Mary, Queen of Scots, was born on 8 December 1542, the last child and only daughter of Marie de Guise and King James V of Scotland. Mary’s two elder brothers had died as infants, and now the tiny newborn was heir to the throne of Scotland. John Knox recorded the almost certainly mythical tale that… Read more Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary
Willem Frederik George Lodewijk, the future William II of the Netherlands, was born the eldest son of Willem Frederik, Prince of Orange-Nassau, on 6 December 1792 and would become a popular figure in England during the Regency Era thanks to his purported heroics during the Napoleonic Wars. The Dutch were fellow protestants and allies of… Read more Slender Billy, William II of the Netherlands
Queen Catherine of Valois gave birth to the future King Henry VI on 6 December 1421 at Windsor Castle. The queen would have given birth like any other woman of her era, with midwives attending and with her ladies to assist them. Medieval midwives were, in spite of modern calumny about them, very good at… Read more Henry VI, Long Reigned and Lost All
Margaret of Austria was one of the most famous and most respected female rules of the late Medieval period, and for good reason. She was not only well-connected to the principle ruling families in Europe, she was politically astute and had a knack for arranging international trade agreements that benefited all parties. Such was her… Read more Archduchess Margaret of Austria, Cultural and Political Queen
Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, wife of Frederick, Prince of Wales and mother of George III of the United Kingdom was born on 30 November 1719, the youngest surviving daughter of Frederick II, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg and his wife, Magdalena Augusta. Princess Augusta came to Britain as a teenager who could speak no English on 27… Read more Queen in Waiting, Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg and Wales
The 30 November is St. Andrew’s Day, the patron saint of Scotland, and on this day in 1529 King Henry VIII was metaphorically kilt. (brief pause for applause) According to the Spanish ambassador, Eustace Chapuys, on this day Henry went to have dinner with his wife, who was still recognised formally as the queen. During… Read more Poor Henry VIII
Some historians, many historical novelists, and even Cardinal Thomas Wolsey himself, have blamed his displacement from King Henry VIII’s favor on the machinations of Anne Boleyn. Wolsey called Anne “the midnight crow” and seems to have been entirely convinced that it was her influence and hers alone behind his loss of position. However, his fall… Read more Cardinal Wolsey and the Midnight Crow
Lionel of Antwerp, 1st Duke of Clarence, was born on 29 November 1338, the second surviving son of King Edward III and Philippa of Hainault. Although he died at the age of 30 and had only one child – his daughter Philippa – he is the genetic precursor to the modern English monarchy. He was the great-great-grandfather of Kings Edward… Read more Was Lionel of Antwerp Poisoned?
William Blake was born on 28 November 1757 in London, the third child of a working class hosier. He would remain an obscure artist and poet while he lived, but would be posthumously recognized as one of the leading artistic figures of the Romantic Age. When he was 11 years old Blake’s parents paid £52.10… Read more In Praise of William Blake
Margaret Tudor was born on 28 November 1489, the oldest surviving daughter of Henry VII of England and Elizabeth of York, and she was destined from birth for a dynastic marriage. When she was 13 years old she married King James IV of Scotland on 25 January 1503 by proxy, and was sent north to… Read more Happy Birthday to Margaret Tudor, Queen of Scots