By Louise Gay Translated from French to English by Angela Krieger, this book by Murielle Gaude-Ferragu (original publication in 2014) sheds a welcome light on the last medieval queens of France from the early fourteenth to the end of the fifteenth centuries. It focuses mainly on Valois queenship, exploring through nine thematic chapters (grouped inContinue reading “Book Review: Queenship in Medieval France, 1300-1500 by Murielle Gaude-Ferragu”
Author Archives: gabbystorey
Katherine Parr, religious reform, and the battle for the throne
By June Woolerton Twitter: @mrsrjgiven On a summer’s day in 1546, the Queen of England was walking with her husband when guards arrived to arrest her. King Henry VIII had already had two of his previous wives detained and later executed and for a moment there was every indication that his sixth consort was aboutContinue reading “Katherine Parr, religious reform, and the battle for the throne”
Book Review: Queens and Queenship in Medieval Europe: Proceedings of a Conference Held at King’s College London, April 1995 by Anne J. Duggan
By Catherine Capel This volume, edited by Anne J. Duggan, celebrates the diverse aspects which make up the foundations of queenship in the Middle Ages. It analyses them through thematic lenses identifying core aspects affecting the execution of power by queens and the construction of queenship. The essays in this collection come from the conferenceContinue reading “Book Review: Queens and Queenship in Medieval Europe: Proceedings of a Conference Held at King’s College London, April 1995 by Anne J. Duggan”
Lady Katherine Grey: Tudor Heiress
By Conor Byrne Instagram: @_cbhistoryFacebook: Conor Byrne Historian According to the last will and testament of Henry VIII, the throne of England should have been inherited by the descendants of Lady Katherine Grey when Henry’s younger daughter, Elizabeth I, died on 24 March 1603. A somewhat obscure figure in Tudor history, Katherine was the secondContinue reading “Lady Katherine Grey: Tudor Heiress”
Book Review: She-Wolves: The Women Who Ruled England Before Elizabeth by Helen Castor
By Catherine Capel Helen Castor’s She-Wolves: The Women Who Ruled England Before Elizabeth (2010) is perhaps one of the most well recognised popular biographies on English queens for both academic and public history lovers. Adapted into a popular BBCFOUR miniseries in 2018, Castor’s exploration of some of the women who ruled as queen consort orContinue reading “Book Review: She-Wolves: The Women Who Ruled England Before Elizabeth by Helen Castor”
Book Review: Game of Queens. The Women Who Made Sixteenth-Century Europe by Sarah Gristwood
By Gabrielle Storey The women who feature in Game of Queens, its moniker to most contemporary readers appearing to play on the epic fantasy series Game of Thrones, undoubtedly draws parallels with the ruling women of G.R.R. Martin’s series. However, Gristwood’s intention is akin to the game of chess rather than the fantasy epic, demonstratingContinue reading “Book Review: Game of Queens. The Women Who Made Sixteenth-Century Europe by Sarah Gristwood”
“Like an Anvil”: The Language of the Kartlis Tskhovreba and Tamar the Great
By Irene Carstairs Twitter: @CarstairsIrene Tamar of Georgia presided over a period of unprecedented expansion, as well as an era of peace and prosperity that would never be seen in the nation again. Under her reign, Georgian historical writing began to resemble something recognisable as history, not a collection of biblical stories, folktales, and kings.Continue reading ““Like an Anvil”: The Language of the Kartlis Tskhovreba and Tamar the Great”
The Great Loves of John Hervey, Part II
By Amy-Jane Humphries This second part of our last #Pride month post delves further into sexualities and royal studies, continuing the story of John Hervey.
The Great Loves of John Hervey, 2nd Baron Hervey (1696-1743)
By Amy-Jane Humphries For our last #Pride posts, we have a two-parter on the courtier John Hervey, his relationship with Caroline of Ansbach, queen of Great Britain and Ireland, and his role in LGBTQIA+ history!
A Queen Between Two Realms: Blanca of Navarre as Sicilian Lieutenant and Navarrese Princess, 1402-1415
By Jessica Minieri Cover Photo: Blanca’s initial on the ceiling of the Cathedral de Santa María la Real in Pamplona, Spain (Wikimedia Commons). In 1402, Navarrese princess, Blanca (c.1387-1441), arrived in Palermo to marry the king of Sicily, Martí “El Joven” (r. 1390-1409), in an effort to secure his throne following the death of hisContinue reading “A Queen Between Two Realms: Blanca of Navarre as Sicilian Lieutenant and Navarrese Princess, 1402-1415”
Team Queens 