Ripon Cathedral are hosting a month of events delving into the intrigue, drama, and Yorkshire legacy of the Tudors during their Tudor month.
‘Capturing a Queen: The Image of Anne Boleyn’, ‘Conspiracy and Plot in Elizabethan England’ and ‘Henry VIII & England’s Accidental Protestant Reformation’ will all offer informed insights into a world of royal ambition, religious change, and political machinations.
Ripon Cathedral has no fewer than 18 portraits of Tudor royalty and other key figures, offering a visual journey through one of the most transformative periods in English history.
Copies from their collection are on display in the north aisle.
Other highlights of Tudor Month include Tudor tours exploring the cathedral’s connections to the Tudor period, and a Tudor Workshop for Adults.
‘Capturing a Queen: The Image of Anne Boleyn’ on Thursday, June 11 explores a controversial figure in English history.
The talk is given by Dr Owen Emmerson, part of the curatorial team at Hever Castle, Anne Boleyn’s childhood home and temporary home to the cathedral’s portrait of her.
An historical consultant for the BBC adaptation of Dame Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light, Dr Emmerson is also the co-author of several books.
‘Conspiracy and Plot in Elizabethan England’ on Thursday, June 18 explores the shadowy world of intrigue, rebellion and political danger in the reign of Elizabeth I.
The talk is given by John Cooper, Professor of History at the University of York; his book ‘The Queen’s Agent’, on which this talk is based, was serialised on BBC Radio 4.
‘Henry VIII & England’s Accidental Protestant Reformation’ with Professor Diarmaid MacCulloch, Professor of History of the Church, University of Oxford, on Thursday, June 25 explores Henry VIII’s break with the Pope and the political and personal forces that reshaped English identity for centuries.
Entry to the cathedral and exhibition of photographs and Tudor costumes is by donation, while tickets for talks, tours and the Tudor workshop are bookable via the cathedral’s website here.