Excellence in Teaching Award from the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies

dscn08641I am honoured to be a recipient of a 2016 Excellence in Teaching award from the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies. The award recognizes sustained dedication to the delivery of adult education.

My course about Marie Antoinette and the French Revolution begins at the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies on January 11. Click here for more information and to register. 

In the Spring of 2017, I will be teaching one of my most popular courses: Peter the Great and the Building of Saint Petersburg. Click here for more information and to register. 

 

Advance Praise for Raising Royalty: 1000 Years of Royal Parenting

Advance Praise for my 3rd book, Raising Royalty: 1000 Years of Royal Parenting, which will be published by Dundurn Press in April 2017:

“Today‘s parents think they have it tough, monitoring screen time and shuttling kids to soccer matches. Imagine being King William I, the Conqueror, who in 1079 had to fight his firstborn son on the battlefield; or Henry II, whose villainous son, John, is today best known as Robin Hood‘s arch enemy. Carolyn Harris‘s history of royal child rearing is a must read for anyone interested in the never-ending saga of royal families and a fascinating read.” (Mark Reid, Editor-in-Chief, Canada’s History Magazine)

“Carolyn Harris has taken an innovative approach with this engaging new work, bringing together a millennia of royal parenting from Edgar “the Peaceable” and Elfrida of Northampton right up to the present day with the children of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Harris has deftly woven together the history of various rulers, evaluating their relationships with their children and bringing in wider trends in parenting in different eras. She notes both rivalry and tension between parents and children, as aptly illustrated by the Hanoverian monarchs of England, as well as evidence of affection and strong bonds between rulers and their offspring. Any reader with an interest in the history of monarchy or parenting itself will find this an absorbing read, both accessible and replete with interesting information. A real strength of this book is that it puts our present-day fascination with current and recent monarchs and their children in a long-term historical context.” (Dr. Elena (Ellie) Woodacre, Senior Lecturer in Early Modern European History Postgraduate Student Coordinator-Faculty of HSS University of Winchester, editor of The Royal Studies Journal)

“How to raise the kids? It is a question that has confounded parents for centuries. Imagine how parenting has been for royalty throughout the ages? Royal historian Carolyn Harris’s newest book focuses on this very topic. In Raising Royalty, Harris’s detailed research [explores] how royal parenting has evolved throughout the last thousand years. Harris focuses on twenty royal parents – from Edgar the Peaceable and Elfrieda of Northampton to Prince William and Catherine Middleton. This book is delightfully readable, infused with the brilliance of pure scholarship.” (Marlene A. Eilers Koenig, author of Queen Victoria’s Descendants)

“Carolyn Harris’s encyclopedic knowledge infuses Raising Royalty with fascinating insights into the lives of Europe’s Royal Families. Moving through the centuries, Harris highlights unique and evolving family dynamics and traditions right up to our present day. An essential addition to any royal enthusiast’s collection, Raising Royalty provides a captivating look at the families occupying the centre of some of the world’s greatest monarchies.” (Nathan Tidridge, author of Canada’s Constitutional Monarchy)

Click here to pre-order your copy of Raising Royalty: 1000 Years of Royal Parenting

My article about Prince Rupert of the Rhine and Rupert’s Land in Canada’s History Magazine is now online

Prince Rupert Canada's history My article about Prince Rupert of the Rhine, cousin of King Charles II and 1st Governor of the Hudson’s Bay company appeared in the October-November 2015 issue of Canada’s History Magazine. The article is now available to read online. Here’s an excerpt:

“Prince Rupert of the Rhine, first governor of the Hudson’s Bay Company, had a profound effect on Canada’s history. Following his flight from Prague as an infant, he spent his life constantly on the move, undertaking military service in continental Europe and Great Britain and leading the royalist navy to the west coast of Africa and the Caribbean.

Map of Prince Rupert's travels as Commander of the Royalist Fleet

Map of Prince Rupert’s travels as Commander of the Royalist Fleet

Rupert’s travels enabled him to recognize the significance of Radisson’s and Des Groseilliers’ discoveries and to envision an enterprise with the vast scope of the Hudson’s Bay Company. Moreover, the grant of Rupert’s Land to the company discouraged the Americans from expanding northward after the Thirteen Colonies declared their independence in the late eighteenth century.

Prince Rupert not only left his mark on the map of Canada, he helped to forge the modern nation.”

Click here to read “Canada’s Warrior Prince” on the Canada’s History Magazine Website.

“Marie Antoinette and the French Revolution” begins January 11, 2017

marie_antoinette My eight week afternoon course about Queen Marie Antoinette of France and the French Revolution begins January 11, 2017 at the University of Toronto, School of Continuing Studies. All are welcome.

Click here for more information and to register.

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 informed criticism of the monarchy and contributed to the outbreak of the French Revolution in 1789. Her influence on popular culture continues today.

Click here for more information and to register.

Click here to purchase my book, Queenship and Revolution in Early Modern Europe: Henrietta Maria and Marie Antoinette

Queenship and Revolution in Early Modern Europe review in the Royal Studies Journal

My book, Queenship and Revolution in Early Modern Europe: Henrietta Maria and Marie Antoinette, has received an excellent review in the Royal Studies Journal.  Queenship and Revolution in Early Modern Europe received the Royal Studies Journal 2016 prize for best book on the history of monarchy earlier this year. Here is an excerpt from the review:

“In an eminently readable and accessible book, Harris, through the use of a variety of printed and manuscript sources, paints a detailed picture of two queens. Though separated by a century, they faced similar struggles and both lost much in those battles. Comparative work can be difficult, but Harris’ work makes for a compelling and informative read. She shows the reader, through their comparison with one another, more about who each of these women were as living, breathing people, and she aptly demonstrates how the role of the consort subtly changed in the century from Henrietta Maria to Marie Antoinette.”

Click here to read the full review in the Royal Studies Journal

Click here to purchase Queenship and Revolution in Early Modern Europe: Henrietta Maria and Marie Antoinette

Queen’s Alumni Review Article: Queenship and Revolution in Early Modern Europe: From PhD dissertation to award-winning book

My most recent article in the online edition of the Queen’s Alumni Review discusses the evolution of Queenship and Revolution in Early Modern Europe: Henrietta Maria and Marie Antoinette from my PhD dissertation in the Department of History at Queen’s University to a book in Palgrave Macmillan’s Queenship and Power series, which received the Royal Studies Journal 2016 prize for best book on the history of monarchy. A paperback edition of the book will be published in 2017.

Click here to read “From PhD dissertation to award-winning book” in the Queen’s Alumni Review.

Click here to purchase Queenship and Revolution in Early Modern Europe: Henrietta Maria and Marie Antoinette

Royal Studies Journal Interview: Henrietta Maria and Marie Antoinette

I discussed my 2nd book Queenship and Revolution in Early Modern Europe: Henrietta Maria and Marie Antoinette with Cathleen Sarti at the Royal Studies Journal. The book recently received the Royal Studies Journal’s 2016 award for best book on the history of monarchy. In the interview, I compare the reputations of Charles I’s queen Henrietta Maria with Louis XVI’s queen Marie Antoinette and how they became part of wider debates concerning the place of women within their families during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

Click here to read the interview in the Royal Studies Journal official blog

Click here to purchase Queenship and Revolution in Early Modern Europe: Henrietta Maria and Marie Antoinette

Queenship and Revolution in Early Modern Europe receives 2016 Royal Studies Journal book award

I am pleased to announced that my book, Queenship and Revolution in Early Modern Europe: Henrietta Maria and Marie Antoinette, is the recipient of the 2016 award for best book on the history of monarchy from The Royal Studies Journal, which was founded in 2013 by a group of international researchers and postgraduate students with the support of the University of Winchester. The award is sponsored by Canterbury Christ Church University.

Click here to purchase Queenship and Revolution in Early Modern Europe: Henrietta Maria and Marie Antoinette

Ms. Suffragette Interview Part 2: Queens Behaving Badly

Part 2 of my interview with Ms Suffragette – five University of Alberta law students blogging about the women’s suffrage movement in Canada – discussed my latest book Queenship and Revolution in Early Modern Europe: Henrietta Maria and Marie Antoinette. Both Queen Henrietta Maria, consort King Charles I of England and Scotland, and Queen Marie Antoinette, consort to King Louis XVI of France were controversial figures who were criticized as wives and mothers during time periods when the role of women within their families was under scrutiny.

Click here to read Part 2 of my interview with Ms. Suffragette: Queen’s Behaving Badly

Click here to read Part 1 of my interview with Ms. Suffragette: “What exactly are “suffragettes”, and Why did Queen Victoria hate them?”

Click here to purchase my book, Queenship and Revolution in Early Modern Europe: Henrietta Maria and Marie Antoinette

My 3rd Book: Raising Royalty: 1000 Years of Royal Parenting is now available for pre-order

I am excited to announce that my 3rd book, Raising Royalty: 1000 Years of Royal Parenting will be published by Dundurn Press on April 8, 2017.

The book examines How twenty-five sets of royal parents raised their children over the past thousand years, from keeping the Vikings at bay to fending off paparazzi.

William and Kate, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, are setting trends for millions of parents around the world. The upbringing of their two children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, is the focus of intense popular scrutiny. Royalty have always raised their children in the public eye and attracted praise or criticism according to parenting standards of their day.

Royal parents have always faced unique privileges and challenges. In medieval times, raising an heir often meant raising a rival, and monarchs sometimes faced their grown children on the battlefield. Kings and queens who lost their thrones through wars or popular revolutions found solace in time spent with their children. In modern times, royal duties and overseas tours have often separated young princes and princesses from their parents, a circumstance that is slowly changing with the current generation of royalty.

The book is currently available for pre-order from Indigo, Amazon and other booksellers.

Click here to pre-order Raising Royalty: 1000 Years of Royal Parenting from Amazon.ca

My other books also available from Amazon:

Magna Carta and Its Gifts to Canada: Democracy, Law, and Human Rights

Queenship and Revolution in Early Modern Europe: Henrietta Maria and Marie Antoinette