The Battle of Tewkesbury occurred on 4 May 1471 and cemented the reign of King Edward IV by destroying the hopes of the House of Lancaster. Although their king, Henry VI, was still alive, his only son and heir, Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales, who was only a 17 year old boy, was defeated… Read more The Death of Edward of Westminster
Happy May Day Birthday to my darling middle daughter, Buttercup! I had heard all my life that “May babies were good babies” (they weren’t fussy and were healthy) and that babies born on Beltane were a particular blessing for their parents … and particularly blessed individuals. This belief may have come to America with the… Read more Beltane Babies Are Best!
On 26 April 1923, the Duke of York, Albert Frederick Arthur George (the second son of King George V and his queen Mary of Teck, known as Bertie to his family) wed Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon at Westminster Abbey, thereby gaining an admirable wife and even more admirable father-in-law. Lady Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon was born… Read more Happy Anniversary to King George VI and the Queen Mum!!
I dislike Oliver Cromwell, who born on 25 April 1599, in much the same way oceans are “damp”. That is to say, I dislike him a LOT. In fact, I loathe and detest him with the fire of 1000 suns. Why? Because he committed an ethnic cleansing, that’s why. Moreover, the people he attempted to… Read more A Monster is Born
I love thoughtful reviews like this one: it critiqued, analyzed, and dissected my book … yet still enjoyed my book and thought it was well written! Carole in Canada on April 20, 2017: In order to fully appreciate this book, I re-read Mansfield Park for the second time after many years. I liked the book… Read more An Amazing Review; Thank You!
Henri II of Navarre was born on 18 April 1503 to Queen Catherine and King John III. Ferdinand II of Aragon invaded Navarre in 1512 and claimed kingship for himself. In spite of Navarre’s struggles for independence and a failed reconquest attempt of Navarre in 1516, Ferdinand’s grandson Charles V continued to proclaim himself king… Read more Happy Birthday to Henri II of Navarre
The Tea Act passed Parliament on 17 April 1773, giving the struggling and overstocked British East India Company the right to ship tea tax-free into Britain’s North American colonies. Although the Colonists would still have to pay Townshend duties on their end, the lack of tax on the exports meant that the tea would be… Read more The Tea Act of 1773
Today is Easter, and, as most people reading this know, it the Christian holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus on the third day after his crucifixion. It is the holist day of the Christian liturgical calendar and a day when most Christians, even those who normally eschew church-going, attend a morning service. A lot of… Read more Some Bunny Loves You
The climax of Jane Austen’s third novel, Mansfield Park, revolves around Easter. First, the heroine, Fanny Price, suffers because of the holiday. She cannot return “home” to Mansfield Park and her loved ones among the Bertrams until her Uncle Bertram says so, and she was told that he wouldn’t send for her until after Easter… Read more Easter in Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park
Prince William Augustus was born on 15 April 1721, the third son and sixth child of King George II and Caroline of Ansbach. When he was four his parents made him the Duke of Cumberland, Marquess of Berkhampstead, Earl of Kennington, Viscount Trematon, and Baron Alderney. He was his parents’ best loved son, so much… Read more Billy the Butcher’s Birthday