The Royal Women Archives - Page 564 of 567

Sophia Louise of Mecklenburg-Schwerin – The disturbed Queen

Wednesday, 5 August 2015, 7:00 Moniek Bloks 2

Sophia Louise of Mecklenburg-Schwerin was born on 6 May 1685 as the daughter of Frederick, Duke of Mecklenburg-Grabow and Christina Wilhelmine of Hesse-Homburg. Not much is known of her youth. On 28 November 1708, she married Frederick I of Prussia as, his third wife. He was almost 30 years older than her. She had received [read more]

Ada of Holland – Heiress of Holland

Monday, 3 August 2015, 7:00 Moniek Bloks 2

Ada of Holland was one of the three surviving daughters of Dirk VII of Holland and his wife Adelaide of Cleves, daughter of Dietrich II, Count of Cleves and Adelaide of Sulzbach. Her father paved the way for her succession by making Holland inheritable by women. At the time of Dirk’s death in 1203, Ada [read more]

The Mayerling Tragedy: Mary Vetsera’s goodbye letters found

Friday, 31 July 2015, 21:00 Moniek Bloks 3

Most of us know the tragic story of Crown Prince Rudolf and his mistress Mary Vetsera. They probably made some sort of murder-suicide pact, which cost both of them their lives on 30 January 1889. I visited Mayerling Hunting Lodge where the event took place and the Imperial Crypt where Rudolf is buried last year. [read more]

Petronilla of Lorraine and The Abbey of Rijnsburg

Wednesday, 29 July 2015, 7:00 Moniek Bloks 0

Petronilla of Lorraine was born circa 1092 as the daughter of Theodoric II, Duke of Lorraine and Hedwig of Formbach. She was their eldest daughter. She received the customary education for noble women. She was taught embroidery and needlepoint, but she was also taught to read and write. Around 1100 she married the Count of Holland, [read more]

Berengaria of Navarre – The only English Queen never to set foot on English soil

Monday, 27 July 2015, 7:00 Moniek Bloks 0

Berengaria of Navarre was born between 1165 and 1170 as the eldest daughter of Sancho VI of Navarre and Sancha of Castile. She was probably named after her maternal grandmother Berengaria of Barcelona. Berengaria suffers the same fate as many medieval women; we simply have little information about her. Eleanor of Aquitaine wished for the [read more]

The execution of Maria of Brabant

Friday, 24 July 2015, 7:00 Moniek Bloks 2

Maria of Brabant was born circa 1226 as the daughter of Henry II, Duke of Brabant en Maria of Hohenstaufen. She was one of six children, and she had a further two half-siblings from her father’s second marriage to Sophie of Thuringia. Little is known of her youth, but she was possibly betrothed to the [read more]