‘There is more to the story than this, of course’: Character and Affect in Philippa Gregory’s The White Queen
Philippa Gregory has critiqued gendered representations of Elizabeth Woodville and has stated that her 2009 novel The White Queen fictionalises Woodville’s history with the aim of challenging such depictions.
Grainne Uaile: The Movie
An up and coming movie about Grace O’ Malley (Grainne Uaile), Ireland’s famous female pirate!
(Re)casting the Past: The Cloisters and Medievalism
In this essay, I focus on a variety of texts printed using Anglo-Saxon type between 1566 and 1623 in an effort to explore the use of Anglo-Saxon typeface in the early modern period as the use of the Old English language progressed from polemical truncheon to historiographical instrument.
BOOK REVIEWS: “The Chalice” by Nancy Bilyeau
My book review of Nancy Bilyeau’s, “The Chalice”.
Christmas Books: Great Medieval Fiction Reads for the Christmas Holidays!
Some medieval stocking stuffers for the historians on your Christmas list!
Twilight Tours at the Tower of London!
A review of the Twilight Tour at the Tower of London!
Great Medieval Fiction 2013!
For those of you who enjoy some fantasy or a historical novel – this list is for you!
Danse Macabre’ Around the Tomb and Bones of Margaret of York
Over 500 years ago on 23 November 1503, at Malines, in present day Belgium, died Margaret of York, sister to Edward IV and Richard III of England and third and last wife of Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, whom she survived by a quarter of a century.
Arthur Tudor, Prince of Wales
Arthur Tudor was born shortly after midnight on September 20, 1486, just eight months after his parent’s marriage. King Henry was optimistic and insisted his son be born at Winchester, the legendary capital of King Arthur’s Camelot.
The Enduring Appeal of Richard III
It has indeed been confidently asserted that [Richard the 3d] killed his two Nephews & his Wife, but it has also been declared that he did not kill his two Nephews.
Shakespeare’s Richard II: Machiavelli for the Good of England
The name Machiavelli has negative connotations, and this way of thinking is not new. Throughout Europe, in Shakespeare’s time and earlier, Machiavellianism was associated with unscrupulous abuse of power, and Machiavellian methods were seen as immoral and evil.
The Sad Death of a King: The Legacy of Richard the Second
This thesis will examine the manner in which Shakespeare drew upon existing sources material to depict a king whose inherent character flaws made him unworthy of his crown.
“Partners in the same”: Monastic Devotional Culture in Late Medieval English Literature
To understand this apparent incongruity, it is, I argue, necessary to interrogate more carefully the continuation of monastic literary culture and its gradual diffusion beyond the walls of the cloister.
Gender Equality in Wage Labour Relations: the example of statutory regulation in late medieval and early Tudor England
The first question, not yet raised in labour historiography, is about the impact of wage labour relations on gender equality.
The second question is related to the first one: what role did women play as protagonists of wage labour relations.
‘The inordinate excess in apparel’: Sumptuary Legislation in Tudor England
Sumptuary legislation can be defined as a set of regulations, passed down by legislators through statutory law and parliamentary proclamations, that sought to regulate society by dictating what contemporaries could own or wear based on their position within society.
Seeking the Supernatural: The Exorcisms of John Darrell and the Formation of an Orthodox Identity in Early Modern England
This thesis examines the questions raised by Darrell‘s exorcisms and the ways in which they were shaped by relations of power. I hope that it will shed new light on the ways in which people formed their religious and ideological identities in this pivotal period in English history.
The City of York in the time of Henry VIII
During this period, the role of the landed aristocracy was changing. With the creation of a professional standing army, in which soldiers were paid a wage, and the use of foreign mercenaries (think of the Swiss Guard), the traditional military function of the nobility receded.
Neville, Percy, and York, 1461-1485 : a study in the subordination of the North
It is my intention, therefore, to re-examine the standard interpretation of northern history by focusing on the important achievement of the Yorkists in the North.
Enduring Borderlands: the Marches of Ireland and Wales in the Early Modern Period
Despite the successes of the ‘New British History’ in encouraging a less Anglocentric view of the early modern period, there have been few direct comparisons between Wales and Ireland.
The Marlowe-Shakespeare Authorship Debate: Approaching an Old Problem with New Methods
The facts surrounding the life and death of the men called Shakespeare and Marlowe are murky at best. Both men had births recorded in 1564. Before Shakespeare’s name became widely known, Marlowe had already produced several major works in various genres, including Tamburlaine the Great and Dr. Faustus.
The Ghost in Early Modern Protestant Culture: Shifting perceptions of the afterlife, 1450-1700
The Ghost in Early Modern Protestant Culture:Shifting perceptions of the afterlife, 1450-1700 McKeever, Amanda Jane PhD Thesis, Philosophy, University of Sussex, September 27,…
Utopia Pre-Empted: Kett’s Rebellion, Commoning, and the Hysterical Sublime
Utopia Pre-Empted: Kett’s Rebellion, Commoning, and the Hysterical Sublime Holstun, Jim (State University of New York, Buffalo) Historical Materialism, 16 (2008) Abstract In…
Promoting ‘English Civility’ in Tudor Times
Promoting ‘English Civility’ in Tudor Times Ellis, Steven G. (National University of Ireland, Galway) Tolerance and Intolerance in Historical Perspective, (University of Pisa, 2003) Like…