Isabel, Queen of Castile Early Years Born April 22, 1451, in the town of Madrigal de las Altas Torres, Isabel was the daughter of John II, King of Castile, and his second wife, Isabella of Portugal. As a child, she grew up…

Isabella, Queen of Castile, was born on this day in 1451

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Eleanor of Woodstock, Duchess of Guelders Eleanor of Woodstock, Duchess of Guelders Eleanor was born on June 18, 1318 in the royal manor of Woodstock, the daughter of King Edward II of England and Queen Isabella of France. She was named af…

Eleanor of Woodstock, Duchess of Guelders, died on this day in 1355

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Marie of Anjou, Queen of France “He is my lord, he has authority over all my actions and I over none” – Marie of Anjou There are some examples of women who fulfilled their roles in history impeccably. Marie of Anjou is one of tho…

Marie of Anjou married King Charles VII of France on this day in 1422

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Molière, French Playwright In 17th and 18th Century France, there were an extraordinary number of men and women artists that emerged, making a name for themselves. They were poets, fabulists, painters, playwrights, actors, c…

Molière, French playwright, died on this day in 1699

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Henry VII, King of England Henry Tudor was the least likely candidate to become King of England. A descendant of King Edward III, he was born to a teenage Lancastrian mother during the precarious time in English history that…

King Henry VII of England died on this day in 1509

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Was This Anne Boleyn's Seat? Rare 500-Year-Old Chair Linked to the Tudor Queen An ornate wooden chair that surfaced recently at auction may have been made for Anne Boleyn during her time in France, experts say.

Was This Anne Boleyn’s Seat? Rare 500-Year-Old Chair Linked to the Tudor Queen

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Lady Mary Grey Mary Grey was the youngest of the three Grey sisters, the other two being Jane and Katherine. Jane would reign as Queen of England for about ten days and Katherine would make an ill-fated love matc…

Lady Mary Grey died on this day in 1578

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Henry VIII’s Reign and England’s Transformation | TheCollector This article explores the life and reign of Henry VIII, his six marriages, and the profound impact of his rule on British history.

Henry VIII’s Reign and England’s Transformation

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Tower House Castles of Medieval Europe Castles in Europe have gone through several stages of evolution. The tower house is one type of castle built during the fourteenth, fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The occupants of these buildin…

Tower House Castles of Medieval Europe

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The Jewels of Queen Jane Seymour and What She Did With Them by Jo Romero

The Jewels of Queen Jane Seymour and What She Did With Them

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Letter from Empress Matilda to Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, 1165 In the early years of the government of King Henry II, he had relied on his mother, the Empress Matilda, for advice on many different matters. As she grew older, Matilda’s health declined, she beca…

Letter from Empress Matilda to Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, 1165

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Anne Seymour, Duchess of Somerset Anne Seymour is an interesting character from the Tudor era, wife of Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset and Lord Protector of England under King Edward VI. She witnessed and participated in many impo…

Anne Stanhope Seymour, Duchess of Somerset, died on this day in 1587

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History of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame of Paris In light of what happened on April 15, 2019, I thought I would write a history of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame of Paris.  The fire that engulfed this magnificent building at first appeared to be dev…

On this day in 2019, the Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris nearly burned to the ground

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Margaret of Brabant, Countess of Flanders A 16th century depiction of Margaret of Brabant, Countess of Flanders (1323-1380) by French painter Arnould de Vuez Margaret of Brabant, Countess of Flanders first came to my attention many years a…

Margaret of Brabant, Countess of Flanders, died some time in April, 1380

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Erik XIV of Sweden presents himself as a suitor to Elizabeth of England, 1561, in this portrait by Steven van der Meulen. She turned him down. Sad!

Isabella Stewart Gardner: the Lady, the Legend, the Legacy ~ a guest post by Alexandra G. Kiely Alexandra is a twenty-something art historian and researcher with omnivorous interests in arts, culture, and history. She is also a figure skater and a dancer. Read more about her various intellect…

Isabella Stewart Gardner, art collector, was born on this day in 1840

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Jean de La Fontaine, French Writer and Poet In 17th and 18th Century France, there were an extraordinary number of men and women artists that emerged, making a name for themselves. They were poets, fabulists, painters, playwrights, actors, c…

Jean de La Fontaine, French writer and poet, died on this day in 1685

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A Glimpse into the Circumstances of the Life of Queen Juana of Castile Reading about Queen Juana I of Castile (and Aragon) is just heartbreaking.  Imagine growing up and being given a fine humanist education and speaking extemporaneously in Latin.  Imagine havi…

Queen Juana of Castile died on this day in 1555 after 45 years in captivity

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#OTD
11th April 1492
Marguerite of Navarre (also known as Marguerite of France) was born in Angoulême, France, to Charles, Count of Angoulême and Louise of Savoy.

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#MargueriteofNavarre #MargueriteofFrance #Angoulême #France #Navarre #Bourbon #History

King James V, King of Scots King James IV seemed to have recklessly led the flower of Scottish nobility into a deadly battle against the English at Flodden Field on September 9, 1513. He was to die in battle leaving his only …

James V, King of Scots, was born on this day in 1512

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Gabrielle d’Estreés, Mistress of the French King Gabrielle d’Estreés came from a family of women who were courtesans. She had the great fortune to become the maîtresse-en-titre or official chief mistress of King Henri IV of France. The circumstan…

Gabrielle d’Estreés, Mistress of the French King Henri IV, died on this day in 1599 from complications of childbirth

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The Formidable Women Who Shaped Medieval Europe The formation of the Burgundian Empire by the four Valois Dukes of Burgundy would not have happened without the formidable royal and aristocratic women in their

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The Women Who Ruled Medieval Burgundy, and Europe by Gone Medieval The Women Who Ruled Medieval Burgundy, and Europe from Gone Medieval on Podchaser, aired Tuesday, 31st March 2026. What if the most powerful warlords in medieval Europe were women?From wine country…

New History Hit Gone Medieval Podcast: The Women Who Ruled Burgundy, and Europe

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Zeno- The Eastern Roman Emperor When the Western Roman Empire Fell ~ A guest post by Powee Celdran Concept art of Emperor Zeno (r. 474-475/ 476-491) by Powee Celdran There are very few figures in history like the Eastern Roman emperor Zeno (r. 474-491), an emperor who was seen as an outsider by …

Zeno, Eastern Roman Emperor, died on this day in 491

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Why Empress Matilda Was Called Lady of the English and Not Queen Recently a friend asked the question why Empress Matilda was called “Lady of the English” and not Queen. After all, her cousin Stephen was called King! Like many questions of this type,…

Empress Matilda became Lady of the English on this day in 1141

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The Death of Arthur: Catherine of Aragon and the Crisis of the Tudor Regime ~ A guest post by Michael Long We are pleased to welcome back Michael Long. He is a freelance author and historian and has written many articles on medieval and Tudor history mostly in the UK. He has spent more than thirty years…

The Death of Arthur: Catherine of Aragon and the Crisis of the Tudor Regime

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Sir Francis Walsingham Queen Elizabeth I had a triumvirate of intelligent, capable and industrious men who served on her council for many years. There was William Cecil, Lord Burghley who served as Secretary of State and…

Sir Francis Walsingham, one of Queen Elizabeth I's most trusted councilors, died on this day in 1590

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Easter: The Synod of Whitby ~ A guest post by Pat Deegan This is the name retrospectively given to the gathering of Christian clerics at the double monastery of Streaneshalch (Bay of the Beacon), located above the town now known as Whitby in 664 AD/CE. T…

Easter: The Synod of Whitby

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Hilda of Whitby ~ A Ray of Light in the “Dark Ages” The Freelance History Writer has written a guest article for the Ancient History Encyclopedia about the 7th Century Anglo-Saxon Abbess, Hilda of Whitby. I find Hilda to be an inspiration and a form…

Hilda of Whitby hosted the Synod of Whitby in 664 to determine when Easter would be celebrated

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An English Adventure in Portugal During the Reign of Queen Elizabeth I King Sebastian of Portugal, grandson of King John III, was killed in Morocco at the battle of Ksar el-Kebir in 1578.  He had never married and had no heir setting up a succession crisis.  The next …

On this day in 1589, Sir Francis Drake and friends sailed for Portugal to put Antonio, Prior of Crato, on the throne

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