Ladies-in-waiting's political engagement was in no sense a part of their office, but was how Elizabeth managed the business of her court.

What exactly were gender expectations in the 16th century? An unmarried woman ruled for 45 years - this was a violation of gender norms.

So is history a game we play with the past? Have we imagined a past that suits rising nationalism?

Assumptions about gender and education dilute the value of 17c. Shakespeare nerd's tiny notebook & reenforces the patriarchy of the academy.

If a woman wrote the works attributed to Shakespeare, would we view them differently? This is the question in a NYTimes theatre review

Anne Russell Dudley, Countess of Warwick's gender did not bar her from participating in military, domestic, foreign or church affairs. 

Monarchs who let their hearts rule their heads tend to court disaster, be they male or female; and there have been plenty of both examples.

This one is boring but important. Nerd out. Word choice and language have conspired to exclude women from the political narrative.

How did all the women except queens disappear from the historical narrative? Historians write about what is of interest to them.

Between 1500 and 1599 there were 165 years of formal female rule - more than 1.5 as many as calendar years.

In a 'Century of Queens', how could there not be political women? Surely a queen wasn't the only woman in her kingdom interested in politics

She said, 'This is Dr. So&So's office. He doesn't admit he has a gender. This is Dr. Ellis's office. It's the largest in the building.

How Hilary Clinton and Mary of Guise sent me to the archives.

I found Dorothy Dunnett when I was living in Paris. I had moved there on vague promises from a photographer. The #MeToo era it wasn't.

How I became an historian. I met Karen in a community seminar titled "If Rousseau were a woman".

I am a bit aghast that I agreed to impersonate a political analyst for a lecture on Elizabeth I.

What if Mary was not a complacent door mat but a skilled courtesan in the French tradition?