Actress Angela Pleasence has died at the age of 84. Among other roles, she played Queen Katherine Howard in the 1970 BBC series “The Six Wives of Henry VIII”.

Within ten minutes of visiting the Marie Antoinette exhibition at the V&A, I overhead someone repeating the infamous “let them eat cake” story, an enduring myth about Marie Antoinette.

Very much enjoyed the ‘Capturing a Queen: The Image of Anne Boleyn’ exhibition at Hever Castle, well worth a visit

Lovely to receive a physical copy of the latest issue of Historical Research, which has one of the images from my article on the front cover

The artist has also been identified as Lucas Horenbout, who died in 1544.

Other candidates have been named, including Amy Robsart (wife of Robert Dudley) and both of Henry VIII’s daughters in their youth, the future Mary I and Elizabeth I. The Yale Center for British Art dates it to c.1535. In view of the sitter’s age, this would seemingly rule out all sitters but Mary.

Today is the anniversary of the execution of Katherine Howard, fifth wife of Henry VIII, in 1542. Yesterday was the anniversary of the execution of Lady Jane Grey in 1554. This portrait has tentatively been identified as depicting both women but a wide range of other sitters have also been proposed.

Their remains were interred at the Tower chapel of St Peter ad Vincula. Katherine’s marriage to Henry was never annulled, making him a widower on her death for the second, and final, time. This portrait may depict Katherine, as I suggest in my biography of her, but its identity remains uncertain.

According to Otwell Johnson, the two women ‘made the most godly and Christians’ end that ever was heard tell (I think) since the world’s creation’. They accepted the justice of their sentences ‘with goodly words and steadfast countenance’, showing ‘a wonderful patience and constancy to the death’.

Jane had reportedly gone mad under the strain of imprisonment and should legally have been spared execution, but Henry was determined to have both women put to death. Their ages are unknown but Katherine was probably 17-19 and Jane was in her late thirties.

On 13 February 1542, two executions took place within the walls of the Tower of London: those of Katherine Howard, fifth wife of Henry VIII, and her former lady-in-waiting Jane, viscountess Rochford. They had been convicted of treason against the king by an Act of Attainder. 🧵

Hello, is this position available to candidates in early modern British history, or is it exclusively for modern British history? Thank you!

Visualizing the executions of British queens in early modern Europe Abstract. The executions of British queens between 1536 and 1587 were sensational news events, both in the British Isles and on the Continent, and were vis

My article, ‘Visualizing the executions of British queens in early modern Europe‘, has been published in “Historical Research” and can be read here: academic.oup.com/histres/adva...

Current project away from PhD‘ing

The five best TV shows about the Tudors – recommended by a historian We seem to have an endless appetite for Tudor history.

My article for The Conversation about five of the best TV shows about the Tudors has been published: theconversation.com/the-five-bes...

It recorded the execution of Queen Katherine Howard but not the execution of her predecessor, Queen Anne Boleyn, the mother of England’s ruling monarch, Elizabeth I, perhaps highlighting the general reticence to confront Anne’s memory due to the controversy of her execution.

It is commonly asserted that Anne Boleyn’s memory was celebrated, and vindicated, during her daughter’s reign. The truth is more complex, as the Norwich clergyman John More’s “A Table from the beginning of the World to this day” (1593) shows. (1/2)

I am looking forward to presenting a paper for the Women’s Studies Group this Thursday about my research into images of the executions of British queens. This will be available to tune into online #queenship #tudors #earlymodern #beheading

My review of “The Afterlife of Mary, Queen of Scots”, edited by Steven Reid, is out in the Scottish Historical Review @scottishhistreview.bsky.social

Immersed in the Popish Plot and the Exclusion Crisis. Can’t wait to submit my PhD thesis (hopefully soon)

On 5 September 1548, Katherine Parr, sixth wife of Henry VIII, died aged 36. Since then, her portraiture (images 1 and 2) has been manipulated as likenesses of her great-niece by marriage, the tragic Lady Jane Grey (image 3). This image has nothing to do with Jane sadly.

Was Mary Boleyn definitely older than her sister Anne? Not necessarily. Stuart historians suggested otherwise

Currently immersed in the Popish Plot and the Exclusion Crisis. The former was a fictitious conspiracy leading to numerous executions and apparently sought the assassinations of Charles II and his Catholic brother James, duke of York while the latter aimed to remove James from the succession

Congratulations Amy!

On 22 August 1485, Henry Tudor defeated Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth. Henry’s victory inaugurated the rule of the Tudors. My doctorate focuses on the executions of Henry’s daughters-in-law Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard and great-granddaughters Jane Grey and Mary, Queen of Scots

As I’m coming closer to finishing my doctorate, never in my wildest dreams, as a child, did I think that my passion for Tudor history would allow me to pursue a doctorate focused on executed queens. I grew up reading about Queen Anne Boleyn, and I wrote biographies about Queen Katherine Howard. 🌹

The penultimate chapter of my thesis has involved exhaustive research into these two fascinating monarchs, grandson and grandmother, both executed: In the 1650s, there were many links made - in Britain and in Europe - between Charles and Mary.

I am about to publish an academic article about visual representations of executed queens, including Jane, and there are several that I’m really excited to share, printed across the Continent. These span multiple languages and national traditions, to provide a wider European perspective.

Lady Jane Grey is one of the central figures in my PhD thesis and has occupied much of my time, having written a biography of her sister Katherine. I am so interested in the mythology of Jane’s legend and I have to commend Dr J. Stephan Edwards for his work on Jane’s portraiture. 🧵

This portrait of Mary, Queen of Scots narrates her tragic history in Latin and presents her as a Catholic martyr. I have an academic article coming out this year that discusses the Catholic iconography of portraits of Mary & themes of martyrdom, royalty & succession, which this image encapsulates