Performing Royal Power in Renaissance England and France: Insights and Impact
Centre d’Études Supérieures de la Renaissance (CESR)
59 rue Néricault Destouches
37000 Tours
France
Presentation
This international conference explores how royal power was performed, negotiated and justified in England and France during the long sixteenth century. The notion that kingship and queenship was an act of performance, deploying liturgy, music and ritual in spaces either permanently or temporarily configured for the purpose, has become well established in Renaissance studies. But an integrated understanding of the phenomenon has proved more difficult to achieve, whether because of distinctions between the contributing disciplines or the specific conventions of national historiographies. To meet that challenge, this Le Studium conference brings together an interdisciplinary group of researchers – historians, musicologists, architectural and art historians, from institutions in the UK, France and Italy – to consider a common set of questions and problems.
The conference addresses the theme from two angles. The first day, ‘Insights’, presents recent and emerging research on the construction and performance of power in Renaissance Europe. Key themes include the mobility of monarchy in sixteenth-century England and France, music and liturgy as factors in royal performance, urban festivals and royal entries, and palatial architecture and the politics of access. The second day, ‘Impact’, broadens the agenda to discuss the social as well as academic benefit of innovative research, and its relevance to the presentation of historic sites to the public through the imaginative use of music, sound and space. Comparing the UK impact case studies 'St Stephen's Chapel Westminster' and 'Henry VIII on Tour' and projects led by RicercarLab hosted at the CESR in Tours, we will identify key targets for impact and lay foundations for a statement of best practice in the sector.
CONVENORS
Programme
Wednesday 15th January 2025
- 10:00 Registration
- 10:30 Official Opening
- 11:00 Anthony Musson - Henry VIII on Tour: The Diplomacy of Royal Progresses
- 11:30 Jean Sénié - The Itinerant Court in France: the case of Ippolito d'Este, Cardinal of Ferrara
- 12:00 Lunch break
- 14:00 Philippe Vendrix - Insights from RicercarLab
- 14:30 Etienne Faisant - In the English Manner? Henri III of France’s Lodgings
- 15:00 Alexander Robinson - Sovereignty, religiosity and music during Henri III’s visit to Avignon in 1574
- 15:30 Coffee break
- 16:00 Kerry McCarthy - Tudor Royal Singers on the Road
- 16:30 Magnus Williamson - Royal Itinerancy and the Ritual Year under Henry VIII
- 17:00 David Rivaud- Les accueils solennels dans l’espace français (XIV-XVIe): bilan et perspectives de recherches
- 18:00 Guided visit of the city center
- 19:30 Dinner
Thursday 16th January 2025
- 08:45 Welcome coffee
- 09:00 John Cooper - Impact case study ‘St Stephen’s Chapel and the House of Commons
- 09:30 Anthony Musson & Magnus Williamson - Impact case study ‘Henry VIII on Tour: Landscape, Communities and Performance
- 10:00 Cubiculum Musicae - RicercarLab
- 10:30 Coffee break
- 11:00 Roundtable: ‘Impact, beneficiaries, partnerships’ - chaired by Professor Philippe Vendrix
- 12:30 Lunch
Location
The conference venue is unique. Located right next to the basilica of St Martin in the old city centre of Tours, the Centre d'Études Supérieures de la Renaissance (Centre for Advanced Studies in the Renaissance) is a teaching and research institution which welcomes students and researchers seeking initial or supplementary instruction in all aspects of the Renaissance. The Centre was initially constituted in 1956 on the basis of a library and a documentary archive, supplemented by a collection of photographs and databases. It is now a venue for multi-disciplinary instruction, which, in association with the various Faculties of the University, has responsibility for teaching and research in History, History of Art, Literature, Languages, Musicology, and Philosophy. It currently leads a large research programme dedicated to the cultural regional heritage (Intelligence des Patrimoines). As a research centre it brings together fifty or so researchers committed to the investigation of the "civilization of the Renaissance" from Petrarch to Descartes. Participants will be welcomed in this exceptional surrounding blending Middle Age and Renaissance cultures and will have the opportunity to discover French cuisine and wines.
General Information
 |
Congress Venue |
Centre d’Études Supérieures de la Renaissance (CESR)
59 rue Néricault Destouches - 37000 Tours, France
 |
Dates |
Wednesday 15 January & Thursday 15 January 2025
 |
Language |
The official language of the Congress is English
 |
Welcome pack and Name Badge |
Upon arrival you will receive a welcome pack that includes the printed material of the Conference and your name badge will be given to you at the reception . Please wear your name badge at all times during the Conference and to all official Conference events.
 |
Invitation Letters |
An official letter of invitation facilitating the obtention of an entry visa can be sent upon request . In order to receive an invitation letter for visa purposes, send an email to maurine.villiers@lestudium-ias.fr. Please note that :
- we only issue an official letter once the payment of the registration fee has been validated.
- such letters do not represent a commitment on the part of the Organisers to provide any financial assistance.
 |
Certificate of attendance |
After the conference, in order to receive a certficate of participation, send an email to maurine.villiers@lestudium-ias.fr
By train:
* Tours centre station
1.5 hour trip from Paris (Montparnasse)
* Saint Pierre des Corps (4km from Tours town centre)
Bus 5, 20 minutes trip to Tours centre station
> Plan your trip by train: https://www.sncf-connect.com/en-en/
By car:
GPS: 47.3918282,0.6823076
Please note that you can't park in the courtyard in front of the CESR.
Paid car parks nearby :
Parking Indigo Tours Halles Vieux Tours, 36 Place Gaston Paillhou, 37000 Tours
Parking Gambetta, 8 Rue Gambetta, 37000 Tours
Parking Indigo Tours Nationale, 5 Rue Emile Zola, 37000 Tours
By plane:
*Arrival at Roissy Charles De Gaulle (CDG) airport:
Take RER B in direction to Saint Rémy Les Chevreuse, step out at Denfert Rochereau Stop
Take Metro 6 in direction to Kleber, step out at Montparnasse Bienvenue Stop for Montparnasse train station
or
Take RER B in direction to Saint Rémy Les Chevreuse, step out at Gare du Nord Stop
Take Metro 5 in direction to Place d'Italie, step out at Gare d'Austerlitz Stop for Austerlitz train station
> Then take a train to Tours (see "by train" section above)
*Arrival at Paris-Orly (ORY) airport:
Take Metro 14 in direction to Saint-Denis - Pleyel, step out at Kleber Stop.
Take Metro 6 in direction to Kleber, step out at Montparnasse Bienvenue Stop for Montparnasse train station
or
Take Metro 14 in direction to Saint-Denis - Pleyel, step out at Bibliothèque-François Mitterrand Stop.
Take RER C in direction to Gare de Pontoise, step out at Gare d'Austerlitz Stop for Austerlitz train station
> Then take a train to Tours (see "by train" section above)
Partners of the event
