Virtual - Tudor Queens and Ladies in Waiting: A Discussion with Authors Nicola Clark and Jade Scott

Today we welcome authors Nicola Clark and Jade Scott to our virtual stage to discuss the Tudor Queens and their Ladies in Waiting! Nicola's book, The Waiting Game: The Untold Story of the Women Who Served the Tudor Queens, and Jade's book, Captive Queen: The Decrypted History of Mary, Queen of Scots, delve into the true lives of these historic women, digging into their lives in those times and the challenges of being in the Tudor monarchy. Register directly on Zoom HERE. RECORDING NOTE: This program will be recorded. All registrants will receive the recording via email within 48 hours of the program. About The Waiting Game: Every Tudor Queen had ladies-in-waiting. They were her confidantes and her chaperones. Only the Queen's ladies had the right to enter her most private chambers, spending hours helping her to get dressed and undressed, caring for her clothes and jewels, listening to her secrets. But they also held a unique power. A quiet word behind the scenes, an appropriately timed gift, a well-negotiated marriage alliance were all forms of political agency wielded expertly by women. The Waiting Game explores the daily lives of ladies-in-waiting, revealing the secrets of recruitment, costume, what they ate, where (and with whom) they slept. We meet María de Salinas, who traveled to England with Catherine of Aragon when just a teenager and spied for her during the divorce from Henry VIII. Anne Boleyn's lady-in-waiting Jane Parker was instrumental in the execution of not one, but two queens. And maid-of-honor Anne Basset kept her place through the last four consorts, negotiating the conflicting loyalties of her birth family, her mistress the Queen, and even the desires of the King himself. As Henry changed wives-and changed the very fabric of the country's structure besides-these women had to make choices about loyalty that simply didn't exist before. The Waiting Game is the first time their vital story has been told. About Nicola: Nicola Clark has a PhD in Early Modern History from Royal Holloway and is a Senior Lecturer in Early Modern History at the University of Chichester. Her research focuses primarily on women's dynastic and political roles across the late medieval and early modern period. She has spoken about her research at events for Historic Royal Palaces and the National Archives. About Captive Queen: For almost two decades before her execution at Fotheringhay Castle in 1587, Mary, Queen of Scots was a prisoner. From her chambers, she wrote countless letters, many encrypted using complex ciphers to prevent her communications from being intercepted. In this way, she used language to exert her will and her influence, even while incarcerated. More than four hundred years after Mary's death, the discovery of further encoded letters has led to renewed interest in the breadth of her correspondence while in captivity. In Captive Queen: The Decrypted History of Mary, Queen of Scots, Jade Scott draws on hundreds of these ground-breaking letters to create a vivid picture of one of history's most fascinating personalities. She interprets Mary's complex relationships with friends and enemies alike throughout the years of her imprisonment, illuminating Mary's strategic vision while bringing her captivity to life like never before. About Jade: Dr. Jade Scott is a historian specializing in Mary, Queen of Scots and an expert on her letters. She is an affiliate in History at the University of Glasgow, an associate fellow of the Royal Historical Society and Secretary of the Scottish History Society, researching early modern Scottish women and their correspondence. *PLEASE NOTE THIS IS A VIRTUAL PROGRAM THAT WILL TAKE PLACE VIA ZOOM. Registrants will receive a link to access the Zoom Webinar via email.** Please register for this event and you'll receive the link in the confirmation and reminder emails - make sure to check your spam folder for them, the email will be coming from Zoom. This program is brought to you in collaboration with a multitude of MA & NH Libraries, including the Athol Public Library. This program is sponsored by the Friends of the Ashland Public Library. Location Details Athol Public Library