Women and power
Historian members' resource spotlight
Echoing the theme of the autumn issue of The Historian, this resource highlight examines aspects of the broad theme of women and power. We start by looking at some of the most overtly powerful women in history, from well-known Tudor monarchs to lesser-examined figures such as Æthelflæd. Power can be wielded in other forms, such as activism, or by taking a stand against inequality, as in the case of Rosa Parks. It can also be interpreted through the lens of religion and and the supernatural, as we see in the role of women in ancient Greece and Rome, and in early modern witchcraft, where such perceived power was a source of fear and persecution.
Tudor Queens
Film: Elizabeth I and Tudor royal authority
Professor Sue Doran examines two key challenges to Elizabeth I's authority: gender and religion.
Watch now | Also available in the Student Zone
Podcasted lecture: Elizabeth's women
From her scandalous mother, Anne Boleyn, to rivals such as the Grey sisters, Tracy Borman looks at how these relationships show the celebrated Virgin Queen in a surprising new light.
Film: Mary I and Tudor royal authority
Mary I was the first crowned Queen of England. Dr Anna Whitelock explores the role of Mary as a courageous political pioneer, looking at her difficult early life, her religious beliefs and policies, negative critiques of her and her rule, and how she has challenged historians.
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Podcast: How glorious was Gloriana? Elizabeth I and her historians
Elizabeth I's spin doctors created a lasting image of her as Gloriana and when she died her reign was lauded as a golden age of prosperity. Later historians have, however, drawn attention to her apparent failings. Just how glorious then was the Virgin Queen? Jackie Eales explores.
Queenship and political leadership
Article: Æthelflæd, Lady of the Mercians
Michael Wood focuses on 'one of the most important women in British history' - Æthelflæd, Lady of the Mercians, who ruled Mercia in the English Midlands from 911 until her death - arguing that hers is a classic case of the erasure of women's history.
Podcast: Queen Anne, last of the Stuarts
Queen Anne was the last of the Stuart monarchs, but also often overlooked. Key events in her reign included the War of the Spanish Succession and the development of the two-party system in Parliament. Lady Anne Somerset examines her role, relationships and reputation.
Article: Queen Victoria as a politician
Queen Victoria was a solitary woman in a male political world, passionately engaged in the political life of her nation longer than her most venerable ministers. Ian St John asks: What motivated her? What political influence did she exert? Was she, politically speaking, a good Queen?
Podcast: Margaret Thatcher and her legacy
Professor Eric Evans looks at the rise, fall and legacy of Margaret Thatcher's premiership. He looks at how she became Prime Minister, her transformation of Britain and the suffering of the industrial North, Scotland and Wales, and the way she changed the British economy.
Everyday women and power - Civil rights and activism
Film: Rosa Parks - Key individuals in the African-American Civil Rights Movement
When Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat to a white passenger, it set her on a path to become a key figure as a founder of the modern African-American freedom struggle. Yet she was well-versed in the ideologies of civil rights protests long before she came to public attention.
Watch now | Also available in the Student Zone
Real lives: Tahereh (Tāhirih)
Paula Kitching tells us of the incredible courage shown by Fatima Baraghani while campaigning for human rights, especially women’s rights, in nineteenth century Persia. She was the seventeenth disciple of the Bab, the founder of the movement and the only woman.
Podcast: Women's involvement in eighteenth-century elections
Elaine Chalus looks at women's involvement in eighteenth-century politics - women who were politically active from the bottom to the top of society. She considers the aims of female activists, reactions they received and inspirational female figures in the period.
Religious, military and supernatural power
Podcast: Women and religion in ancient Greece and Rome
From the Prophetess to cults of the Mother Goddess, and the Priestess of Athens and the Vestal Virgins, some women held a powerful role and position in Ancient Greek and Roman religion, but these were rare examples of women leading men. Richard Hawley considers these roles further.
Filmed lecture: Joan of Arc - woman, warrior, witch
Joan of Arc is one of the best documented women of the medieval period. There are mentions of her in chronicles and letters, treaties written about her, and uniquely we have replies to questions put to her at her trial. Anne Curry draws on this material and considers her through three lenses: woman, warrior and witch.
Podcast: Early modern witchraft
What are the stereotypes we are familiar with when thinking about the idea of a witch? Professor Alison Rowlands breaks down the stereotype, the implications of being judged a witch in the early modern period, and how interpretations have changed in recent decades.
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