Dr Lauren Mackay

Biography

Dr Lauren Mackay is an historian, author, lecturer and consultant, with a B.Mus from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music/University of Sydney, Australia, a Masters of History from the University of New England, and a PhD from the University of Newcastle, Australia.

Her research explores the interconnected worlds of the Early Modern period, from the courts of Tudor England and the famed Habsburgs, to the Ottoman Empire, and the global reach of European expansion into the New World. Drawing on her own background—with Canadian heritage and years spent living in the UK and Europe—she brings a uniquely personal perspective to the study of how dynasties and empires negotiated power, identity, and cultural exchange, revealing the shared dynamics of expansion and encounter that shaped the Early Modern world.

Lauren is also the author of three books, and her fourth, Thunder Through the Realms: Five Kingdoms and the Shaping of Early Modern Europe, is due out in 2025 with Bloomsbury Publishing.
A Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, she has lectured throughout the UK, at venues including Hampton Court, the Tower of London, Sudeley Castle, Hever Castle, Windsor Castle, Leeds Castle, The National Archives, Kew, The Portrait Gallery, London, and the BBC History weekends.

She has also featured as an expert on Radio and Television—in 2020 she appeared in the three-part television documentary Henry VIII and the King’s Men (Smithsonian Channel UK). In 2021, she was a consultant and expert contributor for BBC2’s three-part series The Boleyns: A Scandalous Family, based on her PhD research, and in 2022 she was an expert contributor for Netflix’s three-part series, Blood, Sex, and Royalty.

Lauren’s research frequently takes her to different countries around the world, including Turkey, Austria, Italy, Slovenia, France, and Belgium, and she enjoys bringing her expertise and passion to her tours for Academy Travel.