Court Studies Seminar

Interdisciplinary in approach, this seminar series will explore the political and cultural significance of courts in the Early Modern period, broadly defined. The intention is to connect the many scholars working on related fields at Oxford, and to hear from speakers on subjects including diplomacy, hunting, patronage, dynastic marriage, court entertainment, and cultural transfer between nations, confessions, and courts; throughout Europe and globally.

Seminars will take place on alternate Mondays, odd weeks, at 16:30 in the Memorial Room, Jesus College, unless otherwise specified.

This series is open to all members of the Oxford community and the public. A drinks reception will follow the seminars.
Type: Seminar Series
Series organiser: Hanna Sinclair (Jesus College, Oxford)
Timing: Mondays at 16:30, Weeks 1, 3, 5 & 7, unless otherwise specified
Organising department: Faculty of History

Talks:

Monday 27 October 2025

A Princess of House d’Este at the English Court: Mary of Modena Between Religious-Political Alienation and Cultural Transfer
Date: 27 October 2025, 16:30 - 17:30
Speaker : Elena Taddei (University of Innsbruck)
Venue: Jesus College, Turl Street OX1 3DW
Venue Details: Memorial Room
Organisers: TBA
Hosts: TBA

Monday 10 November 2025

Her Material World: Queens’ Stuff in the Global Seventeenth-Century
Date: 10 November 2025, 16:30 - 17:30
Speaker : Susannah Lyon-Whaley (University of York)
Venue: Jesus College, Turl Street OX1 3DW
Venue Details: Memorial Room
Organisers: TBA
Hosts: TBA

Monday 24 November 2025

Male Marriage Gaps, Dynastic Centralisation and Habsburg Trust Fund Babies: Analysing Early Modern Dynasties from a Long(er)-Term Perspective
Date: 24 November 2025, 16:30 - 17:30
Speaker : Liesbeth Geevers (Lund University)
Venue: Jesus College, Turl Street OX1 3DW
Venue Details: Memorial Room
Organisers: TBA
Hosts: TBA

Editors: Laura Spence, Belinda Clark