While we know her as the ‘Nine Day Queen’, Lady Jane Grey would probably have passed into history as an irrelevant, albeit intelligent, Tudor cousin had it not been for the ambitious machinations of John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland. Having schemed his way to the position of Lord Protector during the reign of young Edward… Read More The Nine Days of the Nine Day Queen
The Golden Age of Piracy was an entirely male dominated affair for a number of reasons. On the most practical level women generally lacked the physical strength to endure the brutal back breaking labour men participated in, daily, while at sea. While Gibbs of Pirates of the Caribbean might declare that having a woman aboard… Read More Pirate Women in the Caribbean
To Mrs Arabella Hunt Dear Madam –Not believe that I love you? You cannot pretend to be so incredulous. If you do not believe my tongue, consult my eyes, consult your own. You will find by yours that they have charms; by mine that i have a heart which feel them. Recall to mind what… Read More ‘Cold’ Arabella
I have a lot of time to catch up on films and television series at the moment, so there’s that at least. Recently I watched Katherine of Alexandria (or Decline of an Empire depending on which part of the world you are from). I was really looking forward to watching this as female hagiography (saints’… Read More Katherine of Alexandria/Decline of an Empire
The position of royal mistress, even a recognised maîtresse en titre was fraught with difficulties. The lucky, or perhaps more aptly, unlucky woman would have to work tirelessly to maintain the king’s interest. She would have to dispose of rivals without reducing herself to nagging the king or displeasing him in any way lest she… Read More The Mistresses who would be Queen
The Encyclopedia of Mistresses: An Under-the-Covers Look at the “Other Women” of History’s Most Influential Men. (2001) In an ambitious project, Dawn B. Sova put together The Encyclopedia of Mistresses in 1993, which as you might expect is a collection of encyclopaedic-esque entries for women who have gone down in history as ‘the other woman,’… Read More The Encyclopedia of Mistresses – Dawn B. Sova
‘The Merry Monarch’ was very merry indeed. Known for his love of partying and women Charles II brought fun back to England in a big, big way. Even before his return to England however, Charles was having fun in his own way, mostly with women. He acknowledged over a dozen illegitimate children with several mistresses,… Read More The Courtesans of Charles II
March is National Women’s History Month here in the UK and in America. The theme for 2014 is “Celebrating Women of Character, Courage, and Commitment.” To that end for the month of March we will be dedicated to all things mistress related, looking at the women in history who played a major role behind the… Read More National Women’s History Month
Right, normal blogging resuming in 5,4,3,2… My most recent article The History of: The Young Victoria touches on the role of Prince Albert in modernising the monarchy with the advent of new inventions. This theme continues in The King’s Speech (2010) showing the monarchy having to adapt to the popularity of radio and the rising… Read More The History of: The King’s Speech
Aaaaaand I’m back, just in time for the lead up to Christmas. The tree is up, the Muppet Christmas Carol has been watched and will be watched at least another fifty times before the twenty fifth, and right now I am attempting to avoid Home Alone. T’is the Christmas season indeed! Surprisingly though, the birth… Read More Women in the Bible: Jesus’ Ancestors
History in the (Re)Making 