brave teenager facing a fate she never chose.

Sometimes a painting tells us as much about how later generations viewed history as it does about the event itself.

🎾 Another fascinating fact from Matilda’s Top Women in History.

04/07/2026

Did you know that Lady Jane Grey was queen for just nine days? 👑

When King Edward VI died in July 1553, powerful men at court placed Jane on the throne in an attempt to prevent his Catholic half-sister, Mary I of England, from becoming queen.

The problem? Jane didn’t even want the crown.

According to contemporary accounts, the 16-year-old was distressed when she learned she had been named queen. Intelligent, deeply religious and highly educated, Jane found herself caught in a dangerous political game she never chose to play.

Nine days later, support for Mary swept the country. Jane was deposed, imprisoned in the Tower of London, and eventually executed.

A queen for only nine days. A victim of ambition that wasn’t her own.

🎧 Hear the full story of Lady Jane Grey on Matilda’s Top Women in History - available now wherever you get your podcasts!

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