In one of my books about Adam de Guirande (Ah! Almost my favourite hero, this knight so torn between his allegiances to the lord who saved him and raised him, Roger Mortimer, and the young boy-king, Edward III . . . Your favourite? Matthew Graham growls. Aye, what about the rest of us? asks Robert […]
Dangerous ambitions – of a failed coup and its consequences Read More »
If I hear the word mantua, I think of a garment that originally was some sort of female version of a male banyan – i.e. relax robe – successively became more and more complex, developing into the imposing 18th century robe à la française before further developing into dresses like the one below, worn by
A posy of Eleonoras – or how a portrait led to a LOT of reading! Read More »
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
Anna and Maria – Holy Roman Empresses that took their procreating duty seriously! 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 »