Kyra Cornelius Kramer

Understanding the life of Katherine Willoughby, Duchess of Suffolk

October 7, 2019kyra

Kyra Cornelius Kramer (Please enjoy this guest post by Tony Riches, author of many excellent Tudor historical novels, including his latest – Katherine: Tudor Duchess.) I began exploring the life of Katherine Willoughby when writing about her first husband, Charles Brandon. With typical panache, Brandon borrowed the money to buy the wardship of nine-year-old Katherine,… Read more Understanding the life of Katherine Willoughby, Duchess of Suffolk

Latromathematics

October 1, 2019kyra 1 Comment

I have noticed that nearly everyone, regardless of how staunchly they disavow astrology, is curious about the traits of their sign if someone is talking about it at a party. I am no different. When I was researching Tudor medical practices, I confess that I was enthralled while reading about latromathematics, or “medical astrology — an… Read more Latromathematics

Foxy Lady — Mrs Armistead Becomes Mrs Charles James Fox

September 28, 2019kyra

On 28 September 1795, Charles James Fox and Elizabeth Bridget Cane (AKA Mrs. Armistead), were quietly in Wyton by Rev John Pery. The only attendees at the ceremony were the bride’s literal maid, Mary Dassonville, and Rev Pery’s clerk, Jeremiah Bradshaw, who signed the marriage certificate as witnesses. Why such a hush-hush wedding? Because the… Read more Foxy Lady — Mrs Armistead Becomes Mrs Charles James Fox

Admiral Lord Collingwood

September 26, 2019kyra 1 Comment

Cuthbert Collingwood was born on 26 September 1748 in Newcastle upon Tyne, the eldest son of a respectable but poor tradesman. His personal merits would help take him from these modest beginning to the position of Vice-Admiral of the Red and eventually to raise him to the peerage as 1st Baron Collingwood. Hoping for a… Read more Admiral Lord Collingwood

There Was an Earthshattering KaBoom

September 25, 2019kyra 2 Comments

On September 14th my family and I went to a cabin near Haverfordwest with another family whom we are good friends with. There was a rope swing at the site. The swing had been there for years. Many adults had been swinging on it with the kids, including men who are bigger than I am.… Read more There Was an Earthshattering KaBoom

Same Immigration Hysteria, Different Century

September 23, 2019kyra

America has been through rough patches before. Bad ones. Decades of race riots and anti-immigration hysteria and belief that the best kind of government was one that did almost nothing and certainly didn’t tax rich people. Frankly, it’s a little eerie how much America today echoes the America of a century ago. Eerie, and more… Read more Same Immigration Hysteria, Different Century

The Oxfords and the Tudors

September 8, 2019kyra

Without John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford, there may have never been a Tudor reign. John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford, was born on 8 September 1442 to John de Vere, 12th Earl of Oxford and Lady Oxford, Elizabeth Howard. The Oxfords were devout Lancastrian loyalists, determined to fight to the death for… Read more The Oxfords and the Tudors

Queen Elizabeth II and Her Descent From Jezebels

September 2, 2019kyra 3 Comments

I adore Queen Elizabeth II. Many people have lauded QE2 for her scandal-free life. Her kids have scandals and her relatives have scandals and her husband gets in trouble for gaffes (i.e. he says racist, stupid things sometimes), but the Queen does none of that. Queen Victoria has had more ‘sex scandals’ than Queen Elizabeth.… Read more Queen Elizabeth II and Her Descent From Jezebels

The Lady Marquesse of Pembroke

September 1, 2019kyra

On 1 September 1532, one year and six days before the birth of the their daughter, the future Queen Elizabeth I of England, King Henry VIII invested his intended bride, Anne Boleyn, with Marquessate of Pembroke and its income of more than ₤1,000 per annum. Anne was now the highest ranking peeress in Great Britain.… Read more The Lady Marquesse of Pembroke

Happy Birthday Dracula and Frankenstein!

August 30, 2019kyra

This is a significant date for fans of horror, the Gothic, and the macabre. Both Vlad Dracula (AKA Vlad the Dragon and Vlad the Impaler), the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s Count Dracula, and Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, the creator of Frankenstein and his monster, were born on 30 August. Vlad Dracula was born 30 August 1400 and… Read more Happy Birthday Dracula and Frankenstein!