Women Who Ruled the World: 5000 Years of Female Monarchy with Dr Elizabeth Norton

Join us in the beautiful State Apartments for a fascinating talk with Dr Elizabeth Norton, where she tells the stories of the female kings: women who risked everything, sometimes unwillingly, to find their place in a man's world.

About the event

From Cleopatra to Catherine the Great, Boudicca to Elizabeth I, ancient Japan to 19th century Madagascar, female kings have always been a rarity, an oddity, or an undesirable outcome. In almost all places on the globe a male ruler was preferred to a woman, with female inheritance vanishingly rare and frequently disputed.

In spite of this, women have secured crowns or fought for them over several millennia.

Acclaimed historian Elizabeth Norton tells the scintillating story of the female kings: women who risked everything, sometimes unwillingly, to find a place in a man’s world.

Additional information

Enter via London Gate

This event is eligible for our 20% ticket bundle discount.

Book tickets to three or more different events across the festival and you can save 20%. Tickets must be purchased in the same transaction and the discount will automatically be applied within the basket.

About the speaker

Dr Elizabeth Norton is a historian specialising in the queens of England and the Tudor period. She has a double first class degree from the University of Cambridge, a Masters degree from the University of Oxford and a PhD from King’s College London. She has taught History at King’s College London and RADA. Her academic research has been published in several peer reviewed journals. Elizabeth’s most recent books are the critically acclaimed ‘Women Who Ruled the World’, ‘The Lives of Tudor Women’ and ‘The Temptation of Elizabeth Tudor’. She is also the author of a biography of Margaret Beaufort and four of Henry VIII’s wives, amongst other titles. She regularly writes for magazines, including BBC History magazine, All About History, History Revealed and Who Do You Think You Are? magazine. Elizabeth frequently appears on television, including Danny Dyer’s Right Royal Family (BBC1), Digging up Britain’s Past (Channel 5), Secrets of Great British Castles (Channel 5), An American Aristocrat’s Guide to Great Estates (Smithsonian), Flog-It (BBC2), Bloody Tales of the Tower (National Geographic) and Queen Victoria in her own words (Channel 5). She also appears as an expert on BBC London News and on international television, radio and podcasts. She has live commentated events for television, including royal weddings and the Trooping of the Colour. In addition to these television appearances, Elizabeth has worked as a historical consultant on a number of non-fiction and fiction historical films and television. Elizabeth regularly gives talks. She also guides tours for the Telegraph Newspaper, Historical Trips, Andante and Travel Editions.