By Gabby Storey **Website no longer updated as of 1 January 2023. All enquiries to Dr Gabrielle Storey.** When we originally started this project in the winter of 2020, we had no idea what the response would be on social media and usage of the website itself. Our main aim at the outset of theContinue reading “Farewell followers!”
Author Archives: gabbystorey
Emma of Normandy: A Resilient Queen
By Brandon M. Bender Emma of Normandy has not received nearly as much attention as she deserves. She lived through the reigns of seven kings of England; some chose to work with her and some against her, but she was never permanently removed from the political sphere. Emma’s career could have ended on several occasions,Continue reading “Emma of Normandy: A Resilient Queen”
Mary II and Queen Anne: The Representations of Two Sisters
By Imogen Haywood Born in 1662 and 1665, respectively, Mary II and Queen Anne were the only surviving children of James Duke of York (later James II/VII) and his first wife Anne Hyde. Their father married a Catholic, Mary of Modena, in 1673, confirming publicly his own religious beliefs. This placed him in conflict withContinue reading “Mary II and Queen Anne: The Representations of Two Sisters”
Foreign Queens in Scottish Heritage Sites
By Amy Saunders Stirling Castle, Scotland’s best rated castle on TripAdvisor, attracted over 600,000 visitors in 2018-2019 and has, over time, housed and hosted numerous Scottish monarchs including James V (1512-1542), Mary Queen of Scots (1542-1587), and James VI (1566-1625).[1] However, through marriage it is also a site influenced and shaped by the lives andContinue reading “Foreign Queens in Scottish Heritage Sites“
Illegitimate daughters exercising power in the twelfth century: The case of Urraca the Asturian
By Lucía Gomez In the medieval era, the twelfth century appears as one of special importance for the analysis of female power. In Castile, the effective exercise of power by women of the royal family was facilitated, strengthening their position as queens, consorts, sisters, daughters, mediators, advisors, and even intercessors before the king. This isContinue reading “Illegitimate daughters exercising power in the twelfth century: The case of Urraca the Asturian“
Film Review: Kingdom of Heaven (2005)
By Louise Gay Amid a resurgence of interest for peplum and the rise of medieval fantasy movies in the early 2000s, the director Ridley Scott, after having conquered the world with Gladiator, returned to the historical drama genre with Kingdom of Heaven in 2005. Set in the late twelfth century, the film proposed a veryContinue reading “Film Review: Kingdom of Heaven (2005)”
Book Review: Edouard III, le viol de la comtesse de Salisbury et la fondation de l’ordre de la Jarretière by Jean-Marie Moeglin
By Louise Gay After analysing the episode of the Burghers of Calais twenty years ago, Jean-Marie Moeglin returns in his latest study to another narrative composed in the first century of the Hundred Years War: the much less famous story of the rape of the countess of Salisbury by Edward III of England (r. 1327-1377).
Queen Mary I’s Accession
By Valerie Schutte On 19 July 1553, Mary I became England’s first queen regnant. Yet, it was not an easy road for her to get there. She was the only living heir of her parents, King Henry VIII and Queen Catherine of Aragon, at the time of her birth on 18 February 1516. ButContinue reading “Queen Mary I’s Accession”
Gold and Diamond: A Brief Look at the Jubilees of Queen Victoria
By Amy-Jane Humphries On 2nd June 2022, the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth marked the 70th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation. It is the first time that a British monarch has reached this milestone. Elizabeth II has the distinction of being both the longest reigning monarch in British history and the longest reigning queenContinue reading “Gold and Diamond: A Brief Look at the Jubilees of Queen Victoria”
Global Queenship in Disney’s Pocahontas (1995) and Moana (2016)
By Amy Saunders and Johanna Strong **Please note that this post includes discussion of racial slurs, including historical terms our followers may find offensive.** Disney has long been synonymous with princesses, but rarely have their films meaningfully approached the topic of female rule as a theme. When they do, in films such as Pocahontas (1995)Continue reading “Global Queenship in Disney’s Pocahontas (1995) and Moana (2016)”
Team Queens 