Some of the sadder stories in history are about children who are caught up in the wars of their elders. Take, for example, the sad story of Manfred of Hohenstaufen’s very young children, who were locked up (and purportedly blinded) by Charles of Anjou in 1266 after he killed Manfred and claimed Sicily as his […]
In 1311, a very young Castilian infanta (princess) was betrothed to Jaime, heir to the Aragonese throne. Jaume did not want a wife. His father, however, was adamant. Aragon would benefit from a Castilian marriage. I guess Jaume would have sneered at that, reminding his father of his Castilian bride, little Isabel, whom he returned
St Lucy’s Day – or St Lucia as we say here in Sweden—is a celebration of light when winter is at its darkest. Prior to adopting the Gregorian calendar back in the 18th century, the Swedish calendar had St Lucia falling on the darkest day of the year, the midwinter solstice, and…What? You’ve never heard
Some weeks ago, I shared a post about Constanza Manuel, daughter of Don Juan Manuel de Villena who was not only a power-hungry Castilian noble, but also an erudite writer. Juan Manuel was the grandson of Fernando III, a member of the royal house of Ivrea, and was thereby an Infante of Castile. “A legitimate
Juana Manuel de Villena – the matriarch of a dynasty birthed in royal blood Read More »
Today, I welcome Sharon Bennett Connolly to my blog—a belated celebration of her recent publication, Women of the Anarchy. Some may already be familiar with Sharon’s blog, History – the interesting bits, some of you may have read one of her other books, which means you know this lady lives and breathes history—especially medieval history.
Namesakes, cousins and antagonists – check out the Women of the Anarchy! Read More »
Early in March of 1526, Isabel of Portugal finally got her dream prince. At last! The groom, Holy Roman Emperor Carlos I (or Charles V, depending on who you’re asking) had originally been less than interested in the match with his first cousin, and for years Isabel had waited for the man to come to
His empress, his love – of Isabel, matriarch to the Spanish Hapsburgs Read More »
The day Camila met Ladislao, she was eighteen. He was a year or so older—and a Jesuit priest. The year was 1843, the place Buenos Aires, and as Ladislao had been appointed the family priest, they saw a lot of each other. Ladislao was a friend of Camila’s older brother, also a Jesuit priest, and
Struck by the arrow – of love and its consequences Read More »
Today’s post is about an ailment, namely gout. Why? Because I discovered some months ago that Edward I, a larger-than-life presence in my upcoming rlease, apparently suffered from this disease. Now, In Sweden gout has pejoratively been known as “portvinstå” – portwinetoe – and was assumed to afflict only very sedentary, very rich, somewhat obese,
Today, we’re going to spend some time with a woman called Elisabeth. Back in her day, there were many, many Elisabeths. And Eleanors. And Matildas. Our Elisabeth had the misfortune of a somewhat burdened surname. Being a de Montfort in 13th century England was not necessarily a good thing—at least not after the battle of
Today, dear peeps, we’re going to be spending time in medieval England, more specifically in the reign of King John. This time and place was a man’s world where women rarely got more than a passing mantion by the (male) chroniclers. There were exceptions of course, and one such exception was Nicholaa de la Haye,