Book me:
If you would like to engage me for a history talk – including history groups, festivals, schools, etc – simply fill out the contact form and we can work out the details.
Forthcoming Events:
*Final event of 2025*
Hosted by the Friends of Gainsborough Old Hall, I will be presenting a talk on Lincolnshire’s Tudor Heroines. Renaissance women from writers and mistresses to martyrs, duchesses and queens. Including some with close links to Gainsborough Old Hall.
Date: 7 October 2025
Time: 7.30pm
Tickets: £4, including refreshments. No booking required, just pay on the door.
Venue: Gainsborough House, Parnell Street , Gainsborough (opposite the Old Hall)
Women’s History Month 2025
To celebrate Women’s History Month 2025, I will be speaking about Lincolnshire’s Medieval Heroines at Grantham Museum. I will be looking at the incredible stories of Lady Godiva, Nicholaa de la Haye, Alice de Lacey and Katherine Swynford, and showing you why these women pushed the boundaries – and how they can still inspire women today!
Grantham Museum, Saturday 29th March at 2pm.
Do come along if you are in the area.
Call into the Museum to book your place or go online to https://www.eventbrite.com/o/grantham-museum-104538495691
£5 friends ticket / £8 non member or £10 on the door.
Also, do check out the rest of their amazing Talks Programme whish is running throughout the year!
Gloucester History Festival Spring Weekend
I am so excited!
I will be appearing at the Gloucester History Festival Spring Weekend – twice!
On Saturday 26 April at 8-9pm, I will be talking about Empress Matilda and Women of the Anarchy at Blackfriars Priory.
In 1135 Stephen of Blois usurped the throne sparking the Anarchy, a bitter 19-year Civil War. On the one side was Empress Matilda, daughter of Henry I and rightful heir to the throne, on the other Matilda of Boulogne wife of Stephen and fighting to see her own son inherit the English crown.
Join leading medieval historian Sharon Bennett Connolly, author of Women of the Anarchy, for the dazzling tale of two extraordinary cousins who shaped the English monarchy, and the intriguing role of Robert of Gloucester.
And on Sunday 27 April, 12-1pm, at Blackfriars Priory, I will be joining a panel on Eleanor of Provence and 13th century Gloucester:
Eleanor of Provence, Queen of England, wife of Henry III and mother of Edward I, often visited medieval Gloucester and after Henry’s death was responsible for the expulsion of Gloucester’s Jewish community from the city in the dramatic events of January 1275.
Historian of medieval queens, Sharon Bennett Connolly, medieval Jewish history expert Dean Irwin and City Archaeologist Andrew Armstrong tell her story, and explore life in 13th century Gloucester when the lamprey-loving Royal Court came to town. Chaired by Jo Durrant.
Further talks
I also have a handful of other talks lined up for 2025, including The History of Conisbrough Castle for Torksey Historical Group on 18 June, Women of the Anarchy for the Hook Norton Local History Group on 2 September and Lincolnshire’s Tudor Heroines at Gainsborough Old Hall on 7 October. I will have more details nearer the time.
Historical Writers Forum
Historical Writers Forum will continue its programme of Zoom talks in 2024. You can find what we’ve done so far on our YouTube Channel.
A Slice of Medieval
Towards the end of 2022, my good friend and fellow author, Derek Birks and I started a podcast.
A Slice of Medieval combines History and Historical Fiction to give you an entertaining look at the past. With special guests including Bernard Cornwell, Elizabeth Chadwick and Ian Mortimer and topics including the Anarchy, the Wars of the Roses, and Magna Carta there is something for everyone!
Every episode is also now available on YouTube.
And there’s more to come!
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Past Events
Friday 28th May 2020: I presented the David hey Memorial Lecture as part of Doncaster Heritage Festival, held virtually due to the COVID crisis. Entitled Warenne: The Earls of Surrey and Conisbrough Castle, the lecture is still available to watch on YouTube.
Sunday 15th July 2018: Historical Panel Event with Elizabeth Chadwick at Newark Town Hall as part of the 2018 Newark Book Festival.
With Nick Quantrill as chair, Elizabeth and I talked about our books and love of history. We also discussed our different approaches to history, fact and fiction and our research techniques, followed by a Q&A session and a book signing.
On Saturday, 14th October 2017, Conisbrough Castle was the venue for the book launch for Heroines of the Medieval World. In the glorious sunshine, the Castle looked spectacular, the ideal setting for a history talk.
I grew up just 5 miles from Conisbrough Castle and so, as a child, every summer holiday included a picnic at the castle and a climb to the top of the keep. As a student I volunteered at the castle, helping out at events and giving guided tours to school groups. In those days, the castle was just a shell, with green slime on the walls, but now it has floors inside, a roof to protect it from the elements and visual displays throughout. The Visitor Centre has a small museum with a cartoon strip telling the castle’s story and interactive displays for the kids. Conisbrough Castle’s only claim to fame seemed to be its link to Sir Walter Scott’s Ivanhoe, in which it played the part of a Saxon stronghold.
However, Conisbrough had been very much a Norman stronghold since the Conquest, given as a prize to one of William the Conquerors’ most loyal followers, William de Warenne, first earl of Warenne and Surrey. My talk took place on the 951st anniversary of the Battle of Hastings, the day the Castle changed hands. On the morning of the battle, it belonged to Harold II, but by the end of the day Harold had lost the kingdom and his life and Conisbrough was a prize of war.
The talk was aimed at demonstrating the many links that Conisbrough Castle has to the major events in English medieval history, from the Norman Conquest, to the disastrous reign of Edward II and the civil war which became known as the Wars of the Roses. Conisbrough Castle and its former residents have a rich history and it was a pleasure to bring just a few moments of it to life. Attended by over 50 people, the audience was made up of friends, family, readers of my book and blog – historytheinterestingbits.com – and visitors who had called at the Castle because it was a gorgeous Saturday afternoon. And they were aged from 3 to 73!
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My books
Signed, dedicated copies of all my books are available through my online bookshop.
Out now: Scotland’s Medieval Queens
Scotland’s history is dramatic, violent and bloody. Being England’s northern neighbour has never been easy. Scotland’s queens have had to deal with war, murder, imprisonment, political rivalries and open betrayal. They have loved and lost, raised kings and queens, ruled and died for Scotland. From St Margaret, who became one of the patron saints of Scotland, to Elizabeth de Burgh and the dramatic story of the Scottish Wars of Independence, to the love story and tragedy of Joan Beaufort, to Margaret of Denmark and the dawn of the Renaissance, Scotland’s Medieval Queens have seen it all. This is the story of Scotland through their eyes.
Available now from Amazon and Pen and Sword Books
Also by Sharon Bennett Connolly:
Heroines of the Tudor World tells the stories of the most remarkable women from European history in the time of the Tudor dynasty, 1485-1603. These are the women who ruled, the women who founded dynasties, the women who fought for religious freedom, their families and love. Heroines of the Tudor World is now available for pre-order from Amberley Publishing and Amazon UK. Women of the Anarchy demonstrates how Empress Matilda and Matilda of Boulogne, unable to wield a sword themselves, were prime movers in this time of conflict and lawlessness. It shows how their strengths, weaknesses, and personal ambitions swung the fortunes of war one way – and then the other. Available from Bookshop.org, Amberley Publishing and Amazon UK. King John’s Right-Hand Lady: The Story of Nicholaa de la Haye is the story of a truly remarkable lady, the hereditary constable of Lincoln Castle and the first woman in England to be appointed sheriff in her own right. Available from all good bookshops Pen & Sword Books, bookshop.org and Amazon.
Defenders of the Norman Crown: The Rise and Fall of the Warenne Earls of Surrey tells the fascinating story of the Warenne dynasty, from its origins in Normandy, through the Conquest, Magna Carta, the wars and marriages that led to its ultimate demise in the reign of Edward III. Available from Pen & Sword Books, Amazon in the UK and US, and Bookshop.org. Ladies of Magna Carta: Women of Influence in Thirteenth Century England looks into the relationships of the various noble families of the 13th century, and how they were affected by the Barons’ Wars, Magna Carta and its aftermath; the bonds that were formed and those that were broken. It is now available in paperback and hardback from Pen & Sword, Amazon, and Bookshop.org. Heroines of the Medieval World tells the stories of some of the most remarkable women from Medieval history, from Eleanor of Aquitaine to Julian of Norwich. Available now from Amberley Publishing and Amazon, and Bookshop.org. Silk and the Sword: The Women of the Norman Conquest traces the fortunes of the women who had a significant role to play in the momentous events of 1066. Available now from Amazon, Amberley Publishing, and Bookshop.org.
Alternate Endings: An anthology of historical fiction short stories including Long Live the King… which is my take what might have happened had King John not died in October 1216. Available in paperback and kindle from Amazon.
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Don’t forget! Signed and dedicated copies of all my books are available through my online bookshop.
For forthcoming online and in-person talks, please check out my Events Page.
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©2025 Sharon Bennett Connolly FRHistS
History... the interesting bits! 