Context brings the brightest minds to your living room with perspective-shifting online lectures.

Tudor History: Reign of Bloody Mary with Dr. Elizabeth Norton

Tudor History: Reign of Bloody Mary with Dr. Elizabeth Norton


No events are scheduled at this time. Want to be notified when it’s back? Click the blue button to the right and we’ll notify you.

Can't make this time? A video recording will be sent to all participants after the seminar.

Event Description
Mary Tudor's accession to the English throne in July 1553 was unprecedented. She was swept to power on a wave of popular support, becoming the first woman to be crowned as the reigning queen of England. Yet, in spite of this early success, Mary's reign was troubled, with her marriage to Philip of Spain, which failed to produce an heir, causing trouble both at home and abroad. The defining issue of Mary's reign was religion, with the queen's attempts to return England to the Catholic Church leading to the burning of nearly 300 of her Protestant subjects. Yet, in spite of this, Mary was also a capable politician and a cultured woman, whose childhood and early adulthood had been blighted by the actions of her father, Henry VIII.

Led by an expert on the Tudor period, Dr. Elizabeth Norton, this Conversation will look at the life and reign of Mary I, the first crowned reigning queen of England and the woman who attempted to return England to the Catholic Church. Designed to inform curiosity as well as future travels, participants will come away with an increased understanding of the woman, and queen, behind the myth of Bloody Mary.

Series Description
The Tudor Dynasty captures the imagination like no other period in English history. This series of talks led by British historian Dr. Elizabeth Norton will examine the world of the Tudors – and the many wives of the notorious King Henry VIII – with each week’s standalone lecture looking at a particular topic or theme.
On August 22, 1485, an obscure Welsh nobleman named Henry Tudor surprised everyone by winning the throne of England on the battlefield at Bosworth Field. Taking the throne as Henry VII, he would be the first of five Tudor monarchs, who would rule England for 118 years. Following him was his son, the infamous Henry VIII with his six long-suffering wives, as well as his three grandchildren, Edward VI, ‘Bloody’ Mary Tudor, and Elizabeth, the Virgin Queen.
This series of lectures will look at the lives of these key family members and their prodigy, and contextualize their stories' impact on the modern monarchy. To view our full selection of upcoming events in the series, click here.

Dr Elizabeth Norton is a British historian, specialising in the Tudor period. She has degrees from both Oxford and Cambridge universities and King's College London. She is the author of twelve books, including 'The Hidden Lives of Tudor Women', 'The Temptation of Elizabeth Tudor' and biographies of four of Henry VIII's wives. She regularly appears as an expert on television.

This conversation is suitable for all ages.

90 minutes, including a 30 minute Q&A.

Customer Reviews

Based on 1 review
100%
(1)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
H
Harriett Michael (San Rafael, US)
Understanding Bloody Mary

Elizabeth Norton is able to put Mary in the complicated history of the Tudors while making it simple enough to understand. She clarifies what can be very murky.

Customer Reviews

Based on 1 review
100%
(1)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
H
Harriett Michael (San Rafael, US)
Understanding Bloody Mary

Elizabeth Norton is able to put Mary in the complicated history of the Tudors while making it simple enough to understand. She clarifies what can be very murky.