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Monarchy Rules: Louis VIII - The French Prince who invaded England

The future Louis VIII of France was born on 5 September 1187 as the son of Philip II of France and Isabella of Hainault. Isabella died in 1190 after giving birth to short lived twin boys and Louis inherited the Country of Artois through her. On 23 May 1200 Louis was married to Blanche of Castile, a daughter of King Alfonso VIII of Castile and Eleanor of England (sister to King Richard I and King…
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#OnThisDay in 1460: Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, defeated the king’s Lancastrian forces and took King Henry VI prisoner

Richard Neville, also known as “Warwick the Kingmaker” was born on the 22nd of November in 1428. He was the eldest son of Richard Neville (hence his name), 5th Earl of Salisbury and Lady Alice; only daughter and the heiress of Thomas, the last Montacute Earl of Salisbury.  Little is known about Richard’s childhood but at the age as early as six, it is not surprising that…
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#OnThisDay Lady Jane Grey becomes Queen

Lady Jane Grey, or Lady Jane Dudley, was proclaimed Queen on this day in 1553. She has been commonly referred to as The Nine Days Queen. She was the great-granddaughter of Henry VII through his daughter Mary, Queen of France. From 10 July to the 19 July, she was the de facto…
History

Monarchy Rules: A Look at Elizabeth I

Queen Elizabeth I – known also as ‘The Virgin Queen’, ‘Gloriana’ or ‘Good Queen Bess’ – ruled as Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Tall, slender and with the characteristic Tudor red hair Elizabeth was a woman of intelligence, fickleness and sometimes temper. Ascending to the throne at the age of twenty-five Elizabeth was a cautious and…
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#OnThisDay in 1377: King Richard II succeeds King Edward III

On June 21, 1377, ten-year-old Prince Richard of England succeeded his grandfather, King Edward III, to become King Richard II. At the time of his death, King Edward was 64 years old and had ruled England for half a century. Prince Richard was born in Bordeaux, in France, on January 6, 1367. He was the younger son of Edward, Prince of Wales, and Joan of Kent, and at the time of his birth, he was…
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