People

MR ALEXANDER RYLAND

MR ALEXANDER RYLAND
MR ALEXANDER RYLAND
MR ALEXANDER RYLAND

MA (Hons) (Aberd.), MLitt (UHI), PGDE (Aberd.), AFHEA

Research PG

About
Email Address
a.ryland.24@abdn.ac.uk
Office Address
G05 Crombie Annexe
Old Aberdeen Campus
College Bounds
AB24 3TS

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School/Department
School of Divinity, History, Philosophy & Art History
Pure
ORCiD

Biography

I am a PhD researcher in Art History interested in the history of early modern monarchy, masculinities, and material and visual culture. My research is jointly supervised by Dr Helen Pierce (University of Aberdeen) and Dr Lucy Dean (University of the Highlands and Islands). My thesis is provisionally titled ‘Masculinities and political legitimacy in the visual and material culture of late Stuart kingship, 1660–1694’.

I have presented work internationally on the gendered performance of fertility, fatherhood and family in the reigns of Charles II, James VII & II and William III. I have published book reviews in the Royal Studies Journal and The Court Historian, and have a forthcoming book chapter on Charles II’s performance of fatherhood toward his eldest illegitimate son James, duke of Monmouth.

Qualifications

  • MLitt History 
    2024 - University of the Highlands and Islands 
  • PGDE Secondary Education 
    2020 - University of Aberdeen 
  • MA (Hons) Politics and International Relations 
    2012 - University of Aberdeen 

Memberships and Affiliations

Internal Memberships

Internal roles

Peer reviewer (2025-) - Granite: Interdisciplinary Postgraduate Research Journal

Internal affiliations

Member (2024-) - Centre for Early Modern Studies

External Memberships

External roles

Learned societies

Research networks

Teaching and learning professional bodies

Latest Publications

View My Publications

Research

Research Overview

My research takes a gendered view of the visual culture of monarchy in late seventeenth-century Britain, with a focus on transgressive masculinities and political legitimacy. I have presented internationally on representations of royal masculinities in the Glorious Revolution and am writing a book chapter on Charles II’s performance of fatherhood toward his illegitimate children. I have also published book reviews for the Royal Studies Journal and The Court Historian.

PhD working title: 'Masculinities and political legitimacy in the visual and material culture of late Stuart kingship, 1660–1694.'

Research Areas

Research Specialisms

  • British History
  • Gender Studies
  • History
  • History of Art

Our research specialisms are based on the Higher Education Classification of Subjects (HECoS) which is HESA open data, published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.

Supervision

Supervisors

Funding and Grants

British Numismatic Society — Small Research Grant (2025)

DHPA PG Research Committee — Travel Grant (2025, 2026)

Teaching

Courses

Publications

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