Articles by CaraBeth

About CaraBeth

I love reading and writing about the royals of medieval Europe- especially the women. My interest was first started by the Plantagenet dynasty, but I decided to dive deeper, and discovered that there were many more fascinating royal dynasties in medieval Europe. Other dynasties I like reading and writing about are; the Capets, and their Angevin branch in Naples and Hungary, the Luxembourgs, the early Hapsburgs, the Arpads, the Piasts, the Premyslids and many more!

Anna Grycewicz as Princess Kunigunde, Duchess of Świdnica in Korona królów

Kunigunde of Poland – The other sister of Casimir the Great

Sunday, 17 March 2019, 0:00 CaraBeth 0

Kunigunde of Poland was the first-born daughter of King Wladyslaw I of Poland and Hedwig of Kalisz. However, her younger sister, Elizabeth is much more well-known than her. It is clear why Elizabeth is the more memorable sister; first of all, she was a queen and lived much longer. Even though there is not much [read more]

Hedwig of Kalisz – The Power behind the Throne

Thursday, 7 March 2019, 7:00 CaraBeth 2

King Casimir III of Poland, known to history as “the great”, may not have become king, if it weren’t for the efforts of his mother, Hedwig of Kalisz. Casimir’s father Wladyslaw the Elbow-high might not have been king if it weren’t for her either. Hedwig was one of medieval Poland’s most influential queens. For years, [read more]

Joan of Acre – The Princess who defied her father

Sunday, 17 February 2019, 0:00 CaraBeth 0

Joan of Acre’s first marriage was of her father’s choice. However, after the death of her first husband, she did something that shocked the English court – marrying against her father’s wishes. This caused quite the outrage from her hot-tempered father. But Joan was eventually able to win her father over to her side. Early [read more]

Eufemia of Kyiv and Beatrice d’Este – Hungarian Queens and Adultery

Sunday, 20 January 2019, 0:00 CaraBeth 0

Eufemia of Kyiv and Beatrice d’Este lived over a century apart, but they had a lot in common. They were both married to a King of Hungary. Both of their husbands were much older than them, and had been married before. Both of their husbands had surviving sons from their first marriages. And most importantly, [read more]

Margaret of Tyrol – “The ugly Duchess”

Saturday, 8 December 2018, 7:00 CaraBeth 1

Margaret of Tyrol was one of the 14th century’s wealthiest heiresses. As the heiress to the Duchy of Carinthia and County of Tyrol in present-day Austria, she was a very desirable bride. She inherited land caught between three powerful rivalling dynasties: the Habsburgs of Austria, the Luxembourgs of Bohemia, and the Wittelsbachs of Bavaria. Margaret [read more]

The rise and fall of Eleanor Cobham

Sunday, 11 November 2018, 0:00 CaraBeth 1

Eleanor Cobham was not born royal. Yet she rose to the highest ranks in society, only to suffer a great downfall. Eleanor Cobham was born around 1400, probably in Kent, England, as the daughter of Reginald Cobham, 3rd Baron Cobham, and his wife, Eleanor Culpeper. She came from a noble family, but the likelihood of [read more]