I had a wonderful Easter weekend, and I hope you all did likewise! My daughters were delighted with their Easter Baskets, and looked super-cute in their flouncy, sparkly, tulle-rich dresses. We had friends over to do a massive egg hunt in our back yard and the weather was absolutely perfect; sunny and warm without being… Read more Hoppy Easter!
Queen Elizabeth I died on March 24, but she was not the only English monarch to die on this day. George V’s queen consort, Mary of Teck, died on March 24, 1953 — exactly 350 years after the death of Queen Elizabeth. Coincidently, Mary’s death occurred in the first year in the reign of her… Read more Mary of Teck
If you are one of the many, MANY people celebrating St. Patrick’s today – either from genuine Irish pride or because you are using your great-grandmother’s potential 1/8 Gaelic heritage as an excuse to get wasted and party this weekend – you will be enjoying the festivities because of all the Irish who strove and… Read more Happy St. Patrick’s Day
I recently wrote about Joan of England, Queen of Scotland, who is little known because she was a quintessentially nice young lady. Her mother, Isabella of Angoulême, was not such a nice young lady and as such she is a much more intriguing historical figure – albeit more famous in France than in England. Why… Read more More Jezebel than Isabel
Joan of England, was born on July 22, 1210, the oldest daughter of King John (John Lackland) and Queen Isabella of Angoulême, and she died at the tender age of seventeen on March 4, 1238. We don’t know that much about her, historically, because she was a mere female and a well-behaved one at that,… Read more Joan, Queen of Scotland
Historical fiction is a touchy subject for reasons that I, as someone with Asperger’s syndrome, have a hard time fathoming. There is fiction, and there is fact, and if the twain don’t meet 100% then it is historical fiction. In fact, historical fiction that is 100% accurate in historical details (how I do love Susan… Read more Fictions and Factions
Death is hard on the deceased’s loved ones, and even in these days of advanced medicine the end of life is often astoundingly abrupt. One day you are hale, the next day you are ill, and the day after that you are being laid to rest. My grandmother passed away Saturday. She was 92 years… Read more Memento Mori
Religious turmoil was ubiquitous in sixteenth century England. In fact, the entire continent of Europe was a roiling cauldron of ecumenical and dogmatic crazy-sauce. The question of who had the “correct” form of Christianity – the Catholics or the Protestants – was so controversial and important that people were burned to death over their answer,… Read more God’s Traitors by Jessie Childs
I am a huge and avid fan of Jane Austen and her works. I am a Janeite, and I wear that badge proudly because as an anthropologist I believe the academic mindset that named those who appreciate Jane Austen the “wrong” (read: non-academic “popular culture”) way is full of “high-culture” baloney. You do not have… Read more The Best Colonel Brandon
I’ve posted about Maria de Salinas before, on more sites than this one, but she DESERVES multiple posts because she was awesome. On this day in history Maria Willoughby, nee de Salinas, defied a king and arrived at Kimbolton manor house to comfort Katherina of Aragon on her deathbed. Maria de Salinas is one of… Read more Once More About Maria de Salinas