Articles by Lauralee Swann

About Lauralee Swann

I am a former elementary teacher in Tennessee. I have a bachelor’s degree in Liberal and Civic Studies from St. Mary’s College of California, a master’s in Elementary Education from the University of Phoenix, and a doctorate in Educational Leadership from the College of Saint Mary. Because my family are from East Asia, I have a passion for historical Chinese and Korean television shows. I always wanted to separate fact from fiction in dramas. Writing articles from History of Royal Women gives me a chance to dig deeper and explore these royal women as they might have been in real life. Also, it gives me a chance to look at the history and culture of where my family originated. I love researching East Asian royalty because they rarely get enough attention in the West often being overshadowed by European royalty. I find these royal women to be just as fascinating and their stories deserve to be told. Thus, I am excited to write for History of Royal Women!

Parysatis I Shahbanu – The Babylonian Queen who had a large spy network

Monday, 9 June 2025, 6:00 Lauralee Swann 0

Parysatis I Shahbanu was one of the most powerful queens of the Achaemenid Empire.[1] She was the daughter of King Artaxerxes I. She was also the queen consort to her half-brother, King Darius II Ochus. She was the mother of King Artaxerxes II. Parysatis I Shahbanu received vast land holdings.[2] She also had a large spy [read more]

Lady Xoc – The powerful Mayan Queen who performed various auto-sacrificial rituals

Saturday, 7 June 2025, 6:00 Lauralee Swann 0

Lady Xoc is one of the most prominent and powerful Mayan queens in history.[1] She was the queen consort to her nephew, King Itzamnaaj B’ahlam III of Yaxchilan (also known as Shield Jaguar III).[2] During her husband’s reign, Lady Xoc performed bloodletting rituals.[3] These rituals helped increase King Itzamnaaj B’ahlam III’s leadership of Yaxchilan.[4] The birth date of [read more]

Lady Pakal of Yaxchilan – The Mayan Queen who lived to be ninety-eight

Saturday, 31 May 2025, 6:00 Lauralee Swann 0

Little is known about Lady Pakal of Yaxchilan. She was the queen consort to King Yaxun B’alam III of Yaxchilan. Her son, Itzamnaaj B’ajlam III, would succeed his father as the next king of Yaxchilan. She also had a younger sister who would be her daughter-in-law named Lady Xoc. Yet, she is most renowned for [read more]

Lady Ix Tz’ Akbu Ajaw – The Mayan Red Queen

Wednesday, 28 May 2025, 6:00 Lauralee Swann 0

Lady Ix Tz’ Akbu Ajaw (also known as The Mayan Red Queen) was queen consort to the Mayan King K’inich Janaab Pakal of Palenque. She was married to him for forty-six years. Two of her sons would also rule Palenque as kings. Yet, her greatest legacy is her tomb, which is an archaeological treasure.[1] Her [read more]

Imperial Consort Tangshan – Emperor Gaozu of the Western Han Dynasty’s mysterious Imperial Consort who composed a famous song

Saturday, 24 May 2025, 6:00 Lauralee Swann 0

Imperial Consort Tangshan was an Imperial Consort of Emperor Gaozu of the Western Han Dynasty. She was one of the few women writers who had come from the Han imperial family.[1] She had composed a song called “Sacrificial Ode: Inside the Chamber.”[2] The song would be used throughout the Han Dynasty as an ancestral worship song [read more]

Queen Trung Trac and Queen Trung Nhi – The rebel sisters who became Joint Queens of Vietnam and became national heroines

Monday, 19 May 2025, 6:00 Lauralee Swann 0

Queen Trung Trac and Queen Trung Nhi are national heroines of Vietnam.[1] They led a massive rebellion against Han Chinese rule and were made queens. Even though they were ultimately defeated, they became symbols of Vietnam’s resistance against foreign invasion.[2] Queen Trung Trac and Queen Trung Nhi have been honoured in a temple and at an [read more]