Leading Women
Alexandra Feodorovna
Alexandra Feodorovna the last Russian Tsarina was she ultimately responsible for the downfall and murder of the Romanov family? She was ostracized by the Russian court, its people and many in Europe, what part did this play in forcing her towards Rasputin?
Read MoreLaura Bassi Scientist
Laura Bassi was born in Bologna in 1711, the same year as St Paul’s Cathedral in London was completed. Laura Maria Caterina Bassi was a brilliant and erudite young woman, born into a heady atmosphere of early 18th century Bologna, a melting pot of ideas and fusion of like minded scholars, caught in the bosom…
Read MoreRachel Wriothesley wife of Lord Russell
Rachel Wriothesley played an interesting role in 17th Century intrigue but who was she? Rachel was born in 1636 in Titchfield Hampshire, the daughter of Thomas Wriothesley the 4th Earl of Southampton. The Wriothesley’s had an illustrious history, after the Reformation, the family grew more powerful and wealthier than ever before. Thomas Wriothesley, the 1st…
Read MoreCult of the Virgin Mary
The Cult of the Virgin Mary is seen by many as having its origins in the Medieval period but the mythologizing of Mary began with Pope Gregory I. It grew as the Crusaders returned to the west and shrines and icons to the Virgin Mary appeared in churches, on the wayside and in people’s homes.
Read MoreMatilda of England
Who was Matilda of England and what role did she play in the turbulent house of the Plantangenets?
Read MoreMargaret Pole Who Was She?
Margaret Pole was an intriguing and complex character. One of the few survivors of the Plantagenet dynasty after the wars of the 15th Century she was executed under the orders of King Henry VIII in 1541, aged sixty seven years old. So what happened to cause this old lady to lose her head? First let’s…
Read MoreKatherine Swynford Mistress of John of Gaunt
Katherine Swynford, the love of John of Gaunts life? Katherine Swynford, another one of those intriguing medieval woman to explore, she was a daughter of Payne Roët of Guienne in France, who was born about 1310. He was a knight and herald from Hainaut who fought in the 100 years war and when King Edward III…
Read MoreBoudica British Queen
Boudica was Queen of the Iceni during the early occupation of the Romans of Britain. She took the fight to them when they abused her husbands will and violated her daughters and her own honour.
Read MoreSmallpox Inoculation 1721
Smallpox is a devastating disease that holds a unique place in medical history. The foresight of people such as Lady Montague helped in it’s eradication. Many people had their lives saved due to her persistent and courageous actions before Jenner’s vaccination took over.
Read MoreEleanor of Aquitaine Mother of English Kings
Wealthy educated and powerful and that was just at 15, married to the Kings of France and England, forging the most powerful alliance in Northern Europe with the Angevin Empire created with the marriage to Henry II, through their complex family relationships, two sons would be King of England and many of her grandchildren would form the basis of the bloodlines of the important European Kingdoms for centuries to come, this was a woman on which history pivots…
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