Today is the last day to register for “Anne Boleyn, the Woman who Changed England” which starts on Monday! Don’t miss out! Register today at https://claireridgway.com/events/anne-boleyn-the-woman-who-changed-england/. Doors close tonight.
I came up with the idea for my “Anne Boleyn, the Woman who Changed England” last autumn. Physical events were being postponed, people were changing or cancelling travel plans, and many were choosing to stay at home as much as possible due to the global situation.
I’ve always been passionate about bringing Tudor history to people wherever they are in the world. I’ve done it through my books, blog posts, YouTube videos, and through doing guest talks and interviews. I got to thinking that it would be wonderful to create an Anne Boleyn conference, to bring experts and Tudor history lovers together, AND for them to be able to interact with each other – to ask questions and to share their views. So I started creating “Anne Boleyn, the Woman who Changed England”.
When I began creating this event, I thought about friends and Anne Boleyn followers I knew in the US, Canada, New Zealand, and other far-flung places, people I know who have missed out on going to see their favourite historians and authors speak, but who are hungry for information, and accurate information. And I also thought about who I trust to educate those friends and loyal followers about Anne Boleyn – historians whose work is meticulous and grounded in the primary sources, but who are also interesting to listen to and who have a passion for their subject.
I also considered what topic is hugely important, but is often glossed over, and that is Anne Boleyn’s early life.
I know how experiences I had in childhood and adolescence shaped me. I know how the people around me influenced me and helped shape the woman I became. I know how Anne’s background, her family, her education and her time abroad made her the woman Henry VIII fell in love with. I know that the woman I have been researching for 13 years now was completely different from her contemporaries at the English court when she made her debut in 1522.
Anne may not have heralded in the English Reformation, but she was the catalyst. Henry VIII turned England upside down and changed the course of English history to be with her, to be with this Renaissance woman.
We cannot understand Anne Boleyn, her character, her rise or her fall, without looking at her early life. Without considering the influences and factors that shaped her.
I wanted to focus on that, so I did!
I approached historians I knew could help my followers to gain some insight into what made Anne Boleyn tick, and fortunately they were all enthusiastic about being involved – phew!
I knew how important interaction was. How valuable Q&A sessions are after a historian has spoken. How wonderful it is to get your burning question answered by the expert in an intimate setting, rather than trying to be “heard” among hundreds of people. So I planned Q&A sessions too as part of my private event. They are just as important as the talks.
And I was aware that we all learn differently and that people have different needs, so the video talks will have captions and transcripts, and some of the Q&A sessions will be livestreamed video and others will be in the website chatroom and will be typed chats. There will also be transcripts of the Q&A sessions.
I know I like to watch or listen to things again – I always take away something new – so I’ve made sure that ticketholders to the event will have lifetime access to the talks, and transcripts will be published in a special souvenir book along with resources like a recommended reading list and timeline.
It’s taken a lot of planning, but I’m so happy and excited about how it’s turned out. I know that “Anne Boleyn, the Woman who Changed England” will be a truly unique experience for those passionate about Anne Boleyn. Ten experts will be bringing Anne Boleyn to life in a new way, offering new insights. It’s going to be fabulous.
Find all the details and schedule at https://claireridgway.com/events/anne-boleyn-the-woman-who-changed-england/
or go straight to https://claireridgway.com/event-signup/ to register.
I do hope you can join us on Monday!
