English royal history

Happy Birthday to the Queen’s Ancestor, Regency Era Prime Minister William Cavendish-Bentinck

April 14, 2017kyra

William Henry Cavendish Cavendish-Bentinck was born on 14 April 1738, the eldest son and heir of William Bentinck, 2nd Duke of Portland and Margaret Cavendish-Harley. The newborn had an illustrious future ahead of him. Not only would he be the 3rd Duke of Portland, he would hold every title of British nobility – Duke, Marquess,… Read more Happy Birthday to the Queen’s Ancestor, Regency Era Prime Minister William Cavendish-Bentinck

Catholic Emancipation and the Regency Whigs

April 13, 2017kyra

One of the longer-lasting effects of Henry VIII split from Rome, Elizabeth I’s reign, and the Jacobite Rebellion two centuries after, was that laws codifying discrimination against Catholics became seemingly set in stone. The only people who regarded this as slightly unfair was the Catholics, most Whigs (the de facto left wing by the Regency… Read more Catholic Emancipation and the Regency Whigs

William V, the Last Stadtholder of the Dutch Republic.

April 9, 2017kyra

William V, Prince of Orange, the last Stadtholder of the Dutch Republic, was born in The Hague on 8 March 1748, the only son of William IV and Princess Anne. His mother was the eldest daughter of King George II of Great Britain and Caroline of Ansbach, so when the French Army invaded the Netherlands in 1795 in support of the Batavian Revolution in Amsterdam, the Stadtholder and… Read more William V, the Last Stadtholder of the Dutch Republic.

Warring Matilda

April 7, 2017kyra 3 Comments

Empress Matilda (AKA Maude), widow of Holy Roman Emperor Henry V, wife of Geoffery of Anjou, and heir to King Henry I, became “Lady of the English” on 7 April 1141. However, when she went to be annointed as the new queen in Westminster Abbey, the people of London and her cousin’s wife rallied against… Read more Warring Matilda

Happy New Year, AKA Lady Day, AKA 25 March!

March 25, 2017kyra 1 Comment

March 25 is one of the quarter days that once marked the English year, called Lady Day (Our Lady’s Day) after the Virgin Mary. It was a very important in the Middle Ages, and was considered New Year’s Day for centuries (although New Year’s presents were typically given on the 1st of January, that was… Read more Happy New Year, AKA Lady Day, AKA 25 March!

International Women’s Day and Squirrels

March 8, 2017kyra 1 Comment

I am in a bit of a quandary. Wither do I dither, you may ask? You see, it is International Women’s Day, many women are on strike for A Day Without Women, and there are too many things I want to blog about on this topic. On the one hand, I could blog about Jane… Read more International Women’s Day and Squirrels

The Truth of the Line by Melanie Taylor

February 24, 2017kyra

I really, really enjoyed this book – plus I learned a lot of really interesting things about Tudor art and symbology! In 1572, the good looking and talented Nicholas Hillyarde paints the first of many portraits of Elizabeth I, England’s “Virgin Queen”. His ability to capture the likeness of his patrons make him famous and… Read more The Truth of the Line by Melanie Taylor

Henry Grey Gets What’s Coming to Him

February 23, 2017kyra

Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk, 3rd Marquess of Dorset wasn’t a bad man. He was a rather typical specimen of the ruthlessly self-interested and ambitious Tudor courtiers and not actively evil or anything. To the contrary, he was a zealously devote Protestant, although there is often a fine line between the actions of a… Read more Henry Grey Gets What’s Coming to Him

Edward VI becomes King of England

February 20, 2017kyra

Edward VI was only 9 years old when he was crowned King of England on 20 February 1547. The day before the actual ceremony he was dressed in gem-encrusted white velvet and cape with sable fur and rode through London, allowing his subjects to see him and cheer for him. The royal procession stopped multiple… Read more Edward VI becomes King of England

The Raven’s Widow

February 17, 2017kyra

I must say that adored The Raven’s Widow, both as a historian and as an avid reader. The book is a narrative of the life of Jane Parker Boleyn, widow of George Boleyn and a woman who has been used as a malignant foil for many fictional writers based on unsubstantiated historical rumors and not… Read more The Raven’s Widow