After a break in blog posts so that I could focus on finishing up my first book, Royal Witches: From Joan of Navarre to Elizabeth Woodville, I thought it was finally time to get writing something else once again! And I thought the best way to do this would be to catch up on all... Continue Reading →
As today is Halloween, I thought it only fitting to write about the woman who is in the Guinness World Records as the most prolific female murderer. She comes under the category of legendary people, not only because her alleged deeds are certainly legendary, and have inspired other stories (including possibly Dracula), but because it... Continue Reading →
One of the most tragic stories of the English monarchy – and one that has captivated people for centuries – is that of the two Princes in the Tower. The two Princes in question were Edward V of England and his younger brother Richard, Duke of York. When they were 12 and 9 years old,... Continue Reading →
One of the most prevailing and popular creatures of folklore and legend is the dragon. From Mesoamerica, Medieval Europe, Asian folklore, to more modern depictions in books such as Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, and A Song of Ice and Fire, dragons crop up time and again. Unlike other legends, the essence of... Continue Reading →
The pages of medieval manuscripts might be something that sounds very boring, but for those in the know, they read more like fantastical comic books. Pages upon pages of doodles in the margins showing imaginary creatures, hybrid animals, people doing all manner of activities, and many, many animals. A few months ago, I wrote about... Continue Reading →
So the New Year is here, and I’m sure many of you will have made resolutions or goals for how you’re going to make this year better than the last. As humans in a modern world, we are ruled by time. Minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, and years dictate our lives – what we are... Continue Reading →
If you’ve ever flicked through an illustrated medieval manuscript, or seen pictures of some marginalia on the internet, chances are you’ve seen pictures of snails. Sometimes the snails are fighting each other, sometimes they are fighting knights, sometimes things are riding the snails, but in one form or another, snails keep cropping up in these... Continue Reading →
Jadwiga of Poland was a very remarkable woman, and one who is sadly neglected by those in Western Europe. Living in the fourteenth century, she was the first female monarch of Poland – beating England by nearly 200 years – and despite leading a short life, she left a legacy that continues to today. Jadwiga... Continue Reading →
It’s time for a new blog series! This is one that I’ve been wanting to do since starting the blog, and have finally got around to starting. It is well known that many kings across Europe had mistresses – when you’re king, you can largely do what you want. Many of these women (and sometimes... Continue Reading →
