To mark this year's Women's History Month, we gathered a panel of incredible historians to tell us about the women from the past famous monarchs to nearly anonymous pioneers, we received some fantastic responses, which we're delighted to share with you here.
ANNE BOLEYN
Anne Boleyn may seem an unusual history hero given her bad press. But in researching my corrective biography, Anne Boleyn: 500 Years of Lies, I discovered that not only did Anne fight corruption within the church, opposing the sale of fake holy relics, she also used her position of power to offer amnesty to religious refugees. She funded student scholarships at her own grammar school and had her ladies make smocks for the poor. But it was when Anne lobbied for a poor law that would see the people have access to free healthcare that the king's advisor Thomas Cromwell framed her for adultery. Still, Anne didn't stop there, and her final fight was against the homeless losing their place of refuge as the monasteries were dissolved.
HAYLEY NOLAN
is a Tudor historian, Anne Boleyn expert and author of Anne Boleyn: 500 Years of Lies (2019).
DR ESTELLE PARANQUE is an academic in royal, diplomatic and Elizabethan studies and author of Blood, Fire & Gold: The tory of Elizabeth I and Catherine Medici (2022).
NJINGA OF ANGOLA
During the early modern period, a queen defied all major European powers and stood her ground, for her country, for her people and for herself. Her name is not Elizabeth I nor Catherine the
