Highlights from the Understanding Diversity in the 15th and 16th Century conference, Edinburgh, Scotland April 2023. The last in this series

Ladies-in-waiting's political engagement was in no sense a part of their office, but was how Elizabeth managed the business of her court.

What exactly were gender expectations in the 16th century? An unmarried woman ruled for 45 years - this was a violation of gender norms.

Should history be morally therapeutic to advance human happiness? White and black washing obscures historical accuracy.

So is history a game we play with the past? Have we imagined a past that suits rising nationalism?

Fan-girled out on Dunnett!

Honored to be giving the closing address at Diversity in the 15th and 16th century conference in Edinburgh.

CFP Dorothy Dunnett Centenary Conference and Gathering, Edinburgh, April 2023

Shakespeare's, or Oxford's, Women video available.

I am a strong supporter of the 'Authorship' question as a line of enquiry. I, however, am agnostic.

Monarchs who let their hearts rule their heads tend to court disaster, be they male or female; and there have been plenty of both examples.

This one is boring but important. Nerd out. Word choice and language have conspired to exclude women from the political narrative.

How did all the women except queens disappear from the historical narrative? Historians write about what is of interest to them.

Between 1500 and 1599 there were 165 years of formal female rule - more than 1.5 as many as calendar years.

In a 'Century of Queens', how could there not be political women? Surely a queen wasn't the only woman in her kingdom interested in politics

She said, 'This is Dr. So&So's office. He doesn't admit he has a gender. This is Dr. Ellis's office. It's the largest in the building.

How Hilary Clinton and Mary of Guise sent me to the archives.

I am a bit aghast that I agreed to impersonate a political analyst for a lecture on Elizabeth I.