Join Tudor Times for three afternoons of talks exploring royal marriages in late-fifteenth and sixteenth century Europe. Each session comprises three talks by experts, followed by a round table discussion. The sessions may be purchased separately, or at a discount for all three. This product is Summit Three only. Summit One may be purchased here, Summit Two here, and a combined ticket here.
- Mary I and Philip II, with Professor Alexander Samson
A Fine Romance? The personal relationship between Mary I and Philip II during their four-year co-monarchy has been the subject of intense interest and its place in the historiography of the period suggests that it was the factor on which the success or failure of their co-monarchy hinged. In this talk I want to call this idea into question and trace the historiographical consequences that flow from personalising what was in essence well understood as dynastic-political union. The careful curation of the couple’s image over their joint reign inflects at various points the shifting power dynamic between England and Spain, Mary and Philip. This imagery is a better way to think about their ‘relationship’.
- Alessandro de’ Medici and Margaret of Parma, with Professor Catherine Fletcher
The match between Alessandro de’ Medici and the future Margaret of Parma brought together two of the highest-profile illegitimate children in Europe. Alessandro, ruler of Florence, was the bastard son of Duke Lorenzo de’ Medici, though some claimed his real father was in fact Giulio de’ Medici, Pope Clement VII. Margaret’s father was the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, the most powerful man in Europe. Both their mothers were maids; indeed, rumour had it that Alessandro’s mother was an enslaved woman of mixed race. The pair were betrothed in 1529, when Margaret was not yet seven, and married just before she turned fourteen, the Medici desperate for an heir to the duchy of Florence. It was a spectacular ceremony, and might have been a spectacular court, but the marriage lasted less than a year before Margaret found herself a widow.
- James VI & I and Anna of Denmark, with Dr Steven Veerapen
Few royal marriages have been as consistently misrepresented as that of James VI/I and his queen, Anna of Denmark. James has been cast as a loping, drooling, if admittedly canny oddball, Anna as a feather-brained, apolitical nonentity, making mischief in Scotland and retreating into the shadows (emerging only for lavish entertainments) in England. Their marriage has been condemned as a loveless matter of state: the king more interested in handsome youths and the queen a resentful royal baby-making machine, forever divorced mentally after a 1590s “custody battle” over their eldest son. This talk explores an alliance not just between countries but between two intelligent, wilful, deeply emotional figures, uncovering the truth about James and Anna’s shared politico-religious intrigues; her apparent attitude towards his sexuality; his faithfulness in Scotland (where he strayed only once, with a woman); and their ultimate victory, having the most successful marriage in English royal history since James’s forebears, Henry VII and Elizabeth of York.
When you purchase your ticket, you will provide us with your email address so that we can send you the link to the Summit. The link to the individual summits will be sent out about 48 hours before the event. The session will be recorded, and a link to the recorded session (valid until 31 December 2025) will be circulated after the live event has closed.
Event organiser is Tudor Times.
Disclaimer: All information was correct when the listing was prepared. Any questions about the event should be directed to the event organiser.