Alexandra Mary Gajda (born 4 November 1979) is an English historian of political, religious and intellectual life in

early modern Britain Early modern Britain is the history of the island of Great Britain roughly corresponding to the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. Major historical events in early modern British history include numerous wars, especially with France, along with the ...

. She is associate professor of Early Modern History at the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

and John Walsh Fellow and Tutor in History at Jesus College.

Early life

Gajda was born in

Salford Salford ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in Greater Manchester, England, on the western bank of the River Irwell which forms its boundary with Manchester city centre. Landmarks include the former Salford Town Hall, town hall, ...

to parents Norbert and Ann.

Academic career

Gajda completed her undergraduate and doctoral studies at

New College, Oxford New College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1379 by Bishop William of Wykeham in conjunction with Winchester College as New College's feeder school, New College was one of the first col ...

. Her doctoral thesis, an examination of how the career of

Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex (; 10 November 1565 – 25 February 1601) was an English nobleman and a favourite of Queen Elizabeth I. Politically ambitious, he was placed under house arrest following a poor campaign in Ireland during th ...

shaped late Elizabethan political culture, was supervised by

Susan Brigden Susan Elizabeth Brigden (born 26 June 1951) is a historian and academic specialising in the English Renaissance and Reformation. She was Reader in Early Modern History at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of Lincoln College, before retiring ...

and completed in 2005. In 2006 she was elected to a Fulford Junior Research Fellowship at

St Anne's College, Oxford St Anne's College is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It was founded in 1879 and gained full college status in 1959. Originally a women's college, it has admitted men since 1979. ...

, before joining the

University of Birmingham The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university in Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingham (founded in 1825 as ...

as a lecturer in Early Modern History in 2007. Gajda returned to the University of Oxford in October 2011 upon her election to a Tutorial Fellowship in History at Jesus College, succeeding the retiring

Felicity Heal Felicity Margaret Heal, (born 24 September 1945) is a British historian and academic, specialising in early modern Britain. From 1980 to 2011, she was a lecturer at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of Jesus College, Oxford. She had previou ...

. She also holds a lectureship at

Worcester College Worcester College ( ) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. The college was founded in 1714 by the benefaction of Sir Thomas Cookes, 2nd Baronet (1648–1701) of Norgrove, Worcestershire, whose coat of arms was ad ...

. Gajda took on the additional college offices of Welfare Fellow from 2013 to 2018 and Arts Fellow from 2023 onwards. Between 2015 and 2017 she also served on the Faculty of History's governing board. Her fellowship was made permanent in July 2017.

Research

Gajda's first monograph, based on her doctoral research, was titled ''The Earl of Essex and Late Elizabethan Political Culture'' and was published in 2012 as part of

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the publishing house of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world. Its first book was printed in Oxford in 1478, with the Press officially granted the legal right to print books ...

Oxford Historical Monographs Oxford Historical Monographs is a monographic series published by Oxford University Press. All books published in the series are derived from recent doctoral (D.Phil) theses submitted at the University of Oxford. Since the series received its cu ...

series. Arthur Williamson's review of the book for ''

The Scottish Historical Review ''The Scottish Historical Review'' is an academic journal in the field of Scottish historical studies. It covers Scottish history from the early to the modern period, encouraging a variety of historical approaches. It superseded ''The Scottish ...

'' labelled it a "rich and provocative study of the late Elizabethan world" which "will shape any further conversation about the era". Rory Rapple in ''

The Journal of Modern History ''The Journal of Modern History'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal covering European intellectual, political, and cultural history, published by the University of Chicago Press. Established in 1929, the journal covers events from appro ...

'' praised the book as "a very useful study of Essex’s mental world, a net that caught so much of the intellectual richness of its time". Through her work in the book, as well as other related publications, Gajda became known in scholarly circles as "the country's leading expert on the

Essex Rebellion Essex's Rebellion was an unsuccessful rebellion led by Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, in February 1601 against Queen Elizabeth I of England and the court faction led by Sir Robert Cecil to gain further influence at court. Background Robert ...

", as

Jesse Norman Alexander Jesse Norman (born 23 June 1962) is a British politician who has served as Shadow Leader of the House of Commons since November 2024. A member of the Conservative Party, he has been a Member of Parliament (MP) for Hereford and So ...

described her in 2023. Her second book was a collection of essays, co-edited with Paul Cavill of

Pembroke College, Cambridge Pembroke College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college is the third-oldest college of the university and has over 700 students and fellows. It is one of the university's larger colleges, with buildings from ...

, entitled ''Writing the History of Parliament in Tudor and Early Stuart England''. It was published in 2018 by

Manchester University Press Manchester University Press is the university press of the University of Manchester, England, and a publisher of academic books and journals. Manchester University Press has developed into an international publisher. It maintains its links with t ...

as part of their Politics, Culture and Society in Early Modern Britain series, of which Gajda is also a general editor. Steven Gunn, reviewing the work for '' Parliamentary History'', stated that the volume makes a "significant contribution" to historical understanding of the role of the past in early modern politics. He further remarked that Gajda's own chapter revealed how Protestants made use of the past to "justify the supremacy of the crown" through "assertions of parliament’s antiquity and power" over the church. Gajda's current research projects include a study of the role of parliament in shoring up the legitimacy of Protestantism in England and Wales; a study of

William Camden William Camden (2 May 1551 – 9 November 1623) was an English antiquarian, historian, topographer, and herald, best known as author of ''Britannia'', the first chorographical survey of the islands of Great Britain and Ireland that relates la ...

's ''Annales'', the first published history of Elizabeth I's reign; a study of early modern English gentlemen's travel and political education; and an edition of the letters of Fulke Greville in collaboration with

Henry Woudhuysen Henry Ruxton Woudhuysen, (born 24 October 1954), is a British academic specialising in Renaissance English literature. He was the Rector of Lincoln College, Oxford from 2012 to 2024. He was previously Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humaniti ...

Media work

Gajda appeared as a guest in a 2023 episode of the

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

programme ''

Great Lives ''Great Lives'' is a BBC Radio 4 biography series, produced in Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the re ...

'' discussing the career of Sir

Edward Coke Sir Edward Coke ( , formerly ; 1 February 1552 – 3 September 1634) was an English barrister, judge, and politician. He is often considered the greatest jurist of the Elizabethan era, Elizabethan and Jacobean era, Jacobean eras. Born into a ...

alongside

Ian Hislop Ian David Hislop (born 13 July 1960) is a British journalist, satirist, and television personality. He is the editor of the satirical magazine '' Private Eye'', a position he has held since 1986. He has appeared on many radio and television pr ...

and

. In 2022 she also appeared on

Suzannah Lipscomb Suzannah Rebecca Gabriella Lipscomb (born 7 December 1978)
, Library of Congress Name Authority File is a Britis ...

's podcast ''Not Just the Tudors'' to discuss the final days and legacy of

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudo ...

. In January 2025 Gajda appeared in an episode of the

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matte ...

series ''

Lucy Worsley Dr. Lucy Worsley (born 18 December 1973) is an English historian, author, curator and television presenter. She was the joint chief curator at Historic Royal Palaces but is best known amongst UK television viewers as a presenter of BBC Televi ...

Investigates'' centred on the

Gunpowder Plot The Gunpowder Plot of 1605, in earlier centuries often called the Gunpowder Treason Plot or the Jesuit Treason, was an unsuccessful attempted regicide against James VI and I, King James VI of Scotland and I of England by a group of English ...

, discussing the conspirator

Robert Catesby Robert Catesby ( – 8 November 1605) was the leader of a group of English Catholics who planned the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605. Born in Warwickshire, Catesby was educated at Oxford University. His family were prominent recusant Catholics, a ...

's role in

Essex's Rebellion Essex's Rebellion was an unsuccessful rebellion led by Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, in February 1601 against Queen Elizabeth I of England and the court faction led by Sir Robert Cecil to gain further influence at court. Background Robert ...

. Gajda has contributed reviews of early modern history books to ''

Literary Review ''Literary Review'' is a British literary magazine founded in 1979 by Anne Smith, then head of the Department of English at the University of Edinburgh. Its offices are on Lexington Street in Soho. The magazine was edited for fourteen years b ...

'' since 2018. In 2019 she delivered a lecture at

Gresham College Gresham College is an institution of higher learning located at Barnard's Inn Hall off Holborn in Central London, England that does not accept students or award degrees. It was founded in 1597 under the Will (law), will of Sir Thomas Gresham, ...

on the role of its founder Sir

Thomas Gresham Sir Thomas Gresham the Elder (; c. 151921 November 1579) was an English merchant and financier who acted on behalf of King Edward VI (1547–1553) and Edward's half-sisters, queens Mary I (1553–1558) and Elizabeth I (1558–1603). In 1565 Gr ...

at the Tudor court.

Honours and awards

In 2006 Gajda was awarded the Sir John Neale Prize for Tudor History by the

Institute of Historical Research The Institute of Historical Research (IHR) is a British educational organisation providing resources and training for historical researchers. It is part of the School of Advanced Study in the University of London and is located at Senate Hou ...

for her essay The State of Christendom'': History, Political Thought and the Essex Circle'. In 2013 she was elected a Fellow of the

Royal Historical Society The Royal Historical Society (RHS), founded in 1868, is a learned society of the United Kingdom which advances scholarly studies of history. Origins The society was founded and received its royal charter in 1868. Until 1872 it was known as the H ...

. She was also elected a Fellow of the

Society of Antiquaries of London The Society of Antiquaries of London (SAL) is a learned society of historians and archaeologists in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1707, received its royal charter in 1751 and is a Charitable organization, registered charity. It is based ...

in June 2021. She served as an elected council member of the Church of England Record Society from 2017 to 2024.

Bibliography

Books

*''The Earl of Essex and Late Elizabethan Political Culture'' (Oxford:

, 2012) *''Writing the History of Parliament in Tudor and Early Stuart England'' (co-editor with Paul Cavill; Manchester:

, 2018)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gajda, Alexandra Living people 1979 births Alumni of New College, Oxford Fellows of St Anne's College, Oxford Academics of the University of Birmingham Fellows of Jesus College, Oxford People associated with Worcester College, Oxford Historians of the University of Oxford Fellows of the Royal Historical Society Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London 21st-century English historians 21st-century English women writers English women historians Tudor historians Historians of political thought People from Broughton, Greater Manchester People from the City of Salford Reformation historians