Lauren Mackay

Dr Lauren Mackay, B.Mus, M.Hist, PhD, is an historian of Early Modern Europe. Originally from Sydney, Australia, Lauren studied violin at the prestigious Sydney Conservatorium of Music, Sydney, developing an interest in various musical periods. But history has always been a passion, and from a young age, Lauren studied Ancient civilisations, in particular Egypt and Greece, before turning her eye to Early Modern Europe. Her focus of study now goes beyond familiar historical figures and events to lesser known individuals, as well as beliefs, customs, and diplomacy of the 16th Century. ​ Lauren spent over five years researching the life of Imperial Ambassador, Eustace Chapuys, who for 18 years was the most important source of the Tudor period, resulting in her debut book, Inside the Tudor Court: Henry VIII and his Six Wives through the eyes of the Spanish Ambassador. It is the first and only biography of the ambassador. Her second book, Among The Wolves of Court: the Untold Story of Thomas and George Boleyn, is the first scholarly biography of Thomas and George Boleyn, and is based on her extensive PhD research. Her book explores the lives of Anne Boleyn's father and brother, who are often marginalised in histories of the period. Lauren's areas of research encompass medieval and early modern politics, renaissance and reformation, diplomacy, humanism, as well as early modern literature and culture. Lauren's research frequently takes her to different countries around the world, including Turkey, Austria, Italy, Slovenia, France, and Belgium, and she has studied countless manuscripts inthe archives of the United Kingdom and Europe, including the Haus-, Hof- und Staatsarchiv in Vienna, the Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana and L'Archivio Segreto Vaticano, Rome, the Archives générales du Royaume, Brussels, The Archives Nationales, Paris, the National Archives, Kew, the Bodleian library, Oxford, and the British Library, London. In the last few years, Lauren's research has taken her beyond England to the wider realms of Early Modern Europe, in particular the Hapsburg Charles V, Francis I of France, and the Ottoman Suleiman the Magnificent. She wrote the feature article on Suleiman for All About History Magazine in 2017. Lauren has also written several articles for BBC History Magazine, including the feature article for BBC History magazine's January 2014 edition and the October 2018 edition, and frequently contributes to their online content. Please see her official website for more information: www.laurenmackay.co.uk