On 18 July 1290 King Edward I issued an Edict of Expulsion decreeing the forcible removal of all Jews from England. The expulsion edict was the law of the land for the next 360-odd years, until 1657, when Oliver Cromwell (of all people!) permitted Jews to return to England. Cromwell only let Jewish people return… Read more Edict of Expulsion 1290
King Edward I of England, known as Edward Longshanks, died on 7 July 1307. As I have explained before, Edward’s historical legacy is complicated; he was a good man who did horrible things. Longshanks was on his way to Scotland to battle Robert the Bruce, who had recently rebelled against English rule and had declared… Read more The Death of Edward Longshanks
Countries with a lot of inequality are unstable countries. Without economic stability and security for the populace, countries are prone to unrest and political extremism. Nothing good EVER comes from political extremism. Whether it is fascism in Hitler’s Germany or the communism in Stalin’s Russia, it sucks. Not only does it suck … it ALWAYS… Read more Which Way Forward?
I’ve always been intrigued by the Tunguska event. For those of you not in the know (i.e. anyone who isn’t a big ol’ geek like me), the Tunguska event was huge explosion on 30 June 1908 (Western calendar) in the skies just above the Stony Tunguska River, in Yeniseysk Governorate (now Krasnoyarsk Krai) Russia. We’re… Read more KaBoom
The fiercely maternal and profoundly strong-willed Margaret Beaufort died peacefully in her bed on 29 June 1509. Founder of the Tudor Dynasty, she was buried in Westminster Abbey with every honor and an Italian sculptor was commissioned to create the effigy on her tomb. The famous humanist scholar Erasmus honored her by composing her epitaph,… Read more The Passing of Margaret Beaufort
Princess Isabella, the direct ancestress of Mary, Queen of Scots and King Henry IV of France, as well as the Bourbon line of French monarchs, was born 16 June 1332 in Woodstock Palace. She was the second child and firstborn daughter of young King Edward III and his bride, Philippa of Hainault. The new baby… Read more The Birth of Isabella of England
In my book The Jezebel Effect I discuss how female politicians are slut shamed in a way male leaders are not: Any woman can be slut shamed, but what happens when a woman gets real power and/or prestige in her community? Does the slut shaming increase? Yes and no. If they are maintaining the sociocultural… Read more Brace Yourself For the Slut Shaming Onslaught
I love the meme that goes around social media roughly wondering, “If May the Fourth is Star Wars Day, and the next day is Cinco de Mayo, then is the day after that the Revenge of the Sixth?” Ah, the pun is very punny. Notwithstanding the joke, some pretty bad stuff has gone down on… Read more The Dark Side and the Sound of Silence
Eighteen authors (including ME!) will be in London on 24 September to talk about history, discuss our books, answer question, mingle with our readers, and sign things if you want them signed. All proceeds are going to help the good people examining the Mary Rose winkle yet more facts out of her remains …… Read more Meet The Authors!
This date is a big one, vis-à-vis English monarchial history. Henry VII died on 21 April 1509 and Queen Elizabeth II was born on the same day in 1926. When Henry died, an ungrateful nation rejoiced because he had rebuilt their stability and standing in Europe via badly needed tax revenue. His son Henry… Read more The King is Dead, Long Live the Queen