I discussed the history of coronations and the role of the queen consort with Janet Davison at CBC News
Category Archives: Henrietta Maria and Marie Antoinette
Palgrave Macmillan Annual Book Sale – All Hardcovers for $24.99 until April 19.
My 2015 Royal Studies Award winning book, Queenship and Revolution in Early Modern Europe: Henrietta Maria and Marie Antoinette and co-edited volumes, Later Plantagenet and the Wars of the Roses Consorts: Power, Influence, and Dynasty; Tudor and Stuart Consorts: Power, Influence, and Dynasty; and Hanoverian to Windsor Consorts: Power, Influence, and Dynasty are all available from Palgrave Macmillan for $24.99. The sale continues until April 19.
Click here to purchase Queenship and Revolution in Early Modern Europe: Henrietta Maria and Marie Antoinette
Click here to purchase Later Plantagenet and the Wars of the Roses Consorts: Power, Influence, and Dynasty
Click here to purchase Tudor and Stuart Consorts: Power, Influence, and Dynasty
Click here to purchase Hanoverian to Windsor Consorts: Power, Influence, and Dynasty
New Podcast Interview: Queen’s University Department of History Alumni Archives
I discussed my career as a historian, author and royal commentator as well as a variety of historical topics such as Magna Carta, Queen Henrietta Maria and the English Civil Wars, and the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton in 2011.
Click here to listen to Episode 22: Carolyn Harris of the Alumni Archives Podcast
Fall 2022 Course at the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies: Women in Power
My course about the history of Women in Power from the Classical World to the 21st Century will be offered in class at the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies on Tuesday afternoons in Fall 2022 from October 11 to November 29.
Click here for more information and to register
ABOUT THIS COURSE
Powerful women have presented themselves as warrior queens, rulers by divine right, wives and mothers and, most recently, as elected officials. We’ll examine the most significant female political figures in history, including Boadicea, Queen Isabella, Queen Elizabeth I, Indira Gandhi, Margaret Thatcher and Hillary Clinton. Through lively lectures and discussions, you’ll learn the story of women in political life. Why are women still underrepresented in political life? Join Carolyn Harris for a fascinating look at the often-neglected place of women in power from Cleopatra to Angela Merkel.
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN
- Survey changing attitudes toward women and political power throughout history.
- Explore how female leaders have presented themselves to the public.
- Understand how powerful women are portrayed in popular culture and the media.
- Compare the experiences of female leaders around the world.
- See how the history of women in power influences female political leadership today.
Fall 2022 Online Course at the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies: Marie Antoinette and the French Revolution
My popular online course about Queen Marie Antoinette of France and the French Revolution will be offered on Wednesday evenings in Fall 2022 from October 12 to November 30.
Click here for more information and to register.
ABOUT THIS COURSE
More than 200 years after her execution, Queen Marie Antoinette is still one of the most famous and controversial figures in European history. In late 18th-century France, her reputation influenced debates about the role of women in politics, their families and the arts. Austrian-born, her position at the top of French society fuelled criticism of the monarchy and contributed to the outbreak of the French Revolution in 1789. Her influence on popular culture continues today.
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN
- Discover the real Queen Marie Antoinette behind centuries of myths in popular culture.
- Trace the reasons for her controversial reputation.
- Explore the clashes in the politics, culture and society of royal and revolutionary France.
- Look behind the legend and examine the controversial queen’s impact on politics, culture and society.
New Book: Tudor and Stuart Consorts: Power, Influence, and Dynasty
Tudor and Stuart Consorts: Power, Influence, and Dynasty edited by Aidan Norrie, Carolyn Harris, J.L. Laynesmith, Danna R. Messer and Elena Woodacre is now available from Palgrave Macmillan.
This book examines the lives and tenures of all the consorts of the Tudor and Stuart monarchs of England between 1485 and 1714, as well as the wives of the two Lords Protector during the Commonwealth. The figures in Tudor and Stuart Consorts are both incredibly familiar—especially the six wives of Henry VIII—and exceedingly unfamiliar, such as George of Denmark, the husband of Queen Anne. These innovative and authoritative biographies recognise the important role consorts played in a period before constitutional monarchy: in addition to correcting popular assumptions that are based on limited historical evidence, the chapters provide a fuller picture of the role of consort that goes beyond discussions of exceptionalism and subversion. This volume and its companions reveal the changing nature of English consortship from the Norman Conquest to today.
Click here to purchase Tudor and Stuart Consorts: Power, Influence, and Dynasty
2022-2023 Teaching Schedule
2022-2023 (in person and online courses)
Fall 2022
Tuesdays (in class) Women in Power (University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies)
Wednesdays (online) Marie Antoinette and the French Revolution (University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies)
Fridays (online) Modern Monarchies: Connections and Continuity (Glendon College, Living and Learning in Retirement)
Winter 2023
Tuesdays (in class) Magna Carta and the Making of the Modern World (University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies)
Thursdays (online) Imperial Spain (University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies)
New Scholarly Book Review: Marie Claude Canova-Green and Sara J. Wolfson, eds. The Wedding of Charles I and Henrietta Maria, 1625: Celebrations and Controversy
I reviewed The Wedding of Charles I and Henrietta Maria, 1625: Celebrations and Controversy, edited by Marie Claude Canova-Green and Sara J. Wolfson for the Journal of British Studies.
Click here for information on accessing this article online.
New Historica Canada Canadian Encyclopedia Article: Prince Rupert of the Rhine
My new article in the Canadian Encyclopedia is about Prince Rupert of the Rhine, First Governor of the Hudson’s Bay Company. The article discusses his eventful life as a prince in exile, royalist general, privateer, artist and scientist in addition to his involvement in the Royal African Company and the Hudson’s Bay Company.
Click here to read my article about Prince Rupert of the Rhine in the Canadian Encyclopedia
New Podcast Interview: “Marie Antoinette” on History Gems
In the latest episode of the History Gems podcast, I discussed Queen Marie Antoinette and the Affair of the Diamond Necklace with Dr. Nicola Tallis. Themes in the podcast episode including Marie Antoinette’s reputation, fashions and the impact of the Diamond Necklace scandal on perceptions of the monarchy prior to the French Revolution.
Click here to listen to the “Marie Antoinette” episode of History Gems
For more about Marie Antoinette, read my book, Queenship and Revolution in Early Modern Europe: Henrietta Maria and Marie Antoinette (Queenship and Power series)