Joan was born on 16 November 1528 at Saint-Germain-en-Laye as the daughter of King Henry II of Navarre and Marguerite of Angoulême, who was the sister of Francis I of France. He took over her education as soon as she was two and she was raised in the Chateau de Plessis-Lez-Tour in the Loire Valley. [read more]
Mary herself believed she was destined for unhappiness. She was quoted as saying she was ‘the most unhappy lady in Christendom’. Plans to marry her had begun as early as 1518. Firstly to the French dauphin, Francis III of Brittany and later to her first cousin Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, who was sixteen years [read more]
Catherine of Aragon was born on 16 December 1485 as the daughter of Isabel of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon. She was their youngest and last child. She was considered as a bride for Arthur, Prince of Wales from an early age and the two were wed on 14 November 1501. They were at [read more]
Mary had to associate herself with masculine actions and virtues during her reign, but she was also known for her female virtues as well. These were often represented allegorically, and she is linked to the female personification of Truth, which shows in the motto she adopted. She took on the motto ‘Veritas Temporis Filia’ or [read more]
Mary was a well-educated child, and she could read and write Latin by the time she was nine. It is no surprise then her first surviving letter was originally in Latin. The letter itself is directed at Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, also her godfather. Mary was at Ampthill Castle with her parents during an outbreak of [read more]
I have done over 10 bookreviews in 2015 and it has been a hard choice indeed. I have enjoyed most of the books published in 2015 and I was glad to see a few more unknown women in their own biographies. I shall bore you no longer, here is my top 5 of 2015! Joan [read more]
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