The Royal Studies Podcast

The mini series within the Royal Studies Podcast on Monarchy & Money is hosted by Charlotte Backerra from the University of Klagenfurt in Austria, and Cathleen Sarti from the University of Oxford in the UK. In these Monarchy & Money episodes, they are talking with scholars on why economic questions are important to understand monarchical rule, and how royals are interacting with the economies of their kingdoms and beyond their territories. They are also always happy to hear about research into economic, financial, and business activities of monarchies and dynastic rulers of all kind.

Guest Bio:

Veronika Hyden-Hanscho holds the prestigious Elise-Richter Fellowship awarded by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF). The topic of her current project is “Income, Management and Economic Thinking. Noble Entrepreneurship in the Eighteenth-Century Habsburg Monarchy”  and focuses on the Habsburg aristocracy as a driving force for economic development. She is Assistant Professor at the University of Klagenfurt. In 2011, she earned a PhD at the University of Graz (Austria). She was Lecturer for Austrian Studies at the University of Wrocław (Poland) and Research Associate at the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna from 2013 to 2023 as well as visiting scholar at the University of Ghent (Belgium). She is the author of ‘Reisende, Migranten, Kulturmanager. Mittlerpersönlichkeiten zwischen Frankreich und dem Wiener Hof (1630–1730)’ (Stuttgart, 2013) and co-editor of ‘Formative Modernities in the Early Modern Atlantic and Beyond. Identities, Polities and Glocal Economies’ (Singapore 2023).

The mini series within the Royal Studies Podcast on Monarchy & Money is hosted by Charlotte Backerra from the University of Klagenfurt in Austria, and Cathleen Sarti from the University of Oxford in the UK. In these Monarchy & Money episodes, they are talking with scholars on why economic questions are important to understand monarchical rule, and how royals are interacting with the economies of their kingdoms and beyond their territories. They are also always happy to hear about research into economic, financial, and business activities of monarchies and dynastic rulers of all kind.

Guest Bio: 

Katia Wright completed her PhD at the University of Winchester in 2022 with her thesis regarding five English queens across the fourteenth century as landowners, and more specifically their dower lands. Katia has worked on several joint projects and publications including co-editing a special edition of the Royal Studies Journal and her chapter on understanding the dowers of England’s medieval queens. She is part of the project on the Examining the Resources and Revenues of Royal Women in Premodern Europe (also known as the Queen's Resources). Katia is also the Assistant Curator (Archives) of the AGC Museum, Winchester.

In this episode, host Ellie Woodacre interviews the editor of the cluster ‘Diplomacy as Performative Politics in the Early Modern Courts’, as featured in the December 2025 issue of the Royal Studies Journal (issue 12.2). We discuss the inspiration behind this theme and delve into the contents of the cluster and its original and innovative approach to early modern diplomacy, rulership and courts.

Guest Bio/Info:

Dr Kristen Vitale Engel is an early modern historian who specializes in the early Tudor state, performative politics, and late medieval and early modern European court culture. She successfully defended her doctoral dissertation (thesis), titled “Henrician Spectacle: Courtly Festivity as Performative Politics in Early Tudor England, 1485-1533” in April 2025 at the University of Connecticut. She is a Visiting Assistant Professor of History in the School of Graduate, Online and Continuing Education at Fitchburg State University. Kristen is the Submissions Editor for the Royal Studies Journal, the Editor-in-Chief of “The Court Observer” for the Society of Court Studies, the International Ambassador (US) for HistoryLab+ in partnership with the Institute of Historical Research, a podcast host for the “Early Modern History” channel on the New Books Network, and an Associate Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. 

Forthcoming publication of interest: “The Performance of Power Relations: Early Henrician Courtly Dance,” in eds., Janet Dickinson and Diana Lucia Gomez-Chacon, The Embodied Court in the Premodern World; Understanding the Physicality, Performativity and Lifecycle of Bodies at Court in Europe and Beyond, 1400-1800, in series Courts and Courtiers in a Global Context Comparative Approaches to the Study of the Mechanisms and Personalities of Pre-Modern Court Cultures, vol. 4, Brepols, 2026. 

Follow Kristen on  X: @kristenmvitale

Female Rulers Reimagined in Film and Television – A Royal Studies Roundtable (Part 2)

In this second episode of a three-part series, members of the Royal Studies Blog team, Andrea McMillin, Kurtis Pope, and Elena Teibenbacher, come together for an in-depth roundtable exploring how female rulers are reinterpreted in modern popular culture. This continuing discussion introduces the central theme of the series and examines how portrayals of queens and empresses have evolved on screen, from historical epics to satirical reimaginings. Together, the panel unpacks the delicate balance between authenticity and artistic license, questioning where historical accuracy ends and cultural storytelling begins.

Hosted by contributors to the Royal Studies Blog, a postgraduate-led platform that brings together emerging and established researchers to explore monarchy and its representations across time and media, this episode offers a lively and accessible gateway into the field of queenship studies.

Drawing on their academic expertise and personal passion for royal women, the panelists trace their own paths into this area, from early literary inspirations and family influences to gaming and media analysis. They debate the enduring appeal of historical fiction, the emotional power of costume and performance, and how figures are re-cast to reflect modern social values. Across film and television, these queens emerge alternately as icons of empowerment, objects of desire, or political strategists  archetypes that mirror shifting cultural attitudes toward women and power.

The conversation also raises key questions about the ethics of storytelling in visual media. Can historical drama educate as well as entertain? Do inaccuracies matter if they spark curiosity and engagement with the past? From The Crown and The Great to The White Queen and Marie Antoinette, the speakers consider how contemporary creators navigate the tension between scholarship and spectacle. This episode sets the stage for the series’ next installments, which will move beyond the screen to explore representations of royal women in digital gaming and historical fiction.

Featured Media References
 Films & Series Discussed: Cleopatra (1963), The Great, The Tudors, The White Queen, Marie Antoinette (2006 & 2022–25), The Crown, Himiko (1974), Tomb Raider (2018), Kingdom of Heaven (2005), The Virgin Queen (1955), Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007), Bridgerton (Netflix).

Read more about the Royal Studies Blog any how to get involved:

www.royalstudiesblog.wordpress.com

Female Rulers Reimagined in Film and Television – A Royal Studies Roundtable (Part 1)

In this first episode of a three-part series, members of the Royal Studies Blog team, Andrea McMillin, Kurtis Pope, and Elena Teibenbacher, come together for an in-depth roundtable exploring how female rulers are reinterpreted in modern popular culture. This opening discussion introduces the central theme of the series and examines how portrayals of queens and empresses have evolved on screen, from historical epics to satirical reimaginings. Together, the panel unpacks the delicate balance between authenticity and artistic license, questioning where historical accuracy ends and cultural storytelling begins.

Hosted by contributors to the Royal Studies Blog, a postgraduate-led platform that brings together emerging and established researchers to explore monarchy and its representations across time and media, this episode offers a lively and accessible gateway into the field of queenship studies.

Drawing on their academic expertise and personal passion for royal women, the panelists trace their own paths into this area, from early literary inspirations and family influences to gaming and media analysis. They debate the enduring appeal of historical fiction, the emotional power of costume and performance, and how figures such as Cleopatra, Elizabeth I, Marie Antoinette, and Himiko are re-cast to reflect modern social values. Across film and television, these queens emerge alternately as icons of empowerment, objects of desire, or political strategists  archetypes that mirror shifting cultural attitudes toward women and power.

The conversation also raises key questions about the ethics of storytelling in visual media. Can historical drama educate as well as entertain? Do inaccuracies matter if they spark curiosity and engagement with the past? From The Crown and The Great to The White Queen and Marie Antoinette, the speakers consider how contemporary creators navigate the tension between scholarship and spectacle. This episode sets the stage for the series’ next installments, which will move beyond the screen to explore representations of royal women in digital gaming and historical fiction.

Featured Media References
Films & Series Discussed: Cleopatra (1963), The Great, The Tudors, The White Queen, Marie Antoinette (2006 & 2022–25), The Crown, Himiko (1974), Tomb Raider (2018), Kingdom of Heaven (2005), The Virgin Queen (1955), Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007), Bridgerton (Netflix).

Learn more about the Royal Studies Blog: royalstudiesblog.wordpress.com

In this episode, host Susannah Lyon-Whaley interviews Lorinda Cramer on her research on Queen Charlotte. In this episode they discuss Queen Charlotte's relationship with Britain's global empire, and the queen's deep interest in the flora and fauna of the colonies. 

For more on Queen Charlotte, see our earlier interview with Natalee Garrett on her biography of this queen in our series.

Bio:

Dr Lorinda Cramer is a lecturer in Cultural Heritage and Museum Studies at Deakin University, Australia. She first explored specimen collections taken by Joseph Banks from Australia in her museum work more than a decade ago. She returned to these specimens as a research fellow in the Gender and Women’s History Research Centre at the Australian Catholic University while working on the Australian Research Council Discovery Project ‘A History of Early Modern Natural Resource Management’, led by Professor Susan Broomhall.

Featured Publication: Cramer, Lorinda. ‘Queen Charlotte and the Colonies: Queenly Agency in Collecting Australia’s Flora and Fauna.’ In Queens, Queenship, and Natural Resource Management in Premodern Europe, 1400-1800, edited by Susan Broomhall and Clare Davidson, 313-334. London: Routledge, 2025.

In this episode, the second of our feature on African Queenship, host Ellie Woodacre interviews Paula Akpan. Our discussion mirrors the same lines as the conversation in episode 1 of this mini-series, drawing deeply on her fantastic new book, When We Ruled (see links below) and the various case studies Paula examined in her research.

Guest Bio: Paula Akpan is a historian, journalist and author. Her writing has appeared in British Vogue, Teen Vogue, The Independent, The i Paper, VICE, GAY TIMES, The Bookseller, DIVA Magazine, i-D and more. Her essays have featured in Loud Black Girls, The Queer Bible and The Black History Book. Paula holds a BA in Sociology and an MA in Black British History.  When We Ruled: The Rise and Fall of Twelve African Queens and Warriors is her first book.

Follow Paula on Insta @paulaakpan 

This episode is the first of a new part series on African queenship, which will connected with coming episodes on African monarchy which you can look forward to as well. 

In this episode, host Ellie Woodacre interviews two scholars who work on African queenship: Professor Nwando Achebe and Lydia Amoah. We discuss the distinctive features of African queenship with many rich and fascinating examples of powerful royal women from across African history from ancient Egypt and Kush to the recent death of the Asantehemaa in Ghana.

Guest Bios:

Nwando Achebe, University Distinguished Professor, Jack and Margaret Sweet Endowed Professor of History, and Associate Dean for Access in the College of Social Science, is a multi-award-winning historian at Michigan State University. She is the founding editor-in-chief of the Journal of West African History, an elected member of the Nigerian Academy of Letters and Vice President/President-Elect of the African Studies Association.

Dr. Achebe received her Ph.D. from UCLA in 2000. In 1996 and 1998, she served as a Ford Foundation and Fulbright-Hays Scholar-in-Residence at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Her research focuses on the use of oral history in the study of women, gender, and sexuality in Nigeria.

Achebe is the author of six books including Farmers, Traders, Warriors, and Kings: Female Power and Authority in Northern Igboland, 1900–1960 (Heinemann, 2005), The Female King of Colonial Nigeria: Ahebi Ugbabe (Indiana University Press, 2011)—which won three major book awards and Female Monarchs and Merchant Queens in Africa (Ohio University Press, 2020).

Lydia Amoah just completed a PhD in African Studies form the Institute of African Studies, university of Ghana, Legon. She has a Masters in African Studies and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Theatre Arts. Her work focuses on critical areas such as Akan Customary Law and culture, women's agency, and female traditional leadership, with a strong emphasis on customary dispute resolution and peacebuilding in Ghana. Her doctoral thesis titled Akan Queenmothers and Conflict Resolution in Ghana, A Study of the Asantehemaa’s ‘traditional’ Court, examined how Akan Queenmothers use their customary courts for grassroots dispute prevention, resolve disputes and contribute to peace building in their communities. 

In this episode, host Ellie Woodacre interviews three of the organizing team for the Kings & Queens 15 which will be held from September 2 to 4, 2026 in Prague, hosted by the Czech Academy of Sciences. We discuss the inspiration behind the theme of KINGS, QUEENS AND DYNASTIES IN PERIL, key moments in dynastic history and tips for those planning to attend the conference. 

The call for papers for K&Q15 is open now--the deadline for submissions is 31 January 2026. For the call for papers and more information on the conference, see this dedicated page of the Royal Studies Network website.  

 GUEST BIOS: 

Assoc. Prof. PhDr. Dana Dvořáčková-Malá, Ph.D. is a senior researcher at the Institute of History of the Czech Academy of Sciences in Prague (CAS). She is a founder and head of the Research Centre on Courts and Residences in the Institute of History CAS. She focuses on the court studies, court literature, the history of everyday life and experimental history in the Middle Ages. She has published a number of books, for example in 2011 The Royal Court of Wenceslas II, in 2014 Přemyslid court. Life Princes, Kings and Knights in the Middle Ages (with Jan Zelenka et al.), in 2019 Child and Childhood. From Middle Ages on the Threshold of Enlightenment (et al.) and in 2021 The Court as a Theme. Research of royal society in the Czech Middle Ages – historiography, concepts, considerations; in 2015 she translated the medieval epos Wilhelm von Wenden. The last topic she addresses is research into court households and general household, not only in the Middle Ages.  

Mgr. Zuzana Vařáková is a PhD student in Philosophy and History of Science at the Faculty of Science at Charles University and Secretary of the Research Centre on Courts and Residences at the Institute of History of the Czech Academy of Sciences in Prague. Her research focuses on animal studies, the history of science, and the transfer of knowledge. She is currently writing her dissertation on the early formation of zoological knowledge in the Bohemian Lands, while also leading a project on historical zoonoses. 

Michaela Žáková, Ph.D., is a research associate at the Institute of History of the Czech Academy of Sciences in Prague. She specialises in nobility, gender, and philanthropy in the long 19th century, with a focus on women’s roles and agency. Her books The Theresian Institute of Noblewomen at Prague Castle and Poor Aristocrats explore how noblewomen in the Habsburg monarchy sought to maintain their social status under changing conditions. Her research has been recognised with several distinctions, including the Josef Pekař Prize and awards supporting early-career scholars, granted by the Czech Academy of Sciences.  

Errata: Keynote speakers Professors Robert Aldrich and Cindy McCreery are based at the University of Sydney, not Oxford.

(English below)

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Cet épisode, animé en français par Victoria Barlow, est consacré au colloque « Violence à la cour française », qui s’est tenu en juin dernier au Centre Roland Mousnier à Paris. Victoria s’entretient avec Fanny Giraudier, présidente de l’association Cour de France et l’une des organisatrices du colloque, aux côtés de Caroline Zum Kolk et Nicolas Le Roux. Cet échange aborde les raisons du choix du thème « La violence à la cour » et la richesse des approches présentées lors du colloque, qu’il s’agisse du rôle des femmes dans les dynamiques de violence, de la variété des formes qu’elle pouvait prendre ou de leur impact sur la légitimité du pouvoir royal. Nous revenons aussi sur quelques découvertes marquantes et pistes de réflexion nouvelles mises en lumière par les intervenants. 

Bio de l’invitée :

Fanny Giraudier est docteure en histoire moderne, professeure agrégée et chercheuse associée au Laboratoire de recherche historique en Rhône Alpes. Elle a récemment publié un ouvrage issu de sa thèse : "Sortir des guerres de religion. Henri IV, les nobles et la cour", aux Presses Universitaires de Rennes avec le soutien du Centre de recherche du Château de Versailles. Ses recherches portent sur la noblesse et la société de cour entre le seizième et le dix-septième siècle et sur les engagements nobiliaires lors des guerres de Religion. Elle s'intéresse également au rôle des femmes dans les sociétés de l'Europe moderne et notamment à la place des femmes de la famille de Nassau dans le renforcement des liens entre les Provinces Unies et la France." 

https://cour-de-france.fr

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This episode, hosted in French by Victoria Barlow, focuses on the conference “Violence at the French Court”, which took place last June at the Centre Roland Mousnier in Paris. Victoria speaks with Fanny Giraudier, president of the association Cour de France and one of the conference organizers, alongside Caroline Zum Kolk and Nicolas Le Roux. The conversation explores the reasons behind the choice of the theme “Violence at the Court” and the richness of the approaches presented at the conference, whether concerning the role of women in courtly dynamics of violence, the variety of its forms, or its impact on the legitimacy of royal power. We also highlight some of the most striking discoveries and new avenues of reflection that emerged from the event. 

Guest Bio: 

Fanny Giraudier holds a PhD in Early Modern History, is an agrégée professor, and a research associate at the Laboratoire de recherche historique en Rhône-Alpes. She recently published a book based on her dissertation: Sortir des guerres de religion. Henri IV, les nobles et la cour (Presses Universitaires de Rennes), with the support of the Research Center of the Château de Versailles. Her research focuses on the nobility and court society between the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, as well as on noble engagements during the Wars of Religion. She is also interested in the role of women in early modern European societies, particularly the place of the women of the Nassau family in strengthening ties between the Dutch Republic and France. 

https://cour-de-france.fr