I am excited to join Tudors Dynasty to present a lecture alongside Dr Peter Stiffell exploring the precedent Mary I set for Elizabeth I. As Rebecca Larson of Tudors Dynasty notes, Mary I and Elizabeth I are often portrayed as opposites – one the failed Catholic queen, the other the triumphant Protestant icon. Yet Elizabeth inherited far more from her sister than we often acknowledge. In this special event, historians Dr Johanna Strong and Dr Peter Stiffell explore how Mary I shaped the image, politics, and symbolism of Elizabeth’s reign.
1.) Join Dr Johanna Strong as she explores the connections between Mary and Elizabeth’s reigns and looks at how the legacy of Mary’s reign transformed during Elizabeth’s:
Mary I set a precedent for many of the significant moments of Elizabeth I’s reign, from the clothes she wore at her coronation to her marriage treaties to her grave. Before Elizabeth had the heart and stomach of a king Mary was lauded as a ‘queen and by the same title a king also’. Before Elizabeth became the Virgin Queen Mary’s marriage treaty served as the basis for Elizabeth’s marriage negotiations. Before Elizabeth had an elaborate tomb in Westminster Abbey Mary’s body had been resting in their (soon to be shared) grave for 45 years. (30 minute talk)
2.) Join Dr Peter Stiffell as he explores the global imagery of Mary and how she displays Marian Kingship in an ever-growing protestant England.
When Mary I became Queen of England in 1553, she was the first woman to successfully wear The Crown. From her accession to her death, Mary redefined what English kingship looked like. What exactly was female kingship? The queen who had gained a humanist education and had the blood of the Trastámaras as well as Tudor, immediately began to present herself as a Virgin Queen. Yet, she was a paradox, she was a Catholic, but also the mother of all her subjects; she was a Virgin but also married- to England. Mary’s imagery presents her as a female King, while also presenting her as a wife- first to England and then to the future Philip II. (30 minute talk)
Further event information and tickets are available via Eventbrite.
Dr Johanna Strong 