Austria

Charlotte of Belgium & Bouchout Castle

Bouchout Castle is perhaps best known as the last residence of Charlotte of Belgium, or Empress Carlota of Mexico. It was erected around 1300 by a knight named Daniel van Bouchout. It passed through several families in the 15th and 16th century. It was partly destroyed during the French Revolutionary period. It was restored in [read more]

maria sicily
Antonia of Baux

Queens Regnant – Maria of Sicily

Maria of Sicily was born on 2 July 1363 as the daughter of Frederick the Simple and Constance of Aragon. Her mother died shortly after her birth, possibly as a result of the childbirth. When Maria was nine, her father remarried to Antonia of Baux, but that marriage remained childless, and Antonia died the following [read more]

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Book Reviews

July Book News

The Other Tudor Princess: Margaret Douglas, Henry VIII’s Niece Paperback – 4 Apr 2016 (UK) & 1 July 2016 (US) The Other Tudor Princess brings to life the story of Margaret Douglas, a shadowy and mysterious character in Tudor history – but who now takes centre stage in this tale of the bitter struggle for [read more]

Book Reviews

Insurrection: Henry VIII, Thomas Cromwell and the Pilgrimage of Grace by Susan Loughlin Book Review

Autumn 1536. Both Katherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn are dead. Henry VIII has married Jane Seymour, and still awaits his longed-for male heir. Disaffected conservatives in England may have seen an opportunity for a return to Rome and an end to religious experimentation. However, Thomas Cromwell has other ideas. In August, the Lutheran influenced [read more]