Depressing that two brilliant, beloved, and impactful TV dramas showcasing British history (Wolf Hall and Mr Bates Versus The Post Office) were only made because the cast and crew volunteered to take big pay cuts If a big streamer isn’t interested, UK dramas are becoming unaffordable

Wonderful to see so many pomegranates (Catherine’s badge) and flowers at the grave of Catherine of Aragon in Peterborough Cathedral. I think she would approve of her tomb memorial, which is simple but effective, naming her as Queen #peterborough #catherineofaragon #tudor

I sat down with @drowenemmerson.bsky.social to discuss the role of a historical consultant & to review episodes 1-3 of the BBC's 'The Mirror and the Light’. Dr Emmerson was one of the show’s historical consultants, so it was a real treat to hear about his experience. www.patreon.com/c/TalkingTud...

A portrait of William Carey, Mary Boleyn's first husband, was sold to an unknown collector in November 2024. Scientific analysis carried out in 1971 showed that the present panel comes from a tree felled after 1570. More info below. 👇

I'm so excited to announce that I'll be speaking at Hever Castle in September as part of Simply Tudor Tours' "The Rise and Fall of Anne Boleyn" 2025 tour. I'll be discussing how Anne's parents spent their final years. You can learn more and book tickets here: simplytudortours.com/the-rise-and...

I’ve saved these images in an album on my phone called ‘Interesting Things’. It’s Catherine Howard’s seal, still attached to a document, which I came upon back in the summer. A small testament to a brief life #catherinehoward #henryviii #divorcedbeheadeddied

🚨 FESTIVAL SPECIAL 🚨 Henry VIII gets the drama, but @nathenamin.bsky.social says Henry VII deserves the spotlight! The dynasty-builder, the peacemaker, the underestimated king. 🎧 https://pod.fo/e/29e42f 🎫 https://peterborough-cathedral.org.uk/about/history/katharine-of-aragon/kofa_25/

I very much enjoyed discussing the relationship between Anne Boleyn and the Princess Mary, (future Mary I), with the wonderful @drowenemmerson.bsky.social . Our chat is available on the Talking Tudors YouTube channel. I hope you enjoy it! youtu.be/ZTWIBwnPjQA?...

We found some other #EarlyModern centres that have joined these blue skies recently: @cemskcl.bsky.social @uclearlymodxcha.bsky.social and @cesrtours.bsky.social, for instance. Any we missed still? go.bsky.app/LLzFj3b

You will recall that BBC History Magazine recently canvassed a score of historians to determine the GREATEST HISTORICAL MOVIE. The results of the resulting public poll have now been announced. My picks came 1 & 2 😎. Find out which below: www.historyextra.com/period/gener...

How do we balance history with expectation when envisioning figures like #AnneBoleyn? Her face has been reimagined from a C16th sketch by Holbein to later oil portraits. Do these reflect their era’s ideals more than Anne herself? Is it even her? Excited to share my findings soon!

Exciting to see an article on Anne of Cleves that I contributed to, along with ⁦‪@HRDarsieHistory‬⁩ in this month’s All About History magazine ⁦‪@AboutHistoryMag‬⁩ It’s great to see Anne getting the attention she deserves #anneofcleves #annaofcleves #tudor #tudors

✨ SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT ✨ I am SO excited to share something that I've been wanting to offer for a while: A six-day MINI COURSE on the Women of the Wars of the Roses 👑🌹 Interested participants can register at medievalhistoryacademy.com for the full course ($35) or lectures on individual women ($7)

A warrant, signed by Catherine Parr as ‘Kateryn the Queen Regente KP’ and dating to the days after Henry VIII’s death. Sadly, while she attempted to claim the regency in January 1547, she was unsuccessful #catherineparr #katherineparr #katerynparr #henryviii

This C16th beheading sword forms part of the Hever Castle collection & is similar to that used to execute #AnneBoleyn. Typically, the English nobility were killed by axe, but Anne was one of the few people to be decapitated in England by the central European method of the sword. #Tudor

I wish you all a happy and devious 2025 ! 🥂🦋 thespectator.com/book-and-art...

Happy New Year! Let’s start 2025 with a new episode of Talking Tudors! It was a joy to speak with the brilliant Leigh Wakefield about how feminist movements have reshaped portrayals of Catherine Howard. Pour yourself a cuppa and tune in! talkingtudors.podbean.com

Happy 2025, everyone! At the Tudor court, New Year's Day was cause for celebration & spectacle, as 1 January was the traditional day of gift-giving, as opposed to Christmas At Henry VIII's court, New Year's Day 1532 was also an opportunity to display both favoritism & malice 🧵 1/

I'm delighted to announce that my new paper is out NOW! I propose that the 'Lady Parker' depicted in Holbein's sketch, often misidentified as Jane Boleyn, may in fact be Susanna Horenbout — a renowned miniaturist, painter and manuscript illuminator at the Tudor court. 👇

🚨 THIS WEEK🚨 New podcast episode out now! Heather Darsie joins us to debunk the myths about Anna of Cleves. Was she really the 'Flanders Mare'? Listen to find out! #TudorHistory #AnnaOfCleves #HistoryPodcast Listen now 🎧 https://pod.fo/e/291de9#TudorHistory#AnnaOfCleves#HistoryPodcast#history #podcast #Tudor #HenryVIII

“Most gracyous prynce I Crye for mercye mercye mercye”. I love this beautiful recreation of #ThomasCromwell’s ‘mercy’ letter by Rosie Carmichael. Giving historical guidance on these stunning props was a huge honour. I do so hope that you enjoy this evening's devastating finale of #WolfHall.

If modern day Ricardians believe that the pretender Perkin Warbeck was in fact Richard of York and propose him as the legitimate Yorkist heir in the 1490s, then by extension they accept Richard III was wrong to make his nephews illegitimate in 1483 and therefore usurped throne, right?

This is a few weeks old, but I'm delighted to share the news that my Ren Quarterly article on Katherine Parr, her giftbooks, and Henry VIII's marginalia was awarded the 2024 Raymond B. Waddington essay prize by the @16csociety.bsky.social. You can read the article here 👉 doi.org/10.1017/rqx....

I had a wonderful time discussing Mary Marshall with Rebecca. If you'd like to hear more about the Mother of the Maids during Anne Boleyn's queenship (and my rambling thoughts on researching women more generally) give this a listen! Thanks for having me back on your podcast, Rebecca! Always a treat!

How are history documentaries made? Why are they produced, what is the filming process, and what exactly are the noddies? Well, read on and I'll reveal all nathenamin.substack.com/p/how-are-hi...

It was great to chat with @historywithjackson.bsky.social about the Katherine of Aragon Festival, which is taking place from 22-29 Jan 2025. Tune in to hear about the exciting events planned, including talks by top Tudor historians, guided tours, & historical reenactments. talkingtudors.podbean.com

In episode five of #WolfHall: The Mirror and the Light, the incomparable Abraham tapestries in Hampton Court’s majestic Great Hall have been meticulously recoloured to show their original vibrancy. The result is stunning—so much kudos to the brilliant art department.

So excited for the first day of this wonderful conference! Starting now! Find the link here: www.newberry.org/calendar/eme... #RaceB4Race #PCRS #premoderncriticalrace

My article entitled "Masterpiece Story: The Phoenix Portrait of Elizabeth I", is now published at the Daily Art Magazine. Enjoy! www.dailyartmagazine.com/masterpiece-...

For the first time in almost 500 years, you can experience what #AnneBoleyn’s Christmas would have been like in the #BoleynApartment at her home of #HeverCastle. Do make sure to experience it for yourself! www.hevercastle.co.uk/whats-on/hev... 🎶 Coventry Carol/malindamusic

I'm pleased to announce that my paper on the seventeenth-century embroidered binding of the Psalter of Anne Boleyn has been published online in Volume 118, number 4 of the Papers of the Bibliographical Society of America. You can read it here: www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...

Six years of Early Modern Female Book Ownership today! 72,500 views, 41,500 visitors, 221 posts by academics, librarians, book owners, and others with the support of libraries, private owners, and booksellers. And much more to come! https://buff.ly/2REqsPi #HerBook #EarlyModern

Was 'Semper eadem' really Anne Boleyn's motto? Here are the results of my investigation of this fascinating subject. Perhaps we can start a debate & get to the bottom of this - is there any connection between Anne Boleyn & the 'Semper eadem' motto? thetudors.substack.com/p/was-semper...

I hope this is Anne Boleyn - it's certainly by Hans Holbein - as it's my favourite portrait of her #Tudors

Letter from Katherine of Aragon to her daughter Mary - December 1534 #Tudor #womenshistory thefreelancehistorywriter.com/2018/01/12/l...

New Tudor drama for UK viewers! www.theknowledgeonline.com/news/itv-ord...

Forget the Elf on the Shelf - here's King on a Thing! Make your own Henry VIII to sit on your shelf, bookcase, desk or 16th century warship! maryrose.org/things-to-ma...

Calling all Tudor fans! I had such fun recording this new BBC History podcast all about the Tudors. Ep 1/5 is out now 👇

Doing historical research isn’t just an intellectual enterprise; it’s emotional and embodied. I legit almost threw up earlier this morning while researching etymology related to the year 1712. If you’re a historian and/or do archival research, how do you handle the SHOCK of revelation?

Recent scholarly research on Anne Boleyn claims that Henry VIII never intended to have her as a mistress but offer marriage from the beginning. By the fantastic and renowned historian and researcher Prof Tracy Adams www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

✨ Big news! ✨ My latest paper is officially published in The Court Historian! I challenge the myth that Anne Boleyn was granted the male title of Marquis of Pembroke. Curious about the truth behind this iconic moment in Tudor history? Dive in and discover what really happened!

I'm so pleased to announce that my first peer-reviewed paper, "‘Mrs Marshall’: The Identity of the Mother of the Maidens in Anne Boleyn’s Household", has been published online in Volume 29 Issue 3 of The Court Historian. You can read it here: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

In this special crossover episode of History Hit's Not Just The Tudors and Gone Medieval, I discuss the origins of the Tudor dynasty, and how one Welsh family seized the English crown. Listen below or wherever you podcast. podfollow.com/not-just-the...

There are a few fan studies lists, but in the spirit of the talk we gave at @fsnnorthamerica.bsky.social recently, "Studying Fans Outside the Academy," how about a starter pack for people who work on fan stuff from all over—journalists, industry-side folks, fans themselves, and yes, academics too! 😄

This is such a common topic of conversation in my Austen adaptations course! I think this list holds up for mainstream novel and film adaptations as well as fanfic.

I'm struck by how much of the Gladiator II academic commentary is focused on gladiators and the Colosseum. I mean, that makes sense for historians who focus on that sort of thing but...having seen the movie...the wildest parts of the historical presentation are not the gladiator bits.

Someone needs to do a Google Maps, but for the past. For example, typing in "London to York" but you can select a period e.g. 1450s, and it would give you the likeliest route. That'd be great.

In preparation for #Christmas at #HeverCastle, Alison and I have turned #AnneBoleyn’s stunning Books of Hours to the illuminations of the Nativity and the Adoration of the Magi so that you can see how Anne herself viewed Christmas when you visit 🎄

In November 1495, Henry VII made a personal payment of 20 shillings (or £1) "for a book bought for my Lord of York", his four-year-old son (and future king, Henry VIII). One wonders what that book was?

Spicy books are a cure for your politics hangover - https://www.wbez.org/books/2024/11/18/romance-books-best-2024-fated-mates-podcast-chicago-bookstores