The Royal Studies Podcast

In this episode, Rob Runacres (University of Winchester) speaks about aspects of his doctoral research on fencing and HEMA (Historical European Martial Arts) in early modern European courts and royal education. Rob’s two translations from French primary sources are available from Fallen Rook Publishing ( https://www.fallenrookpublishing.co.uk/ ). The Free Master of Arms (1653) can be found here an...

Join us for this episode featuring postgraduate research students Louise Gay and Ashlee Johnson, who speak to Dr Johanna Strong about their research into queens' roles in warfare, conflict, and military life in medieval Europe. Louise is a PhD student at the Université Sorbonne Paris Nord examining thirteenth- and fourteenth-century French and English queenship and warfare. Ashlee is a PhD st...

In this episode we are joined by Nikki Clark and Caroline Dunn to speak about their work on the role of ladies-in-waiting in the medieval and early modern English court. We’ll hear their reflections on how the role changed over time and what life was like for these women as well as their thoughts about Queen Camilla’s decision to eliminate this position in favour of the new post of ‘companions’. ...

This episode is the second of two episodes on the history of coronations in England and Britain in connection with the upcoming coronation of King Charles III. In this episode we are talking to Alice Hunt, author of The Drama of Coronation . We’ll be getting her thoughts on the legacy of the medieval and early modern ceremonies on the upcoming coronation and which element of the ritual is the most...

This episode is the first of two episodes on the history of coronations in England and Britain in connection with the upcoming coronation of King Charles III. In this episode we are talking to José Manuel Cerda about his new book Coronation: The British Monarchy in only one word (Coronación. La monarquía británica en una sola palabra) and his thoughts about what makes the coronation ceremony disti...

In this episode, we continue this month's theme on deposed or deposing monarchs with an interview with Dr Cathleen Sarti about her work on this topic in early modern Europe. Below we have some recommendations from Cathleen if you would like to know more about the topic or follow up on some of the works she mentions in the interview: Sarti, Cathleen. Deposing Monarchs: Domestic Conflict and St...

Alex Bescoby is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, writer and presenter from Manchester, UK, with a love of history, travel and storytelling. A Cambridge University history and politics graduate, he has written for BBC News, the Telegraph, National Geographic and Lonely Planet. His long- and short-form films have been shown by global broadcasters including BBC, All4,  History, Discovery &...

This episode is a roundtable hosted by Johanna Strong featuring four scholars (Elena Woodacre, Sarah Betts, Lucy Coatman and Jessica Storoschuk) discussing representations of monarchy on the small and silver screen. Topics of discussion include Netflix's The Crown and The Empress, K-Dramas on the Joseon dynasty, Marie Antoinette in Sofia Coppola's iconic film and the recent BBC series an...

In connection with International Women's Day, we have a feature on the research of Dr Helen Newsome and her work on the letter writing of queens. In this episode we discuss her work on editing the impressive letter collection of Margaret Tudor, Queen of Scots and her new research project 'The Queen's Post'. To find out more about Dr Newsome's research and publications, you...

In this special three part podcast, Ellie Woodacre discusses the English Consorts series with members of the editorial team. This is the third episode, featuring as a conversation with the editors of volumes 2 & 3, Dr Joanna Laynesmith and Dr Aidan Norrie, who is also the lead editor of the entire four-volume series. If you haven't already listened to our first episode on the English Cons...

In this special three part podcast, Ellie Woodacre discusses the English Consorts series with members of the editorial team. This is the second episode, featuring a discussion with the editors of volumes 1 & 4, Dr Danna Messer and Dr Carolyn Harris (respectively). If you haven't already listened to our first episode on the English Consorts series , where we talked with the whole team, you...

In this episode we are speaking to Nicola Tallis, best-selling author and historian about her new book  All the Queen's Jewels and her wider work on Tudor royal women. Find out more about Nicola and all of her publications on her website. If you enjoyed hearing about her book  and want to learn more about the jewellry collection of queens and royal women you might also be interested in taking...

This episode features contributors from the Team Queens initiative, reflecting on their collective work on Team Queens and their own exciting research on queenship and royal studies. You can find out more about Team Queens and the work that the team produced together on their website --please note that as the active stage of the project has finished, this is now a static site, but it is still full...

Johanna Strong reviews the Royal Studies Network's 2022 and highlights the achievements of the field of royal studies this year. We also look ahead to 2023 and all that we have planned. Happy New Year!

In this episode we're chatting with Sarah Betts, who has curated a 'cluster' of short pieces from various scholars in the field reflecting back on the life and legacy of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.  After you have a listen to the episode, go check out the cluster in the December 2022 issue of the the Royal Studies Journal!

In this special two part podcast, Ellie Woodacre discusses the English Consorts series with members of the editorial team. The English Consorts Series  reveals the changing nature of English consortship from the Norman Conquest to the present day, through four volumes of innovative and authoritative biographies. Aidan Norrie is Lecturer in History and Programme Leader at the University Campus Nort...

This week we talk to Cathleen Sarti and Charlotte Backerra, co-founders of the Queen's Resources international research project investigating the economic agency and activities of royal women in premodern Europe. In monarchies, power, law, finances, and economy were and are intertwined aspects of the royal household. Analysing the economic and financial resources of a monarchy, a dynasty or a...

This month we talk to the Royal Studies Journal Book Prize Winner 2022, Dr. Jonathan Spangler, about his book "Monsieur: Second Sons in the Monarchy of France, 1550–1800". Read Dr Spangler's prize winning work here:  https://www.routledge.com/Monsieur-Second-Sons-in-the-Monarchy-of-France-15501800/Spangler/p/book/9780367761943

This month we discuss the latest Royal Studies Journal Special Issue 9.1 June 2022 with special editor Dustin M. Neighbors, University of Helsinki:  "Beyond the Public/Private Divide: New Perspectives on Sexuality, Rituals, Hospitality, and Diplomacy within Royal Space".   Dr Neighbors is a recently appointed as postdoctoral researcher for The History Lab project at Aalto University, and...

In this week's podcast we speak to Dr. Cindy McCreery, Senior Lecturer in the Department of History at the University of Sydney, Australia, about her lead in Modern Monarchy in Global Perspective Research Hub. https://global-modern-monarchy.sydney.edu.au/ and the convening of  an international conference online: “Going Platinum: Australian responses to the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, 1952-20...

In this week's podcast we talk to Estelle Paranque about her new book covering two amazing women from history - Elizabeth I and Catherine de' Medici. Estelle Paranque is an Assistant Professor in History at NCH at Northeastern (London campus). She has participated in several international historical documentaries on TV, including BBC Two's The Boleyns: A Scandalous Family (aired in...

Dr. Gabrielle Storey hosts part 2 of this fascinating round table discussion -  Memorialising Pre-Modern Monarchs. Links to the works discussed in this podcast can be found below: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-84130-0 https://www.bloomsburycollections.com/book/the-middle-ages-in-modern-culture-history-and-authenticity-in-contemporary-medievalism/ch7-malevolent-and-marginal?from=...

Dr. Gabby Storey hosts the first of a two part round table discussion, memorialising pre-modern monarchs.

This month we talk to Dr Rachel Delman about her Royal Studies Journal prize winning article and her wider work on royal women and architectural patronage. Almost two hundred years before Inigo Jones completed the Queen’s House for Henrietta Maria at Greenwich, another French-born queen consort of England had established the first queenly household there. In 1447, Margaret of Anjou acquired the ri...

This week we talk about Royal Jubilees past and present with Dr. Carolyn Harris.