Henry VIII was born 28 June 1491 at the Palace of Placentia the third child of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York. As hard as is it to believe, considering the stir he would make in the historical record, the little prince was an extremely second fiddle to his elder brother, Arthur, Prince of Wales.… Read more The Incredible Life of Henry VIII
The future King Louis XII was born on on 27 June 1462 to Charles, Duke of Orléans and Marie of Cleves. Louis of Orléans was the 2nd cousin of King Louis XI, known as Louis the Cunning, who (along with his daughter, Anne of Beaujue) had been the main instrument of putting the Tudors on… Read more King Louis XII of France
On 24 June 1509 Henry VIII and his bride, Katherina of Aragon, were crowned together as King and Queen of England. Henry was still a handsome teenage lad described as “cheerful and gamesome” with an unusually mild temper and an excellent sense of fair play. Katherina was a strawberry-blonde and beautiful princess who had overcome… Read more The Coronation of Henry VIII and Katherina of Aragon
On 23 June 1794 Empress Catherine II of Russia, known historically as Catherine the Great, formally granted permission for Jews to move into Kyiv, which is now the Ukrainian city of Kiev. This was an unpopular move on Catherine’s part, since the Orthodox Christians of Kiev insisted that their community was “profaned” by Jewish residency.… Read more Catherine the Great Allows Jewish Settlement in Kyiv
By June of 1553 King Edward VI knew he was dying. The young monarch was in constant pain, but had been using the last few weeks remaining to him to actively try to ensure a Protestant Britain after his death. Although John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, is often – even usually – accused of being King… Read more Why Didn’t Cranmer See Edward VI Alone Before the King’s Death?
Tudor medicine, although based on the false assumption of ‘humours’ and with no understanding of germ theory, could nevertheless be surprisingly effective. A lot of modern medications are based on the chemical compounds of natural remedies available to the Tudors — such as clove oil. I got to learn about the efficacy of clove oil… Read more Oil of Cloves for Toothache
Many people know about the Mary Rose, one of Henry VIII’s most famous ships, but fewer are aware of Henry’s other nautical pride and joy – the even bigger and even better Henry Grace à Dieu, AKA the Great Harry. The Great Harry was the first carrack launched from the Woolwich Dockyard (which was created… Read more The Great Harry Launches
Henry VIII married his brother’s widow, Katherina of Aragon, at a small ceremony in Greenwich on 11 June 1509. They were a handsome couple, and initially very much in love. Henry probably lied when he claimed his father had told him to marry her while Henry VII was on his death bed, but the… Read more Henry VIII’s First Wedding
Last weekend my husband and I took the girls on a trip to Cornwall, which is a breathtakingly beautiful county and a unique cultural area. It was a Brythonic kingdom, one of the Celtic nations during the the Atlantic Bronze Age, and retains a strong reginal identity to this day. It is surrounded by sea… Read more The Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall
I love Scotland, from the streets of Edinburgh to it’s Highland Coos. Seriously, it is an awesome place filled to the brim with awesome people. And one of the most awesome people to have ever trodden upon Scotland’s soil is Agnes Randolph, the wife of Patrick, 9th Earl of Dunbar and March, known historically as… Read more Black Agnes and Psychological Warfare For the Win