After several weeks of radio silence – I took a much-needed break from everything this summer—I am now suffering from severe “post-writing abstinence”. This is a rather grave condition which must of course be addressed by…taa-daa…writing a new post. Fortunately, over these last few weeks I have collected a list of potential subjects. Oddly, none …
In 1720, Fredrick William I of Prussia and his wife welcomed a baby girl to the world. She was the tenth (but not the last) child of their union, and as she was a girl, rather than the much desired male spare, I dare say Fredrick William did not exactly do cartwheels of joy. Still: …
Entitled, haughty and determined- of a Prussian Iron Lady in the Swedish Court Read More »
Today, dear peeps, I have the pleasure of hosting one of the stops on The Coffee Pot Book Club’s blog tour of Essex, Tony Riches’ latest release. When I was given the opportunity to read and review, I more or less leapt at it, despite having a problem with men in puff breeches and hose …
So much more than a glory-hound – the Earl of Essex as described by Tony Riches Read More »
Sometimes, I stumble upon my protagonists by chance. Like when I came upon the fate of Teresa while researching my post from last week, about García Fernandez and his beautiful hands. Now, when talking about Spanish history, there is one Teresa that towers over all the others, namely St Teresa, this charming and erudite holy …
The royal slave – a story of faith in Moorish Spain Read More »
Today, I am dragging you all the way back to the tenth century, a time when Castile was ruled by a count, when more than half of the Iberian Peninsula was controlled by the Moors. This was the time of the great Muslim caliphate, of the splendour of Córdoba, Zaragoza and Sevilla under Muslim rule. …
Having drool-worthy hands does not keep you safe from false wives… Read More »
Today, we are going to be spending some time with Sancho II of Castile. Not that his time will be all that long—at times, life (or in this case, siblings) conspire against you. Mind you, Sancho had himself to blame. Sancho’s story starts in Zamora, a fortified town on the river Duero that has been …
Siblings, sieges and assassinations – nothing unusual in medieval Spain Read More »
Sometimes, those medieval kings surprise you. Take, for example Sancho IV of Castile. Now, he has a few black marks against him, principally the fact that he usurped the throne, thereby stealing the crown from his young nephew, Alfonso de la Cerda. Sancho, of course, did not feel he had a choice: Castile needed an …
For the love of his queen – how a medieval king set his wife first Read More »
In 1283, little Isabel saw the light of the day. This the latest fruit of the proud House of Ivrea was the first of seven siblings. At the time of her birth, her daddy, the future Sancho IV, was at loggerheads with his daddy, Alfonso X. Why? Because Sancho wanted to become king once Alfonso …
From queen to duchess – the life of a medieval princess Read More »
Most people live out their lives in obscurity—something to be grateful for, I believe, as celebrity comes with its own set of challenges. Many people live below the radar for most of their lives, but then a sequence of events propel them onto the central stage and for a while their name is on everybody’s …
“Lately the king’s enemy and rebel” – when good intentions lead to treason Read More »
Sometimes, I wonder if medieval people were more in a hurry to live their lives, seeing as so many of them died at ages we would consider to be relatively young. Death, it would seem, sent its icy breath along their nape from the moment those medieval peeps were born. Obviously, Death is as present …
The second wife – of Yolande of Hungary, Queen of Aragon Read More »
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