When we think of Britain's great reigning queens, three names usually come to mind: Elizabeth I, Victoria and Elizabeth II. But five other women also claimed the crown in their own right, and their stories are just as gripping. Matilda fought a long civil war for a throne she was never crowned to. Lady Jane Grey reigned for just nine days before losing everything. Mary I became England's first crowned queen regnant, Mary II shared the throne with her husband, and Anne saw England and Scotland united as Great Britain. In this engaging course, we'll explore the lives and reigns of these five women and the challenges of ruling in a man's world. How did they handle contested claims, opposition and prejudice? What did they achieve against the odds? And why did the question of heirs weigh so heavily on each of them?

Join fellow history lovers for lively talks and friendly conversation. Bring your questions and your own views, and help bring these remarkable, overlooked women back into the story they helped to shape.

DELIVERY MODE

Face to face

COURSE RESOURCES

• John Appleby: The troubled reign of King Stephen (Bell & Sons, 1969
• John Edwards: Mary I - England's Catholic Queen (Yale UP, 2013)
• John van fer Kiste: William and Mary (Sutton, 2003)
• Anne Somerset: Queen Anne - the Politics of Passion (Harper,2012)

COURSE OUTLINE

• The contested succession of female regnal Queens
• Ruling as a woman in a man's world
• Achieving success despite opposition and prejudice
• The question of leaving heirs

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

• Have an appreciation of the difficulties of female rulers in often hostile environments and their successes, against the odds