Eleanor of Aquitaine (1124-1204), queen of France and England and mother of two kings, has often been described as one of the most remarkable women of the Middle Ages. Yet her real achievements have been embellished–and even obscured–by myths that have grown up over eight centuries. This process began in her own lifetime, as chroniclers [read more]
Red Roses: Blanche of Gaunt to Margaret Beaufort Hardcover – June 1, 2016 (US) & March 7, 2016 (UK) The Wars of the Roses were not just fought by men on the battlefield. Behind the scenes, there were daughters, wives, mistresses, mothers and queens whose lives and influences helped shape the most dramatic of English [read more]
The term Junior Queen sounds foreign to us now, but in medieval times sons were sometimes crowned King in their father’s lifetime in order to prevent succession disputes. Margaret of France was a Junior Queen of England as the wife of Henry the Young King, son of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine. Margaret was [read more]
The longest-reigning monarch in the world was Sobhuza II of Swaziland, who ruled for 82 years and 254 days. It sounds nearly impossible, but Sobhuza was only six months old at the time of his accession. The longest-reigning female monarch was the formidable Eleanor of Aquitaine who ruled over the Duchy of Aquitaine in her [read more]
Richard III’s discovery and burial have prompted the search for another King. King Henry I was the son of William the Conqueror and Matilda of Flanders. He had two legitimate children, William Adelin, who drowned in the White Ship disaster and Matilda, whose son Henry would eventually follow Henry’s nephew Stephen on the throne. Henry [read more]
Elisabeth was born around 1143 as the eldest daughter of Ralph I, Count of Vermandois and his second wife of Petronilla of Aquitaine. Petronilla was the sister of the famous Eleanor of Aquitaine who was both Queen of France and of England. Her parents’ marriage was controversial. Ralph repudiated his first wife, Eleanor of Blois, [read more]
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