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
John Llewellyn Lewis was born in a coal mining company town just east of Lucas, Iowa on 12 February 1880. His parents, Thomas H. Lewis and Ann Watkins Lewis, had both immigrated to the USA from Llangurig, Wales and his father was a respected coal miner in the community. Lewis would follow in the family… Read more John Llewellyn Lewis, a Welsh-American Hero
The newly ascendant King Henry VII of England, having won the crown by ‘right of conquest’ wed Elizabeth of York, eldest daughter of King Edward IV and his queen, Elizabeth Woodville, on 18 January 1486 in Westminster Abbey. He had pledged to marry Elizabeth of York the Christmas before his invasion of England, a union… Read more A Loving Couple, A Genetic Curse
Edmund Crouchback, the future King of Sicily and Earl of Lancaster, one of the most stalwart and respected historical figures of Medieval England, was born in London on 16 January 1245, the youngest surviving son of King Henry III of England and Queen Eleanor of Provence. Before I had done much research on Prince Edmund,… Read more Edmund Crouchback
Stephen of Blois usurped the throne from his cousin, Empress Matilda, and was crowned King Stephen of England on 22 December 1135. After the White Ship disaster in 1120, the only legitimate child of King Henry I of England was his daughter, Empress Matilda. The English Barons did not want to accept a mere woman… Read more The Usurpation of Matilda’s Throne
Llywelyn ap Grufudd, called Llywelyn Ein Llyw Olaf (“Llywelyn, Our Last Leader”) in Welsh, died on 11 December 1282 during the Battle of Orewin Bridge at Builth Wells. Llywelyn, the son of Gruffudd ap Llywelyn Fawr and the grandson of Llywelyn the Great, had been doing all he could to unit Wales and keep it independent. He was not only fighting King Edward Longshanks,… Read more The New Principality of Wales
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?
Most people know that the 5 November is about the Gunpowder Plot, “a failed mass assassination attempt against King James I of England and VI of Scotland and the entire House of Lords by a group of provincial English Catholics led by Robert Catesby.” It’s celebrated now by burning bonfires with effigies of Guy Fawkes… Read more The Last Gunpowder Plot: The Newport Rising