Dr Jessica Wärnberg
I am a historian, author, Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and devoted educator, providing academic support and mentorship to fledgling historians of all backgrounds.
Researching in archives and libraries from the Vatican to Dublin and Turin, I have published groundbreaking work on how religion and politics have clashed and intertwined to shape our world. My first book ‘Between Popes, Inquisitors and Princes’ revealed how the early Jesuits collaborated with the popes, their inquisition and the crowned heads of Europe – often undercover – to fight dangerous ideas.
My second book ‘City of Echoes’ is the first ever account of how the presence of the popes has shaped Rome and its history, from the time of Saint Peter to our own day. According to Graydon Carter’s Air Mail Weekly, it is ‘a deeply informative book that never fails to entertain, unearthing facts that make The Da Vinci Code read like children’s lit.’
My writing has been published in prestigious academic journals, popular magazines such as History Today and national newspapers. I have given lectures and spoken at events and on podcasts in the U.K., North America, Italy, Spain and Belgium. I welcome invitations to write and speak about my writing and research, as well as my experiences living in Italy and working with historical documents at archives such as the Vatican Archive and archives of the Roman Inquisition.
Selected Awards:
- Rome Scholarship, British Academy
- Seventh Century Scholarship, University of St Andrews
- Study Fellowship, Society for Renaissance Studies
- Russell Trust Award, Russell Trust
Learning lessons from a sixteenth-century Polish princess.
In a new article for the Catholic Herald, I considered what we might learn from Katarina Jagellonica, the Queen Consort to John III of Sweden. Faithful, determined and learned, Katarina is an unlikely but inspiring model. You can read the article in the magazine or here: https://catholicherald.co.uk/a-wife-who-witnessed/
New article on the turbulent history of Christianity in Sweden.
You can read my article on the turbulent history of Christianity in Sweden, from the 9th century to our own day, in the October issue of the Catholic Herald or here: https://catholicherald.co.uk/the-rise-and-fall-of-swedish-catholicism/. The article accompanied a piece by Cardinal Anders Arborelius: the first ever Swedish cardinal. Together, the two texts will bring you bang [...]