Hello again, it's me, Danielle Sibolsky. Dan's Regent here for another special series of This Is History.

Now before I hand you over to a world of, let's just say, chaotic regents, I thought I'd remind you of the royal court we've been building over on Patreon.

It's made up of our royal favorites, a wonderful community of passionate show fans and medievalists

who want to dig deeper into the history behind each episode.

Since rejoining the show, I've loved seeing the photos of our favorites medieval-themed travels

and reading their excellent analyses about the events Dan and I discuss in each episode.

Of course, royal favorites also get all the perks of a

regular subscription, add free listening, early access to main episodes, and all bonus episodes.

Head to patreon.com forward slash this is history to enter the realm. Now let's start the episode.

And before we start, just a quick warning that this episode

contains descriptions of violence and psychosis that may not be suitable for some listeners.

The Great Hall is buzzing.

It's nearly midnight, but torches are only lit along one wall, set behind rows of seats

where guests are settling themselves, adjusting their lavish sleeves and skirts.

They've been promised a surprise entertainment, and they're eager to find out what the elaborate setup means.

A door opens and into the room whirl six wild men covered in hair from head to foot. They dance and leap across the room, long locks flying as they spin.

Soon the crowd is laughing and clapping along,

delighted with the showmanship and energy of these strange dancing men.

One of the dancers approaches the queen and peels back his hood. Those sitting close by see

its King Charles, looking hale and hearty, eager to show off his ingenious costume.

Isabel reaches out to touch her husband's hairy arm, running her hands along, what she soon realizes is linen flax, attached to the king's clothing by resin.

In the center of the room, the five remaining dancers continue their acrobatics, their hairy figures

...