Staff profile

My PhD project explores royal patronised performances and publications during the reign of Mary I. The thesis will include analysis of materials within the Records of Early English Drama archives (REED), which have yet to be extensively examined with regards to this Queenship. It will evaluate the literary and performance culture throughout her reign and its production’s association with Mary, herself. Ultimately, this project seeks to contribute to recent scholarship that has sought to undermine the enduring view that Mary was a politically inept ruler whose reign was characterized with cultural ‘barrenness’. This project is co-supervised by Dr Natalie Mears (Department of History) and Professor Barbara Ravelhofer (Department of English).

More broadly, I am interested in literary and material constructions of Mary and their impact on recent historiography and public perception of the first Queen regnant of England. My research interests span themes of early-modern female rule, gender, sexuality, literary discourse and performance culture.

Prior to joining Durham University, I gained a MA in History from the University of Bristol and a BA in History from the University of York. Additionally, I am currently a research assistant for Professor Mark Dawson. I am also a member of the Institute of Medieval and Early Modern Studies (IMEMS).

I welcome any enquires regarding my research, collaborative work and media requests.

Email: camilla.thompson@durham.ac.uk

• Constructions of Gender
• Constructions of Sexuality
• Sixteenth Century Literary Culture
• Sixteenth Century Performance Culture
• Tudor Queenship