At first glance, Wei Zifu’s rise from dancer to Empress seems like a Cinderella story. However, Wei Zifu’s later years have the makings of a Shakespearean tragedy. Empress Wei Zifu was the second longest reigning Chinese empress in history, reigning for 38 years. However, despite her accomplishments, she eventually fell out of favour with the [read more]
Anne of Denmark was born on 12 December 1574 as the second child of Frederick II, King of Denmark and Sophia of Mecklenburg. Her father was reportedly so angry at the birth of a second daughter that he stormed into the birthing chamber to remonstrate his wife. She was sent to live in Mecklenburg for [read more]
The day before her death, Anne Boleyn remembers a journey that changed her life. She recalls how, as a young girl, she used her wits to secure a place at the prestigious Court of Margaret of Austria, where she soon realised that a woman had to be strong to survive the treachery of Court politics. [read more]
Adeliza of Louvain was born circa 1103 as the daughter of Godfrey, Count of Louvain and his first wife, Ida of Namur. We don’t know what kind of education she received, but we know that she was skilled in embroidery as she made a standard for her father in silk and gold. She was described [read more]
Razia Sultan was the only female ruler of the Delhi Sultanate. Razia was the daughter of Shams-ud-din Iltutmish. Itutmish chose her out of all his sons to succeed him on the throne because he believed his sons were corrupt. This had never been done before, and it shocked the Muslim nobility. On 29 April 1236, [read more]
“We were never happy”. These are the words of Marie José, Princess of Belgium and last Queen of Italy, talking to a journalist in 1988 about her marriage to King Umberto. But these could have been the words of any woman whose life has been decided by others and by a tragic history that disrupted [read more]
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