Many people have heard of Eleanor of Castile, Edward I's famous Spanish bride, a great-great-granddaughter of Alienor of Aquitaine, but less have heard about Marguerite of France. Find out about the incredible life of Edward's second bride and her what she did for two English Kings... Marguerite was a daughter of Philip III of France and his second queen, Marie of Brabant. After the death of her father when she was three, Marguerite was brought up in the court of her brother,

Here are some exceptional and special books about individuals that inspired me

I was half-way through writing another post when I got a bit distracted and wanted to write this... Since last summer, a book has been sitting on my shelf, waiting to be read, a book that would rekindle an interest in the messy and tragic days of the Wars of the Roses, particularly involving the controversial Duke of Gloucester. This book: Richard III & the Princes in the Tower by Alison Weir. It is mystery that has always intrigued historians had caught me in its net as well

Joan, Lady of Wales is my ultimate favourite person in medieval history, and has captivated me since I first read Here Be Dragons by Sharon Penman almost two years ago now. This is a short biography of her known life, and all that she did. Joan was originally born as Joan Fitzjohn, and was a natural daughter of King John, in the days when he was the Count of Mortain. There is only reference to who her mother is, and that is in the Tewkesbury Annals in the where she is referen

A quick note to begin with: In this post and subsequent ones, I will refer to Eleanor of Aquitaine as Alienor as that was her name at the time, and in Latin means 'Another Aenor', which was her mother's name linking and differentiating her from her mother. It also recognises her for who she was instead of the perception of who she was, although she was called Helienordis when she was a Queen of France according to some sources. Alienor of Aquitaine has long been famed for hav

Henry VIII may be a fascinating figure and not at all likeable at the best of times, but these are the reasons that my feelings for him have gone that bit further... In this blog I have called Catherine of Aragon Catalina, as that is the name that she would've grown up with, but like so many young brides, had to change her name for marriage, and is something that I will be doing when talking about other medieval figures. Henry VIII takes all the limelight away from Henry VII