How Lola Montez Took Down a King

Though she was born in Ireland with no Spanish blood, the self-named "Lola Montez" captivated Europe with her charm and sexuality, eventually entangling King Ludwig I in a scandal that would lead to the end of his reign. Support Noble Blood: — Bonus episodes, stickers, and scripts on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/noblebloodtales — Order Dana's book, 'Anatomy: A Love Story' https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250840578/anatomyalovestory and its sequel 'Immortality: A Love Story' https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250861016/immortalityalovestory See omnystudio.com/listener https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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• 0:00Dana Schwartz?

  This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed Human.

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• 1:35Dana Schwartz?

  Hey, this is Dana Schwartz, the host of Noble Blood. Just a little bit of housekeeping, tiny little announcement before we start. I have a new podcast called Hoax. It's a very casual podcast with my friend, Lizzie Logan, where every other week, we do a deep dive into a famous historical, or not-so-historical hoax that fascinates one or the other of us. It's so much fun to do, and if you like Noble Blood and you just want to hear me talk in a more casual way, listen to Hoax, H-O-A-X exclamation point. We have a lot of fun making it. I also have- I have a new book coming out in May 2026. I co-wrote this book under a pseudonym.

• 2:16Dana Schwartz?

  It's called The Arcane Arts. I co-wrote it because we alternate points of view in the book. I write the female point of view. My co-author, my friend Dan, writes the male point of view. It's a dark academia, sexy thriller. If that's the sort of thing you think you might like, look up The Arcane Arts by S. D. Coverley. Pre-orders really, really help. So if the book seems like it's something that would interest you, please preorder the book. But as always, just thank you for listening to the show and letting me make Noble Blood. Let's get into it.

• 2:51Dana Schwartz?

  Welcome to Noble Blood, a production of iHeartRadio and Grim and Mild from Aaron Mankey. Listener discretion advised.

• 3:01Dana Schwartz?

  Bavaria in the middle of the 19th century was a country in peril. The king Ludwig I had once been beloved, but now he was mired in a firestorm of controversy. His subjects were furious with him. Scandals piled up as rumors swirled that his judgment had been compromised, that he was being controlled by shadowy outside forces. High-ranking officials were dropping like flies, while citizens took to the streets in protest. By the middle of the 1840s, the demonstrations had reached a fever pitch. The cabinet, the people, and

• 3:44Dana Schwartz?

  eventually even the rest of the royal family turned against Ludwig. It reached the point where Ludwig knew he couldn't continue to rule, at least not without undermining the institution of the monarchy itself. And so, on March 20, 1848, he abdicated the throne, allowing his son Maximilian to become the new king of Bavaria.

• 4:11Dana Schwartz?

  What had caused King Ludwig's remarkable downfall? What had turned the people against him? Like any question in history, the answer is complicated and layered. But at the heart of it all, in this case, is an exotic dancer whom the king had made a countess: a woman named Lola Montez. I'm Dana Schwartz, and this is Noble Blood. Lola Montez blazed a trail throughout the Western world, rubbing elbows and more with some of the greatest minds and most powerful men of the era.

• 4:56Dana Schwartz?

  But her fiery spirit and insatiable lust for life turned out to be far too much for any one man, even a king, to handle. She was a master of reinvention, an opportunist whose motto was "courage and shuffle the cards." She wasn't, actually, as she claimed until her death, from Spain, nor was her real name Lola Montez, but for simplicity's sake, we'll call her Lola throughout the episode. She was born in Ireland and given the name Eliza Rosanna Gilbert. Her birth year was most likely 1821, although with all things Lola Montez, we should take

• 5:40Dana Schwartz?

  it with a grain of salt. Her dad, Edward, was a British officer, and her mom, the illegitimate daughter of a local politician. There were rumors that her mom was already pregnant when she got married, and that was in addition to the circling allegations that Lola's mother, and even her grandmother, were also illegitimate. Lola never stood a chance. She was just born into a scandalous life. In 1823, the family moved to India, where Edward's regiment was dispatched. Tragically, Edward died of cholera soon after their arrival.

• 6:20Dana Schwartz?

  Lola's mother, Elizabeth, a widow at only 19 years old, remarried within the year to Lieutenant Patrick Craigie. Craigie was fond of his stepdaughter, but he was seriously concerned about her behavior. A childhood in a foreign land with a loving but laid-back aya or nursemaid was fertile ground for young Lola's spirited nature to blossom into problem child territory. At age 10, Lola was sent away to live with Craigie's relatives, the idea being that some time in England would groom the foreign wildness out of her. But it didn't work.

• 7:04Dana Schwartz?

  Lola quickly earned a reputation as a troublemaker and was bounced from boarding school to boarding school, always leaving chaos in her wake. By the time Lola was 16, her mother was eager to marry her off. Elizabeth was an ambitious social climber and saw her daughter's marriage as the perfect way to elevate both the family's status and also make her daughter someone else's problem. Elizabeth showed up at Lola's school at this point in Bath and announced her plan. Lola would come back to India and marry Sir Abraham Lumley, a wealthy and powerful judge.

• 7:48Dana Schwartz?

  Lola balked at the union for many reasons, not least of which was that Lumley was 60 years old. Lola wanted nothing to do with that old man. She sought the advice of a young army lieutenant named Thomas James, whom her mother had befriended on her journey to Bath. Lola poured out her heart to this visiting stranger, and for the first time, but certainly not the last, a man found himself captivated by her. Lieutenant James was taken with the vibrant young girl and decided on the spot that he would be the one to save her. That very night, he took Lola to his family home in Ireland,

• 8:32Dana Schwartz?

  where they were married days later. Lola's mother was apoplectic. Her carefully devised social climbing had ended in complete betrayal. But the marriage was doomed from the start. Lola was too young and inexperienced to understand what she'd committed to, and had mostly been focused on getting out of a bad situation. And here is where we cue "Getaway Car" by Taylor Swift. Thomas James did care for his young bride, but they were never really a good fit. Lola wrote of her time in Ireland, "I wished for nothing more intensely than to be abducted once more, but this time not by a potential husband,

• 9:17Dana Schwartz?

  but by anything or anyone who could rescue me from the deadly monotony of this eternally repetitive life, from these cold English faces. No smiles, no friendly glances, no kind words."

• 9:34Dana Schwartz?

  What started as verbal arguments escalated into physical abuse. Things improved slightly when the couple returned to India in 1838 and could enjoy some semblance of a social life, but they parted ways five years later. Desperate to leave that chapter of her life behind, Lola sailed for London, a single woman now with her whole life before her. She was never one to be without a man for long, whether that was a matter of convenience or of genuine emotion and preference, we'll never know, although she most likely landed somewhere in the middle. Regardless of the reasons why exactly, upon her arrival in London,

• 10:19Dana Schwartz?

  Lola immediately took up with a man she met on the ship. Between the money she had gotten from both her stepfather and her then ex-husband, Lola arrived in London with around $10,000. But thanks to her extravagant spending, it didn’t last long. Neither did that new relationship I alluded to. Now alone and broke, Eliza needed a new plan. For a single young woman in the 1840s, employment opportunities were scarce. Lola didn’t have the right disposition to be a governess, and given her scandalous social life, she probably wouldn’t have kept a

• 11:01Dana Schwartz?

  position for too long. Besides, the other option was much more appealing to her: the stage. Lola started her training, but things didn’t go perfectly well. Her voice was too weak for the theater, and she wasn’t naturally gifted as a dancer either. But she had one big thing going for her: she was beautiful, with a magnetic presence and a killer body. Spanish dances were fashionable at the time, and required much less in the way of technique, at least to English audiences. After a few months of training and a trip

• 11:44Dana Schwartz?

  to Spain to study the language and customs, Lola reinvented herself completely, as someone glamorous and “exotic.” She adopted the stage name Lola Montes, full name Donna Maria de Lores de Porres Montes. She had learned just enough of the language and Spanish customs to seem authentic to the casual English observer. She started smoking thin black cigars, and spun multiple invented gloriously dramatic backstories for herself.

• 12:22Dana Schwartz?

  She was ready to take the world by storm. But even Lola herself couldn’t have imagined how far she’d go.

• 12:33Dana Schwartz?

  You might be asking yourself, "Why Spanish?" At this time, Spanish culture was very popular in Europe. It represented passion, mystery, sensuality, all the things that other cultures, especially early Victorian England, were sorely lacking. Spanish dancers had a reputation for being fiery and uninhibited, which, coincidentally, could provide excellent cover for a lack of technical prowess. It was the perfect persona for a woman looking to reinvent herself and stand out. In 1843, Lola had her stage debut.

• 13:17Dana Schwartz?

  She went on a press tour where she posed as a genuine Spanish woman, telling stories in broken English. She charmed the press completely. Her reviews were nearly unanimous, although most critics did note that she was more style than substance, but they didn't seem to mind. But there was one problem. She was almost immediately recognized. People began to talk, and Lola Montez was outed as Mrs. James and identified as most definitely not being actually Spanish. London was too close for Lola. If she wanted to make her new persona stick,

• 14:02Dana Schwartz?

  she needed to put more distance between her old life and her new one. It's assumed that around this time, Lola was putting her natural charms to work as a means of supporting herself, whether that was outright sex work or just keeping company with wealthy men who showered her with gifts. We can't say. But Lola was never shy about, let's say, maximizing her assets.

• 14:30Dana Schwartz?

  Around this time, Lola met a rich elderly German princeling, who soon found himself entranced by the exotic young woman. He gave her money to pay off her debts, and extended an offhand invitation to come visit his court if she were ever in his country. That was all the encouragement our girl needed, and she headed for the continent. Things didn't go well with the princeling. Lola's casual swearing and rejection of royal protocol rubbed everyone the wrong way. But Lola kept it moving, still trying to get a foothold as a performer. Lola's reception in Germany was

• 15:14Dana Schwartz?

  basically the same as it had been in London. Some were entranced by her brash stage presence and gonzo performing style. But for most patrons, Lola was the inverse of that famous song from A Chorus Line. She was "Looks ten, dance three." Again, Lola's temper also got her in trouble. She was almost thrown in prison for hitting an officer with a whip while trying to sneak into a state visit from Tsar Nicholas I of Russia. Lola, incidentally, loved a whip, and she needed little excuse to break it out. But with that, it was time for her to move on again.

• 15:58Dana Schwartz?

  In Poland, Lola found new benefactors, including the composer Franz Liszt. More stage time brought more mixed reviews and more controversy. Then it was on to Paris, where Lola made her stage debut in an opera. But that didn't go particularly well either, and she soon found herself taken off lineups. People seemed to either love her or hate her, with no in-between. It can't really be a coincidence that the ones who loved her were usually predominantly wealthy, powerful men who were also happy to bankroll her lifestyle.

• 16:41Dana Schwartz?

  Through a relationship with newspaper owner and drama critic Alexandre Dujardin, Lola was able to boost her performing career, and she continued to perform to wildly varying reviews. As always, her beauty and stage presence made up for her lack of real skill. She cared deeply for Dujardin and hoped to marry him someday, but he was killed in a duel, and Lola found herself once more without a protector. She moved from place to place and man to man, but no one could keep up with her.

• 17:20Dana Schwartz?

  Finally, in 1846, Lola traveled to Munich, where she bagged her biggest catch yet: the king of Bavaria. Ludwig I was 60 years old when he met Lola. I'm guessing the royal title made him much more palatable than the 60-year-old her mother had tried to marry her off to back in India. Ludwig at this time was generally popular among his subjects. As a ruler, he had little political ability, content to leave the government in the hands of others while he focused on the arts and on beautiful women.

• 18:00Dana Schwartz?

  For years, his subjects, as well as Queen Theresia, had tolerated Ludwig's dalliances, knowing any fling would be short-lived and result in not much more than a new portrait for his gallery. There was no reason to think that this Spanish dancer would be any different. They had no idea just how different this one would be. Lola and Ludwig met in October 1846. There was a rumor that Ludwig asked her in public if her breasts were real, and she responded by tearing off enough of her garments to prove that they were.

• 18:44Dana Schwartz?

  Whether or not that story is apocryphal, it's undeniable that Ludwig fell under her spell, and Lola immediately began to exercise her control. She started getting stage time and audiences were once again divided between love her and hate her. What was obvious was Ludwig loved her. Within a month, she had a yearly allowance of 10,000 florins, five times as much as a university professor's salary and nearly twice that of a cabinet minister. A couple of weeks after that, Ludwig had Lola written into his will. By December, he had bought her a house purchased in her name.

• 19:29Dana Schwartz?

  This was both to keep the money trail clean and to help her establish residency. More than anything, Lola wanted Bavarian citizenship as well as elevation to nobility, and she wasn't shy about letting the king know. Within just days of meeting her, Ludwig had presented Lola to his ministers. "Gentlemen, you have the honor to meet my new best friend," he declared. "Please oblige me by treating her at all times with the same respect you have always shown me." But Lola immediately recognized the stern men as potential enemies and boldly warned

• 20:12Dana Schwartz?

  King Ludwig that his Jesuit Pact government controlled him. She singled out Prime Minister Karl von Abel as being particularly untrustworthy. Ludwig was stunned. She had identified in mere weeks what he had been questioning for years. In his eyes, that gave Lola enormous credibility. For her part, Lola truly believed that she was freeing the king's mind from outdated conventions. She saw herself as the people's liberator, symbolizing freedom in a new age. Ludwig was deaf to suggestions that she was manipulating him. The Jesuits called her the apocalyptic whore.

• 20:56Dana Schwartz?

  Lola's stubbornness and temper were still on full display, making her extremely unpopular among the people. Ludwig was spending astronomical amounts of money on her, and despite his attempts to rein her in, she continued to blow past her allotted allowance. She was arrogant and often abusive to anyone who caught her at the wrong moment. She was seen with lots of other men. She was often scandalously underdressed. Despite opponents installing a spy in Lola's household and reporting back her erratic behavior, Ludwig couldn't accept the truth.

• 21:39Dana Schwartz?

  Despite extreme oppositional pressure, Ludwig granted Lola Bavarian citizenship in February of 1847. The Minister of the Interior resigned in protest, and many of his colleagues followed suit. Protests erupted all over, including one outside Lola's house, where it is rumored that she, in characteristic fashion, flashed her breasts at the crowd. Ludwig was becoming a joke to his own people. He and Lola followed all the hallmarks of a toxic couple: break up, get back together, cause chaos, repeat the cycle.

• 22:22Dana Schwartz?

  Despite all the drama, on Ludwig's birthday, August 25, 1847, Ludwig made Lola the Countess of Landsfeld and Baroness of Rosenthal. He wrote her a letter, asking her to please behave in accordance with her new title, essentially begging her not to embarrass him. Please, please, please. You won't be shocked to know it didn't work. Lola's elevation to nobility only increased her appetite for power. Her arrogance, her hatred of the Jesuits, her blatant greed, were all the talk of Europe.

• 23:04Dana Schwartz?

  Her public behavior was increasingly shocking. Spitting at a bishop, thrashing a worker, smashing a shop window, or breaking her parasol over the head of a nobleman who opposed her. On more than one occasion, she threatened an angry crowd with her whip, pistol, or dagger. One of her lovers was a university student, and she essentially turned his fraternity, the Alamanen, into her own private army. She partied with them and they worshipped her. When Lola set her bulldog on a much-respected university professor of philosophy, who

• 23:47Dana Schwartz?

  had done her no harm, she unwittingly set in motion her own downfall. The students were tremendously supportive of the professor. Munich University students revolted, with clashes erupting between the Alamanen and the rest of campus, who hated her. Ludwig closed the university, which only escalated the situation. By March 1848, pressure was mounting. The specter of the French Revolution still hung over Europe decades later, and the very real threat of revolution was enough to knock some sense into Ludwig.

• 24:30Dana Schwartz?

  He reopened the university and abdicated, leaving his son Maximilian II to become the new king. Lola fled the country. In less than two years, Lola Montes had brought a country to its knees and permanently changed the geopolitical landscape. Not bad for a random girl from Ireland.

• 24:55Dana Schwartz?

  Lola Montes found herself stripped of the power she had enjoyed and abused as King Ludwig's number one mistress. Without her benefactor and protector, she was suddenly Bavaria's public enemy number one. Lola fled to Switzerland where she waited for Ludwig to come for her. He never did, but Lola didn't spend too much time tied up in grief. She dusted herself off and kept things moving. She moved to London in 1848 and, you guessed it, met another guy. George Heald was a 21-year-old officer with serious family money, as well as an apparent

• 25:38Dana Schwartz?

  affinity for passionate dancer types. The two were married quickly, but soon ran into problems. Lola's separation from Thomas James, the ex that she had left back in India, contained terms that prohibited either of them from remarrying while the other was still alive. That meant that Lola and George had to leave the country to escape bigamy charges. The two lived in France and Spain for a while, but within two years, the marriage fell apart. At this point, Lola decided to do what so many before her also did: try her luck in

• 26:20Dana Schwartz?

  America, where she was surprisingly successful in rehabilitating her image, for a time at least. She threw in some acting with her dance performances, and her shows sold out across the country. At New York's Broadway Theatre, she pulled in over $4,000 in a single week, a box office record for that venue. Lola was smart enough to know why audiences came. They wanted to see the king's scandalous mistress, the woman famous for her whip and pistol, the notorious bedroom adventurer. Americans showed up expecting a shameless, talentless royal plaything.

• 27:05Dana Schwartz?

  Instead, they found someone surprisingly refined and tasteful, although she couldn't help herself from throwing in some of her old dances for good measure. She created a show called Lola Montez in Bavaria, where she played four versions of herself. It wasn't high art, probably more like a play based on the pages of Us Weekly. But audiences loved it. That legendary temper still made frequent appearances, especially during her dance performances, and some audiences would deliberately provoke her just to watch the show within a show.

• 27:46Dana Schwartz?

  During her American sojourn, Lola had her own California adventure, which lasted a few years and was full of the highs and lows that defined her life. Rough crowds heckled her, sometimes chasing her offstage. There was another marriage and an attempt at domesticity, but her wild past threatened the new guy, and the union ultimately fell apart. In 1855, Lola sailed to Australia, reviving her career by performing for gold miners. As soon as she landed in Sydney, she started generating headlines.

• 28:29Dana Schwartz?

  Her notorious spider dance, in which she lifted her skirts high enough for viewers to see that she wasn't wearing underwear, caused an uproar. A local newspaper declared her show, "utterly subversive to all ideas of public morality", and ticket sales tanked. In another town, Lola took the bad press into her own hands and attacked a newspaper editor with a whip. The editor was actually armed with a whip of his own, Lola's reputation having preceded her, and the altercation escalated into a full-blown fight.

• 29:10Dana Schwartz?

  The stormy ups and downs with the Australian public continued, and after nearly a year down under, Lola headed back to the US. During the voyage back to San Francisco, her manager went overboard and drowned. Given Lola's legendary temper, it's been considered if he had any ill-timed, unwanted feedback for his client, and whether a whip had been involved in his untimely accidental demise. Back in America, Lola tried repeatedly to resurrect her theatrical career, but nothing really took hold by this point.

• 29:55Dana Schwartz?

  Ever the reinventer, Lola pivoted to image rehabilitation. In 1857, she began touring the country, giving lectures on, what else, morality, and doing charity work helping vulnerable women. Whether her late-stage religious awakening was sincere or just another performance is up for debate, but Lola brought the same fervor to this new chapter that she had to everything else she did. By 1860, advanced syphilis was destroying her body.

• 30:35Dana Schwartz?

  She died on January 17, 1861, at just 39 years old, which seems almost astonishing, given how much life she had lived. Lola Montes' international scandal is buried in Brooklyn's Greenwood Cemetery, with a headstone that reads simply, "Mrs. Eliza Gilbert." It's ironic, but ultimately fitting, that the woman who tore across continents and came dangerously close to toppling an empire would be memorialized with her maiden name. It's probably for the best, because when it came to Lola,

• 31:17Dana Schwartz?

  the man on her arm would always be the least interesting thing about her. Ludwig outlived her by 7 years. After Lola exited his life and he'd transferred governing responsibilities to his son, he returned to his true passions: poetry, art, and beautiful young women. He won back the love of his former subjects and spent his final years surrounded by the beautiful city that he had been instrumental in creating. No doubt his thoughts would drift to his adventures with the sultry Spanish dancer, if not the one who got away, then the one who very nearly carried him away.

• 32:02Dana Schwartz?

  Lola Montes is one of the most intriguing, talked-about women of the mid-19th century. An inveterate liar, Lola's biggest and longest sustained lie was her reinvention of herself when she had returned from India in 1841, escaping a loveless marriage and an ambitious mother. That reinvention changed not only her name, but also her destiny. Lola defied social norms and blazed her own trail, chaotic as it was. Society's reaction to her highlighted just how threatening a sexually liberated woman

• 32:44Dana Schwartz?

  was, and still can be, to the status quo. There have been many books written about her, each exploring different facets of her personality, but the best authority, or at least the most entertaining one, is Lola herself. Lola's autobiography was based on interviews with the writer Charles Chauncey Burr, and it probably contains, to be fair, more fiction than truth. But as Amanda Darling writes in her book, Lola Montes, quote, "In a sense, Lola's wild disregard for truth reveals more about her character than documented statistics would.

• 33:27Dana Schwartz?

  Just as the psychiatrist of today finds the daydreams of his patient as significant as sleeping dreams, so Lola's reshaping of her past tells us far more than she realized about the forces that formed and motivated her." How much truth does a woman owe to a world that is set up against her? From Lola's autobiography, quote, "What can a woman do then who cannot take her part? The great misfortune that there was too much of her to be held within the prescribed and safed limits allotted to women, but there was not enough to enable her to stand securely beyond the shelter of conventional rules.

• 34:11Dana Schwartz?

  At any rate, such is the social and moral fabric of the world. That woman must be content with an exceedingly narrow sphere of action, or she must take the worst consequences of daring to be an innovator and a heretic." I do want to say, on a personal note, I do not think Lola Montes is in any way a hero, and of course, she is wildly self-aggrandizing. What she is, is entertaining. And it's worth looking at the question of who she might be in today's world. A diagnosed sociopath? A politician? A reality TV star?

• 34:54Dana Schwartz?

  An influencer always on the verge of getting herself canceled? One thing is certain: We wouldn't be able to look away. As Lola herself said, quote, "Even my many enemies must admit I always had a flair for living."

• 35:20Dana Schwartz?

  That is the scandalous story of Lola Montes, but keep listening after a sponsor break to hear one more scandal in Lola's life.

• 35:54Speaker 02

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• 36:05Dana Schwartz?

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• 36:48Dana Schwartz?

  and cozy cashmere scarves and gloves to beautiful 14-karat jewelry that adds the perfect finishing touch and might make an excellent holiday present. Quince also doesn't just do clothes. My work bag, my leather bag that I bring every day with me to work is from Quince, and I absolutely love it. It goes with everything I wear, and it's just like a classic that makes me feel sophisticated and grown up. And everything at Quince is priced 50% to 80% less than similar brands because they work directly with ethical factories, cutting out the middlemen. So you're paying for quality and not brand markup. Find the fall pieces you will reach for most at quince.com.

• 37:32Dana Schwartz?

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• 38:04Speaker 03

  Hey, it's Niall Rogers, host of Before the Moment, a Lincoln original series. I'm driving across the country, meeting some of today's most fascinating artists. We're exploring the stories before the moment that changed everything. This week, I'm joined by rising star Sienna Spider.

• 38:23Speaker 04

  I love the 60s. I feel really jealous that I wasn't alive for it. I'd be interested, like, knowing what that was like and seeing the way culture and art has progressed today. How do you find it?

• 38:33Speaker 03

  Wait a minute.

• 38:34Speaker 04

  Sorry, I have so many questions. Sorry.

• 38:36Speaker 03

  You're not nervous, are you?

• 38:37Speaker 04

  I am nervous.

• 38:38Speaker 03

  You are?

• 38:39Speaker 04

  I am. I feel like insecure about my experience. I know I shouldn't, but, you know, I'm 20. I haven't really lived my life yet. And then sitting in front of somebody that has lived an enormous life is intimidating. And sometimes I feel like talking about myself is just not as interesting. So that's why I feel a bit nervous. I'll try and ignore it, though.

• 38:58Speaker 03

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• 39:38Dana Schwartz?

  You know all those pieces in your closet that you find yourself reaching for over and over again? You know, the sweater that works with every outfit you try on and the jeans that you know will always fit you just right? Or the bag you carry everywhere? Those are the exact pieces that earn a place in your wardrobe. And that's exactly what Quince does so well. Quince makes elevated everyday essentials using premium materials like Mongolian cashmere, organic cotton, and premium stretch denim. The designs are timeless, thoughtfully crafted, made to be worn again and again. And as the weather gets colder, Quince has everything you need to round out your wardrobe,

• 40:18Dana Schwartz?

  from warm, responsibly sourced down jackets and cozy cashmere scarves and gloves to beautiful 14 karat jewelry that adds the perfect finishing touch and might make an excellent holiday present. Quince also doesn't just do clothes. My work bag, my leather bag that I bring every day with me to work is from Quince and I absolutely love it. It goes with everything I wear and it's just like a classic that makes me feel sophisticated and grown up. And everything at Quince is priced 50 to 80% less than similar brands because they work directly with ethical factories, cutting out the middlemen. So you're paying for quality and not brand markup. Find the fall pieces you will reach

• 41:02Dana Schwartz?

  for most at quince.com. Download the Quince app for app exclusive offers or go to quince.com. Get free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. Now available in Canada and the UK too. And when Quince asks where you heard about them, let them know it was Noble Blood. It is the best way to support this show, honestly, because I just want the Quince sponsorship to continue so I can keep buying Quince clothes and products over and over again.

• 41:37Speaker 03

  Hey, it's Niall Rogers, host of Before the Moment, a Lincoln original series. I'm driving across the country, meeting some of today's most fascinating artists. We're exploring the stories before the moment that changed everything. This week, I'm joined by breakout singer-songwriter Alex Warren.

• 41:57Speaker 06

  To this day, Ordinary would not have done anything and I would have not been able to put it out if Book Talk didn't back it up and if my wife and her friend didn't back it up. So pretty crazy how like, just one thing.

• 42:08Speaker 03

  Right.

• 42:09Speaker 06

  I mean, I bet we could point to nine different things in our careers where it's just one thing all of a sudden. If that one thing didn't happen, then I wouldn't be here.

• 42:15Speaker 03

  What you're talking about right now is what I've been talking about since the beginning of my career. There's these things outside of you. That make everything happen. These other forces somehow came into contact with each other and helped propel you to this place.

• 42:33Speaker 06

  It's just insane.

• 42:34Speaker 03

  Experience before the moment. A Lincoln original series on the iHeart Radio app, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

• 42:46Dana Schwartz?

  There's one last anecdote that shows the strong reaction people always had to Lola Montez. Remember Alexandra Dujarié, the newspaper owner and drama critic that Lola met in Paris? Lola had serious feelings for him and the two had planned to be married. At one point, though, the two had their first fight over whether or not Lola should join him at a party. Dujarié attended alone and, in a drunken state, offended another man, a rival journalist with a grudge named Jean de Baudouin. De Baudouin challenged Dujarié to a duel, where Dujarié was shot and killed.

• 43:29Dana Schwartz?

  This might be the only time in her life where Lola Montez's presence could have actually caused less drama.

• 43:45Dana Schwartz?

  Noble Blood is a production of iHeart Radio and Grim and Mild from Aaron Manke. Noble Blood is hosted by me, Dana Schwartz, with additional writing and research by Hannah Johnston, Hannah Zwick, Courtney Sender, Amy Height, and Julia Maloney. The show is edited and produced by Jesse Funk, with supervising producer Reema Il Kehaly, and executive producers Aaron Manke, Trevor Young, and Matt Frederick. For more podcasts from iHeart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.

• 44:27Speaker 07

  Hey, it's Covino and Rich Davis from Covino and Rich. Buy smart, drive for less and trade for more. That's Toyota affordability. And it starts with a great deal on an off-road ready Tacoma or half-ton Tundra, two of Toyota's most capable and longest-lasting trucks. Combining power for work, tech for adventures and style in between. Built on reputation for quality and reliability. Toyota trucks are known for holding their value, which can mean big savings when it's time for your next Toyota. So get a great deal today and great value tomorrow. Shop toyota.com for more. Toyota, let's go places.

• 45:02Speaker 05

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• 45:30Speaker 07

  She's been thinking about this sleepover all week, but I think about her food allergies all the time. Fortunately, her doctor prescribed Zolair, omalizumab. It's proven to significantly reduce allergic reactions if a food allergy accident happens. Zolair 150mg is a prescription medication used to treat food allergy in people one year of age and older to reduce allergic reactions due to accidental exposure to one or more foods. While taking Zolair, you should continue to avoid all foods to which you are allergic. Don't use if you are allergic to Zolair. Zolair may cause a severe, life-threatening allergic reaction called anaphylaxis. Tell your doctor if you ever had anaphylaxis. Get help right away if you have trouble breathing or if you have swelling of your throat or tongue. Zolair should not be used for the emergency treatment of allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis. Zolair is for maintenance use to reduce allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, while avoiding food allergens.

• 46:15Speaker 07

  Serious side effects such as cancer, fever, muscle aches and rash, parasitic infection or hardened circulation problems have been reported. Please see zolair.com for full prescribing information. Ask an allergist about Zolair. This is an advertisement for Zolair paid for by Genentech and Novartis.

• 46:30Dana Schwartz?

  This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed human.