Who Was The Ultimate Tudor Traitor?

After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal

History Hit

Myths, Folklore, Mystery, History, Ghosts, Society & Culture, Murder, Ufos, True Crime, Paranormal, Supernatural, Serial Killers

4.6 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 9 October 2025

⏱️ 49 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The Tudor court was dangerous and high stakes at the best of times, where survival could often mean betraying others.

Enter: Jane Boleyn, thrust into the Tudor limelight when her sister-in-law, Anne Boleyn, marries Henry VIII.

Did she really contribute to the axe falling on Anne Boleyn's neck? Was she a spy for Thomas Cromwell? Was all of this just what it took to survive as a woman in this world?

Joining Anthony and Maddy today is the fantastic Philippa Gregory, historian and author of Boleyn Traitor.

This episode was edited by Tom Delargy, and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer is Charlotte Long.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, we're your host's Anthony Delaney and Maddie Pelling.
0:03.7	And if you would like After Dark myths, misdeeds and the paranormal, ad free and get early access, sign up to History Hit.
0:11.1	With a History Hit subscription, you can also watch hundreds of hours of original documentaries with top history presenters and enjoy a new release every week.
0:20.7	Sign up now by visiting
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1:04.6	Adultery, incest, treason, insanity. The Tudor court had it all. And in the eye of the storm was the wicked Lady
1:15.0	Rochford, Jane Berlin. The woman whose alleged testimony condemned her husband to death
1:22.2	on the charge of incest with his own sister, Queen Anne Boleyn. The deposition, which may have been the killing blow, delivered the siblings to the chopping
1:31.6	block on Tower Hill.
1:33.7	In a court notorious for chewing up and spitting out women, Jane Boleyn kept her head longer
1:39.2	than most, but her strategy for survival has marred her legacy.
1:47.8	Was her testimony really the nail in the coffin for Anne and George?
1:51.9	Was she really a conniving, jealous traitor driven to insanity?
1:56.5	Or was she a skillful survivor and a system built for her destruction?
	...

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