The War of the Roses was a period marked
by the deep-set and bitter hatred that burned between the Houses of
Lancaster and York. After the overthrow of Richard II by his cousin
King Henry IV, the House of Plantagenet gave way to the House of
Lancaster and the Kingdom of England began to stutter and fall.
After the premature death of Henry V, who briefly brought England
back to a zenith during his…
In the early modern period, the allure of
court life was more than desirable, which caused families to seek
positions that were in service of the crown. It has been said that
to be around a king and his court was like being next to the sun,
but when away it was only…
In order to know how a story ends, it is
indispensable to understand the essence of how it began. The years
leading up to the French Revolution were tumultuous. Deep in a
financial crisis, King Louis XVI and his advisors attempted to
implement a taxation system, which was…
Around 2:00 am on the 10th February 1567
the area around Kirk O’ Field in Scotland was rocked by two large
explosions. Following them, two people were found dead in a nearby
orchard. One was Lord Darnley, and the other his valet. His wife
Mary, Queen of Scots, was not present in the house at the time. But
what had led to this tragic murder, which marked the downward
spiral of Mary, Queen of…
God save our gracious King…This famous
anthem has potential to invoke trips down memory lane and possibly
create aristocratic fantasies in the minds of those that sing it
with pride. However, one of the greatest Monarchs in British
history is not someone who had the dream…
The last letter written by Mary, Queen of
Scots before her execution is being put for public display by the
National Library of Scotland. She wrote the letter just six hours
before her execution on 8 February 1587. The letter has not been on
display since 2009, and for…
On 24 March 1603 Queen Elizabeth I
breathed her last and – left with no legitimate heir – the House of
Tudor came to an end after more than 100 years on the English
throne. Beginnings The House of Tudor was founded in 1485 when
Henry Tudor defeated King Richard III in battle, ending the War of
the Roses and capturing the throne as King Henry VII. His claim was
then reinforced when he united…
The less than flattering assessment given
to King George III by many today has recently been shown to be
rather inaccurate, pending new insights derived from a number of
papers just uncovered that detail George III’s reign and activities
during the course of the…
Kensington Palace to host new exhibition on Diana, Princess of Wales
15th January 2017
Kensington Palace is to host a new
exhibition about Diana, Princess of Wales to mark 20 years since
the death of the Princess, including a new temporary garden which
is being installed in the grounds of the Palace in celebration of
her life. The choice of a garden being…
On 17 July 1918, after three centuries in
power, the Romanov dynasty came to a tragic end with the brutal
execution of Tsar Nicholas II, his wife, Empress Alexandra and
their five children. Background Tsar Nicholas II became Emperor of
Russia on 1 November 1894 following the death of his father,
Alexander III. Nicholas came to the throne at the age of
twenty-six, significantly underprepared for…
