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!

Boudicca – The Celtic Queen who defied Rome

Saturday, 3 March 2018, 20:00 Lauralee Swann 0

Queen Boudicca has captured the imaginations of countless people for hundreds of years. She has become the United Kingdom’s cultural symbol of freedom.[1] She was a famous warrior queen who led her people against a Roman revolt in 60 or 61 CE. She was a woman that had considerable influence and motivated numerous Celts in a [read more]

Semiramis – The illustrious Queen of Babylon

Thursday, 1 March 2018, 7:00 Lauralee Swann 1

Semiramis’s Assyrian name was Sammuramat. Sammuramat is one of the ancient world’s most famous rulers. However, her true story remains elusive. Sammuramat was regent of Assyria for five years, but the Greeks have found her story to be very fascinating. Her name became Hellenized as Semiramis. However, as time passed, her story left the world [read more]

Queen Dowager Xuan – China’s first Empress Dowager

Sunday, 4 February 2018, 0:00 Lauralee Swann 0

Queen Dowager Xuan was one of the most powerful women in ancient China. She is known in history as the first Empress Dowager in Chinese history. She lived during the Warring States period when China was divided. It was not yet united until the reign of the first Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang. She was [read more]

Queen Tiye – A Murder Plot within the Egyptian Harem

Thursday, 1 February 2018, 7:00 Lauralee Swann 0

(Not to be confused with Queen Tiye – The Elder Lady) Ramesses III’s reign consisted of a group of problems. There were threats of foreign invasions and bad harvests. This led to food shortages and civil unrest.[1] However, he also had a large harem and produced ten sons. This was to be his greatest headache and [read more]

Empress Dowager Cixi – Her Later Years (Part two)

Saturday, 27 January 2018, 7:00 Lauralee Swann 0

Read part one here. Empress Dowager Cixi is known as one of the most powerful women in Chinese history. She is known as the woman who caused the downfall of China. In my previous article, I stressed the early years of Empress Dowager Cixi’s life. This time, I will focus on her later years. It [read more]

Empress Dowager Cixi – Her Early Years (Part one)

Tuesday, 26 December 2017, 7:00 Lauralee Swann 0

Empress Dowager Cixi is one of China’s most controversial figures. She was the de facto ruler for at least forty-seven years. She is known to have ruled through a network of family relations, court cliques, and loyal courtiers. Her long reign was threatened by court corruption and foreign intervention. She is most famous for the [read more]