Richard de la Pole, fifth son of John de la Pole, 2nd Duke of Suffolk and Elizabeth of York, was a Yorkist claimant to the English throne and a definite thorn in the side of Henry VIII. De la Pole, known by his moniker ‘The White Rose’, had a claim to the crown that was arguably more valid than… Read more An Heir’s Breath Away
David Rizzo, or to use his birth name — David Riccio di Pancalieri in Piemonte – was a personal musician for Mary, Queen of Scots. The queen favoured the witty violinist, and often chose him to sit with her and her ladies-in-waiting. Mary was very musically inclined and had been raised in the refinement of the… Read more The Murder of David Rizzo
John of Gaunt was born on 6 March 1340, the sixth child of King Edward III and Philippa of Hainault. He had two older brothers who lived to adulthood, and two younger brothers who did likewise. As the third of five sons, he was was incredibly unlikely to come to the throne or father a… Read more Happy Birthday To a Man Who Sired MANY Monarchs!
Henry Carey, the only son of William Carey and his wife, Mary Boleyn Carey, was born on 4 March 1526. Although he has been rumored to have been the illegitimate son of King Henry VIII, the baby was most likely William Carey’s biological son. Several excellent historians, such as Eric Ives, note that Mary was… Read more Henry Carey, 1st Baron Hunsdon
On 3 March 1284 King Edward I, Longshanks, enacted the Statute of Rhuddlan, also known as the Statute of Wales. The statute is named for Rhuddlan Castle, one of the new fortifications Edward built to quell any potential Welsh resistance. This statute turned the formerly independent kingdoms of Wales into the English Principality of North… Read more The Statute of Rhuddlan
Gruffydd ap Llywelyn Fawr was the firstborn son of the Prince of Gwynedd, Llywelyn Fawr (Llywelyn the Great) and a mistress, Tangwystl Goch ferch Llywarch from Rhos. Under Welsh law, Gruffydd was just as eligible to inherit his father’s lands and title as any ‘legitimate’ son, but Llywelyn Fawr’s need for an alliance with King… Read more The Death of Gruffydd ap Llywelyn Fawr
Prince Adolphus, the 10th child and 7th son of George III and Queen Charlotte, was born in Westminster on February 24, 1774. As you can see from the above portrait, the little guy was a cutie when he was a child. George III and Charlotte were, in spite of the problems they had with their… Read more Happy Birthday, Obscure Georgian Prince!
Edward Seymour, a man born to a mere country “sir”, became the Duke of Somerset on 17 February 1547 by a combination of ruthlessness, mendacity, ambition, and the good luck to have a sister whom King Henry VIII had wanted to boink. Jane Seymour died less than two weeks after the birth of the king’s… Read more The New Duke of Somerset
The medieval and premodern monarchs who held onto their thrones were the ones who were appallingly ruthless. Kindness was not rewarded, and the nice guys almost always lost their crown. Even when their reigns were otherwise good for the country, or renown contextually for tolerance and progressive thinking, dark deeds still needed doing and there… Read more Tudors and the Death of Their Rival Cousins
Thomas More was born on 7 February 1478. He was one of the great European scholars of his age, and he served Henry VIII both loyally and well. More was also the reluctant Chancellor of England until being relieved of the office on March 16, 1532 due to the fact that he could not swear… Read more Saint Thomas More Was Only Human