In this episode, Dr Johanna Strong speaks with Dr Jade Scott about Jade's new book, Captive Queen: The Decrypted History of Mary, Queen of Scots (Michael O'Mara Books, 2024). They explore why Mary's letters are so critically important for understanding her influence, agency and power even during her lengthy captivity in England. Dr Jade Scott is an affiliate in Scottish History at the University of Glasgow. She is an expert in early modern women's correspondence and has published widely on the letters of Mary, Queen of Scots. Her research focuses on women's agency as expressed through the language, rhetorical and materiality of their correspondence. Her new trade book Captive Queen re-tells the story of Mary, Queen of Scots' years in captivity in England, using the hundreds of letters she wrote and those received by her to challenge gendered assumptions of her influence and power.

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

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