Wife-Swapping Magician of the Tudor Court
Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society
History Hit
4.8 • 2.1K Ratings
🗓️ 17 October 2025
⏱️ 44 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The 16th century was a dangerous time to be talking about magic and hidden forces, so how did John Dee end up being invited into Elizabeth I's court?
He was an astronomer, occultist and alchemist who dedicated his life to understanding how celestial activity influenced life on earth.
What happened when he thought angels told him to swap wives with another mystic? How did his influence impact the Tudor court? And why was he never accused of witchcraft?
Joining Kate today is Rachel Morris, author of The Years of the Wizard: The Strange History and Home Life of Renaissance Magicians.
This episode was edited by Tom Delargy and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.
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Betwixt the Sheets: History of Sex, Scandal & Society is a History Hit podcast.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hi, I'm your host, Kate Lister. |
| 0:02.4 | If you would like Betwixt the Sheets, |
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| 0:19.8 | Sign up now by visiting history hit.com forward slash subscribe. |
| 0:26.6 | This is an ad by BetterHelp. |
| 0:28.9 | Did I talk too much? |
| 0:30.0 | I should have handled that better. |
| 0:31.1 | Why can't I just let it go? |
| 0:32.4 | Why did I do that? |
| 0:33.3 | I wish I would stop. |
| 0:34.0 | I'd stop thinking so much. |
| 0:35.3 | Take a breath. |
| 0:36.4 | You're not alone. |
| 0:37.6 | Counseling helps you sort through the noise with qualified professionals. |
| 0:41.0 | Get matched with a therapist online based on your unique needs |
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| 0:57.5 | the grand sumo tournament comes to the royal albert hall over 40 elite sumo wrestlers from |
... |
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