Recently, I listened to a pod about a Byzantine princess (oops! Eastern roman princess) called Teophanu who was sent off to wed the future Holy Roman Emperor as a teenager. She would never see her home country again—a fate she had in common with many other women of royal birth, who often found themselves wed […]
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
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 »
Now and then I come across medieval women who wielded significant power. On the Iberian Peninsula there is Urraca and Berenguela, Maria de Molina, Isabel la Católica (better known as one half of the double act Isabel and Fernando)—and today’s protagonist, Leonor Teles de Meneses. In general, medieval chroniclers are a bit leery towards female
Constanza Manuel was born a pawn. That’s what happens when your mother is an Aragonese princess and your father, Juan Manuel, is a scion of the House of Ivrea, the ruling dynasty in Castile. Don Juan Manuel was the nephew of Alfonso X and the much younger cousin of Sancho IV. From his father, Infante
Constanza Manuel – a pawn to her daddy’s ambitions Read More »
Today, dear peeps, we are going back to medieval times and to one of my favourite locations, Castile. Now, Castile in medieval times was a pretty harsh place, a country constantly at war against the Moors in a determined effort to oust the infidel from the Iberian peninsula. The kings of Castile were mostly out
From princess to queen to countess – meet Richeza Read More »
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,