Ladies in the Privy Chamber of Elizabeth I Angela Ranson
Event details
What role did the women of Elizabeth I’s privy chamber play in maintaining monarchical authority?
This is a question that has often been dismissed or belittled by Tudor historians. Some think of these women as mere rumour-mongers who complicated the essential business of state with their jealousies and rivalries. Others think of them only in the context of scandals such as forbidden liaisons or secret marriages.
However, author Angela Ranson reveals the important role they played in politics at the royal court, drawing on her research for a series of historical murder mysteries (now published by Sapere Books). She discovered that Elizabeth’s ‘ladies in action’ acted as intelligence-gatherers, interpreters, petitioners, ambassadors and even representatives of the queen herself. They played the part of scapegoats to help point negotiations in the direction which the queen desired, and even used performance in pageants to influence the political and religious atmosphere at court. They were also essential for the queen’s wellbeing and security, whether she was safe in one of her palaces or traveling.
Join Angela as, using the examples of Lady Mary Sidney and Kat Ashley, she investigates their role as advisors to the queen and explains how their influence affected the operation of a traditionally male-dominated world.
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You can buy copies of many of our speakers’ books from Fox Lane Books, a local independent bookseller and Festival partner. In some cases, author signed bookplates are available too.
About the speaker
Dr Angela Ranson is a Canadian expat who used to spend her days teaching teenagers English and History. She now enjoys living in the wild beauty of North Yorkshire and working as a university administrator. In 2014, she earned a doctorate in the history of 16th-century England from the University of York, and spent several years publishing non-fiction articles about the early years of Queen Elizabeth I. Most recently, she acted as editor and contributing author for the book Defending the Faith: John Jewel and the Elizabethan Church (Penn State Press, 2018). Angela’s novels attempt to recreate the atmosphere of Tudor England, exploring fresh themes and ideas by finding fictional solutions to real-life crimes and mysteries. They include Death Foretold and Shades of Death.
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