Upcoming event
In Conversation: Lauren Johnson
Location
Simpkins Lee Theatre, Lady Margaret Hall
Start date
End date
All are welcome to join LMH Principal Professor Christine Gerrard for an 'In Conversation' with medieval historian and author Lauren Johnson. The event is free to attend, but we recommend reserving your space via the booking form below.
Lauren Johnson is a public historian and author of works including the critically acclaimed Shadow King: The Life and Death of Henry VI. Lauren graduated with a first-class degree in history and an MSt in medieval historical research from Wadham College, Oxford University. Her thesis explored the impact of the Wars of the Roses on women. She is currently studying for an AHRC-funded collaborative doctorate with Manchester Metropolitan University and the National Archives investigating ‘Refugees, Religion and Diplomacy in Early Modern Europe’. With a passion for restoring marginalised narratives to our history, she has worked in heritage since 2008 and acted as historical consultant for creative and heritage producers including Historic Royal Palaces, Wellcome Library, Sky History, Dante or Die and the Royal Shakespeare Company.
More about Lauren Johnson
Lauren Johnson is an author and historian. She holds a Double First in History and a Masters in Medieval Historical Research from Oxford University. Her Masters investigated the impact of the Wars of the Roses on noblewomen, and Women’s History continues to be an area of particular interest.
Lauren has worked extensively in heritage, recently researching and writing award-winning interactive digital trails for Historic Royal Palaces. She also regularly chairs historical events and podcasts for HRP. As a costumed interpreter, Lauren has researched, directed and performed in events internationally, at heritage sites including the Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace and Dover Castle. She co-founded Untold Arts, a theatre company discovering marginalized lives in the past and present, for whom she researched Catalina, the story of the moorish servant of Catherine of Aragon, and wrote Lady Unknown, an ARHC-funded site-responsive play about Angela Burdett-Coutts (Charles Dickens Museum, 2015).
Lauren’s debut novel, The Arrow of Sherwood (Pen & Sword Fiction, 2013), was named one of Medievalist.net’s books of the year. An origin story of Robin Hood, it is rooted in the brutal reality of the twelfth century.
Lauren has also written a non-fiction exploration of daily life in England in the year 1509, So Great a Prince: England and the Accession of Henry VIII (Head of Zeus, UK / Pegasus, US). It was praised as ‘Ingenious… An assured and eye-opening introduction to the England of 1509’ (Times Literary Supplement).
Shadow King: The Life and Death of Henry VI (Head of Zeus) was published in March 2019.
Lauren's biography of Lady Margaret Hall's namesake, Margaret Beaufort: Survivor, Rebel, Kingmaker, was published by Head of Zeus in November 2025.