Dr Elena (Ellie) Woodacre
@ewoodacre
Royal Studies scholar, interested in monarchy (particularly queens!) in all periods and places. Always spinning a few too many plates for my own good, and admit to having a soft spot for a good G&T
Last episode of Queens that Changed the World, season 2, just dropped in North America on @bbcselect “The Ruthless Queen: Agrippina the Younger”, great to have a Roman empress in this group of queens! Agrippina was ambitious—is her portrayal as ruthless and immoral fair or a pushback on her power?
Out today in North America on BBC Select—Queens that Changed the World: The Divisive Queen: Mary Queen of Scots, always a queen who divides the crowd, are you Team MQS? Tragic victim or agent of her own destruction? #queenship👑
Available today (ignore date on the poster!), new episode of Queens that Changed the World on Lakshmibai via BBC Select in North America 👸
New additions to the @routledgehistory.bsky.social Lives of Royal Women series! So excited to have my editor’s copies and add them to the ever growing shelf of LORW titles! @enortonhistory.bsky.social
Available now (in North America)—newest episode of Queens that Changed the World on BBC Select on Marie Antoinette—if you enjoyed this episode and want more on this fascinating queen you can also listen to our episodes on Marie Antoinette on the Royal Studies Podcast: royalstudies.buzzsprout.com
Enjoyed our @royalstudies.bsky.social strand @imc-leeds.bsky.social yesterday, discussing shifting representation & memory of kings & queens from imperial China to Victorian medievalism, today is the ‘Long Live the Queen’ strand from Reconfiguring Bohemian Queenship project in Maurice Keyworth 1.06
Great to see the newest releases in the @routledgehistory.bsky.social Lives of Royal Women series on the stand @imc-leeds.bsky.social 👸 @enortonhistory.bsky.social
TODAY—if you are @imc-leeds.bsky.social join us at 6pm at the @routledgehistory.bsky.social stand in the bookfair to celebrate the launch of our new textbook on medieval monarchy, be great to see you there and you can chat with us and our wonderful contributors about the book
Out today in N.America on BBC Select —new episode of Queens that Changed the World on the fantastic and formidable Maria Theresa, check it out!
Queens That Changed the World Series 2 premieres on BBC Select in the Americas on 25 June—episodes will be released every Thursday for the next 6 weeks. Don’t miss episode 1 ‘The Last Queen of America’ on Queen Charlotte tomorrow! So enjoyed working on the series and hope you enjoy watching it!
Great day at Chalke Valley History Festival with my @teachmedwomen.bsky.social colleagues—doing a bit of mythbusting on the power of medieval women with a large (hot) tent of schoolchildren
Been a queenly week, presenting with Katia Wright at Beyond Exceptionalism III on queens lands and talking about medieval queens and fake news with my colleague Gordon McKelvie at the @britishacademy.bsky.social Ideas Festival 👸
Just arrived, latest addition to the @routledgehistory.bsky.social Lives of Royal Women series! Join us to launch the book at the Oxford Court Studies seminar on 1 June at Jesus College 4:30pm
Enjoyed the Museo del Romantismo this morning, definitely falling under the spell of the 19th century recently—so many fascinating queens like Isabel II & Maria Cristina, might have to expand the scope of my early modern #queenship module! 👸
Found a few queens on my quick trip to Paris—while visiting the Chapelle Expiatoire today I saw both Marie Antoinette & her fascinating daughter—find out more about her life in Matthieu Mensch’s new book in the Lives of Royal Women series, out next month! www.routledge.com/Marie-Theres...
Wonderful to see the justly popular #marieantoinette exhibition @vamuseum.bsky.social yesterday with @johannastrong.bsky.social @amysaunders.bsky.social and @ajohnson1.bsky.social an epic #queenship outing! The mix of MA’s own items, contemporary examples and modern inspiration was excellent 👸
So looking forward to the book launch for this fantastic edition of Margaret Tudor’s letters tomorrow— @hnewsome-chandler.bsky.social and I will be ‘in conversation about the book, the fascinating features of Margaret’s correspondence and what it reveals about the practice of queenship 👸
A rather hot but otherwise excellent afternoon visiting the #Faces4Eternity exhibition @britishmuseum.bsky.social with @emmacahillmarron.bsky.social yesterday! Definitely recommend a visit if you are in London between now and mid October and are interested in #queenship 👸
An intense 24 hours at #imc2025 — only time I’ve gone the 1 day route. Lovely to see the folks @archumanities.bsky.social & Laura @routledgehistory.bsky.social + enjoyed the craft fair, sessions from Noblewomen Network & Educating Elite Women, chatting @teachmedwomen.bsky.social at the roundtable
This last week has been a busy queenly one! Started in Nottingham with @teachmedwomen.bsky.social Then a conference in Paris celebrating Kathleen Wilson-Chevalier + Worth exhibition at the Petit Palais. Ended by examining at a virtual viva in Lisbon, congratulations to Dr @inesolaia.bsky.social!
Highly enjoyed the Age of Elegance exhibition at the King’s Gallery from @royalcollectiontrust —beautifully curated with a wonderful selection of artworks and artifacts with a particular focus on Queen Alexandra #royalstudies #queenship👑
Home from #KQ14 to find these new arrivals for my queenship library, looking forward to reading these!👸📚
Last in #KQ14 Session 3.7 Catherine of Braganza: Image, Agency, Faith-excellent paper from Maria da Conceiçao Emiliano Castel-Branco ‘A Queen coming from Far: Catherine of Braganza in English Restoration Poetry at the crossroads of Anglo-Portuguese & Queenship Studies’ w/poems of praise & critique
Next speaker at #KQ14 in Session 3.7 Catherine of Braganza: Image, Agency, Faith is Eilish Gregory ‘Political Pawn or Political Player? Queen Catherine of Braganza & her Agency in Restoration Britain, 1662-1692’ countering traditional views of Catherine, demonstrating her political agency & capital
Back from lunch at #KQ14 in Session 3.7 Catherine of Braganza: Image, Agency, Faith w/our 1st speaker Chelsea Reutcke ‘The Catholic Patroness of Protestant Britain: Catherine of Braganza’s Support for Popish Printing’ excellent examples of Catherine’s subversive role as patroness of Catholic print
Our last paper at #KQ14 w/Session 3.5 Courtiers as Employees? Working Conditions in Early Modern Courts II: Fabian Persson “Rewarding staying power: Usefulness, uselessness & service at the Swedish court”, noting the increasing number of long serving, aged servants w/impressive job security & perks
Next paper at #KQ14 w/Session 3.5 Courtiers as Employees? Working Conditions in Early Modern Courts II: Cordula Bauer “How to run a court with empty pockets? Outstanding salaries of court servants & evolution of a debt market in 18th c Bavaria” turning promissory notes for unpaid salary into credit
Back from coffee at #KQ14 w/Session 3.5 Courtiers as Employees? Working Conditions in Early Modern Courts II: First up was Marc Jaffré “Strikes, Protests & Petitions: Working Conditions & Redress at Louis XIII’s court” complaints could be perilous for courtiers but king had duty of care to employees
Our last speaker at #KQ14 in Session 3.2 Courtiers as Employees? Working condition in early modern courts I was Nikki Clark, “Continuity & Change: Ladies-in-waiting at the Tudor Court, c. 1509-1547”, discussing employment conditions, pay, perks & perils for female courtiers w/high queenly turnover