Once upon a time, there was a very pretty little girl who grew up pampered and cosseted by her parents. Because her blood line was quite impeccable and because she was so very, very pretty, her parents had high hopes for a good marriage for Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg, and she seemed happy enough to […]
Holding on to his heart – of grief and crazy queens Read More »
There are some fates that remain forever ingrained in your mind, impossible to forget. One such fate is that of the glamorous Earl of Bothwell, Scottish nobleman, husband to the flamboyant Mary Queen of Scots. It seems to me James Hepburn was larger than life from the moment he entered it, and to have all
From delusions of greatness to insanity – the sad story of James Hepburn Read More »
There is something strange in our relationship with love stories. While most of us hope for that happy ending, the stories we remember are the ones that end in tears and loss, such as that of Juliet and her Romeo. Even weirder, we will sit in our sofas and snivel as we watch – yet
Sweden only has a handful of saints. Given that we’ve been Protestant since the 16th century, and given that Sweden was a most remote country in the Middle Ages, on the fringes of the European world (well, to some extent we still are, stuck up here in the north with a total of nine million
Behold this fragile, angelic child. A girl? A boy? Difficult to tell at first glance, isn’t it? One imagines a child rushing through sunlit meadows, arms outstretched to touch the high grasses that surround it. A high, pealing laugh, those golden curls bouncing as the child increases it speed, making for the welcoming arms of
At times, I regard my children and wonder how on earth they can be mine. Sometimes this is said with a little sigh as I pick up yet another piece of discarded clothing or wipe the counter tops free of crumbs and marmalade stains. Mostly it is said with an element of pride and genuine
Back in the 18th century, there lived an upright young man called Ored Nilsson. According to the existing records, Ored was “of goodly strength” and worked as a farm hand. His father was a former saltpetre boiler, an attractive position with the government whereby the boiler would wander round the nearby farms, collect the soil
We’ve spent Christmas out in the country – our first ever Christmas with just us and the surrounding forest. With the exception of the faint lights from the house on the opposite side of the lake, we have been utterly alone – well, as alone as one can be in a family of six plus
… he would have given us wings. That’s what some people might say, presupposing that God was sufficiently unimaginative not to consider the potential that we might invent something to make us airborne. Given that God, as per the true believers among us, created man in his own image, we must give him credit for
I am very proud to be hosting Judith Arnopp on my blog today. A prolific writer, Judith has a fondness for depicting strong women throughout the ages. For more information about Judith and her books, please visit her website. Anyway, today’s post is about that most fascinating of English kings, Henry VIII. Somehow, after reading