Before she became known as the Holy Maid of Kent, Elizabeth Barton was an obscure housemaid suffering from mysterious trances and convulsions. Within a few short years, her prophecies had attracted thousands of followers, earned her audiences with some of Europe’s most powerful men, and placed her directly in the path of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn.

Rebecca is joined by historian and author Hayley Nolan to discuss her new book, Notorious: Anne Boleyn and the Great Tudor Hoax. Together, they explore the machinery behind Barton’s rise, the men who profited from her celebrity, and the coercion that may have shaped her increasingly political visions. They also examine Anne Boleyn’s surprising attempt to bring Barton into her household, Barton’s extraordinary influence over the King’s Great Matter, and the brutal execution that transformed a manipulated young woman into one of Tudor England’s most notorious figures.

Was Elizabeth Barton a prophet, a fraud, a political rebel—or a victim whose voice was controlled by the men around her?

ORDER: Notorious: Anne Boleyn and the Great Tudor Hoax

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Host: Rebecca Larson

Guest: Hayley Nolan