Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, had married three times for political reasons. However, according to legend, there was one woman he truly loved: Bianca Lancia. Origin Not much is known of Bianca’s origins. She came from the Lancia family, which was from the Aleramici dynasty and one of Northern Italy’s most powerful families. Her exact [read more]
Read part one here. Since meeting King Henry IV of France in the early 1590s, Gabrielle d’Estrées had risen through the ranks at court, becoming the King’s official mistress, being named a Duchess, and even earning a place on the King’s council. She was Henry’s romantic partner but also played a very important role in [read more]
By the mid-16th century, the role of the French Royal mistress was well-established at court. Though many disapproved, it came to be expected that the King would take a mistress, and she would hold power, not just over him but over certain factions, and she would elevate her own family to prestigious positions. After the [read more]
Aleid van Poelgeest was born circa 1370 as the daughter of Jan van Poelgeest and Aleid van Beest Gerbrandsdr. Her life isn’t easy to piece together. She was presumably born in Koudekerk, and her father was an important man at the court of John II, Count of Blois, who later also claimed the Duchy of [read more]
King Charles II ruled over England, Scotland and Ireland from the restoration of the monarchy in 1660 until his death in 1685. Before Charles’ reign, there had been the English Civil War, followed by a period called The Interregnum, an 11-year period of rule by a largely Puritan government without a monarch. Due to this [read more]
Marguerite was born on 9 December 1890 in Paris into a working-class family; her father Fermin was a driver, and her mother Marie was a housekeeper. Marguerite had a normal upbringing until her younger brother was killed one day while in her care. After being blamed by her parents for this, Marguerite was sent away [read more]
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