Historical People

Anna and Maria – Holy Roman Empresses that took their procreating duty seriously!

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It has been quite some time since I indulged in my fascination with the Hapsburgs, this once so powerful family that controlled most of Catholic Europe and preferred to marry very close kin—which, eventually, led to disaster, at least for the Spanish Hapsburgs. But the Hapsburgs weren’t always an inbred dynasty on the brink of

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Marching through history – a dark, dark stain

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As long as human civilisation has existed, a dark stain has existed right alongside: slavery. Sophisticated cultures have arisen and functioned based on slavery. Ancient empires, the predecessors of most countries that are still around—once, slaves was an integral part of the economy. In early medieval times, the Slavic tribes were repeatedly raided for new

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Marching through history – on opposite sides of the divide

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Cryssa Bazos is a 17th century enthusiast – as am I. We do not agree on Prince Rupert, she tends to lean Royalist where I am more Parliamentarian, but those minor differences aside, I find her books set in the period utterly enthralling. In Cryssa’s novels, gorgeous descriptive prose marries convoluted plots, further enhanced by

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Marching through history – diving into Elizabethan times with Tony Riches

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The first book I ever read by Tony was about Owen Tudor, the man who married Henry V’s widow. Since then, I have read all his books, enjoying how he has worked his way through the Tudor timeline. Along the way, he has produced some intriguing portraits of various women, women like Charles Brandon’s fourth

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Marching through time – Mother Shipton and her prophesies

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I met Deborah Swift well over a decade ago at a Historical Novel Society Conference. She had recently published The Gilded Lily, and we sort of bonded over tea and the 17th century – as one does. Since then Deborah has cast her net wide when it comes to periods – I recently read her

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Marching on – in which Amy Maroney introduces medieval physician Trotula

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Today, we are visited by Amy Maroney who writes wonderfully vivid books set in the past, in locations spanning everything from the Pyrenees to Cyprus. One of my personal favourites is The Queen’s Scribe, mainly because I love how elegantly Amy weaves the story of her fictional characters into the warp and weft of known

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Marching Matilda – the Empress who should have been queen

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Last week, Cathie visited with a post about Poppa, forgotten matriarch to the dukes of Normandy. Today, she is back with a post about yet another matriarch, but despite never having been recognised as queen of England, Matilda, daughter of Henry I, is anything but forgotten! From her spring the Plantagenet dynasty that would rule

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Marching through history – Char Newcomb introduces us to Joanna of Sicily

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Several years ago, I read Men of the Cross by Char Newcomb and just loved it. Not only did she bring the times of the crusades to vivid life – I love her depiction of Richard Lionheart – but she created characters that remained with me long after I finished the book. Obviously, tons of

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Marching through history – in which Paula sheds some light on 11th century Anglo-Saxon women

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Today, I am joined by Paula Lofting. As long as I have known Paula, she has been a major, major fan of Anglo-Saxon England, more specifically the period just preceding the Conquest. Yes, she has a crush on Harold–so no wonder she has just published a book about him (on my TBR – I am

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Marching through history – Cathie introduces the forgotten Poppa

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Some years ago, I read Cathie Dunne’s book, Ascent and was quite fascinated by how she’d described the, to me, unknown Poppa and her marriage to Hrolf. In Sweden, we call him Gångar-Rolf “Walking Rolf” because he went to so many places, but that is neither here nor there. Given how fascinated I was by

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