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Henry VIII\u2019s desire for a son drove him to have his first marriage annulled, execute his second wife and overturn the entire religious life of England. Yet his \u2018precious jewel\u2019, Edward VI<\/a>, only reigned for six years, so the future of the Tudor dynasty<\/a> hung on its female members. In this talk, Tracy compares and contrasts the queenship of the three women who succeeded Edward: the \u2018Nine Days\u2019 Queen\u2019, Lady Jane Grey<\/a>, his notorious elder half-sister, \u2018Bloody Mary\u2019, and Elizabeth I<\/a>, who defied the contemporary prejudice against female rulers to become the most successful of all the Tudor monarchs.<\/p>\nTracy Borman is a best-selling author and historian, specialising in the Tudor period.\u00a0Dr Borman has presented a number of history programmes for Channel 5. She is a regular contributor to BBC History Magazine<\/em> and gives talks on her books across the country and abroad.\u00a0She works part-time as\u00a0joint chief curator of Historic Royal Palaces and as chief executive of the Heritage Education Trust.<\/h4>\n