On 22nd August 1485 King Richard III led a thunderous charge of cavalry across the field at the Battle of Bosworth in an attempt to crush Henry Tudor, the invader who laid claim to Richard’s throne. Unlike the presentation given by The White Queen, it was not a dozen men in half their armour with no helmets on scrapping in a snow dusted forest. Upwards of 15,000 men took the field that day and…
In Dublin, a marker stands with King George’s name
Although my name prediction for Baby Cambridge was Arthur, I cannot say I was overly shocked that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge named their new-born son George. Because of his birth, I have started to dig deeper…
On 21st May 1471, 17 days after Tewkesbury, King Henry VI died in the Tower of London. On that same day King Edward IV returned to London in triumph. The White Queen showed us one version of this event, but it did not sit well with the source material available. The…
King Henry VI, who contested the Wars of the Roses, in spirit at least, with King Edward IV had only one child, Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales. In 1469, the Earl of Warwick, the Kingmaker, had rebelled against King Edward IV with the king’s brother George. In need of support, Warwick allied himself with Henry VI’s wife, Margaret of Anjou, in France and planned an invasion to…
Like millions of others last night, I was an avid view of the BBC 1 adaptation of ‘The White Queen’, the reason I choose now to blog on the programme is because of the way Anne Neville was portrayed in last night’s episode. For some unknown reason I never…
Why the next King James would be James VIII and 'first' King Alexander, Alexander IV
5th August 2013
King James VI became King James I of England in 1603, creating the personal union between the English and Scottish thrones.
The British Monarchy was formed when King James VI of Scotland inherited the throne of England in 1603. Prior to that, Kings and Queens of England and…
Good or Evil? Let us talk rather of shades of grey, for that is what all real people are made up of. And what is often forgotten is that, just like you and I, King Richard III was a real person, a man of his times, yes, but a man with hopes and dreams, with fears and disasters that made him who he was. The recent discovery of his grave has kindled the spark of interest in England’s most maligned…
King Henry VIII was crowned King of England on 24th June 1509.
Five hundred and four years ago today, Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon were crowned King and Queen of England in a ceremony of pomp and splendour at Westminster Abbey. The coronation ceremony was performed…
On 2nd June 1953, a remarkable young woman was crowned at Westminster Abbey. Aged just 27, Elizabeth II had been born at the time of the 1926 general strike, had seen the 1936 Abdication Crisis first hand, had been evacuated during World War Two then helped with the war…
