Harlots, Housewives and Heroines: A 17th Century History Lesson for Girls

Lucy Worsley examines the lives of women in Restoration England, discovering how some were able to thrive as British society started to move into the modern age - even if the attitudes that prevailed remained largely medieval and misogynistic. She begins by profiling Charles II's mistresses, including actress Nell Gwynn, royalist Barbara Villiers and French spy Louise de Keroualle, and explores the extent to which they were in control of their own destinies.