History

The Battle of Lincoln and The Short Rule of the Empress Matilda

Henry I saw his worst nightmare come true on 25 November 1120. His only son and heir to the Kingdom of England drowned in the White Ship disaster. Without a son, he turned to his only surviving legitimate child, Matilda. Young Matilda had been married to the Holy Roman Emperor since 1114, but when he died in 1125 and Henry’s second marriage to Adeliza of Louvain produced no surviving…
Read more
FeaturesHistory

A Window into War: Battles fought by British Kings

Her Majesty The Queen is the epitome of grandeur and magnificence. She lives in the lap of luxury, and is always impeccably dressed, and surrounded by splendour. Which makes it hard to believe that there was a time when her ancestors, Kings of England themselves, spent…
History

Profiling Lady Jane Grey's nine days as Queen

Though her reign is disputed by many, Lady Jane Grey is undoubtedly this country’s shortest reigning monarch. Jane is popularly known as the ‘Nine Days Queen’ because of her curtailed reign. It is often a view of many she was a victim of her cousin, Edward VI’s, plans to keep his Catholic half-sister Mary off the English throne. The ‘Nine Days Queen’ Lady Jane…
Read more
History

Isabella of Valois, The Child Bride of Richard II

In medieval times royal brides were often quite young when they married, though consummation was usually forbidden until a more appropriate age was reached. A certain young bridge might ring a bell as the founder of the Tudor Dynasty. Lady Margaret Beaufort was first married…
FeaturesHistory

The Stories of Queen Victoria's Grandaughters: Princess Viktoria of Prussia

Like the majority of her granddaughters, Princess Viktoria of Prussia was named after both her mother and grandmother. Born on April 12, 1866, in Potsdam Palace. Friederike Amalia Wilhelmine Viktoria was the fifth child and second daughter of Frederick III, Emperor of Germany and Victoria, Princess Royal, first daughter of Queen Victoria. She was baptised on her grandmother’s birthday, 24th…
Read more
History

Monarchy Monday: Queen Mary's Dolls House

Growing up my father set out to build a dollhouse for my sister and me. It was three stories high, nine rooms, complete with an elevator on the outside operated by a pulley system. My mum used wallpaper samples to cover the walls and left over carpet and lino from our home…
History

Stories of the Stuarts: Oak Apple Day

Oak Apple Day was a formal public holiday celebrated in England on the 29th May in recognition of the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660 following ‘The Commonwealth’ of England and rule of Oliver Cromwell from 1649. It is so named ‘Oak Apple Day&#8217…
History

The stories of Queen Victoria's granddaughters: Princess Louise of Wales

On this day, 126 years ago, a shy young woman married a man almost two decades older than her in London. But this was no ordinary wedding. The bride was Princess Louise of Wales, granddaughter of Queen Victoria, and her marriage had set tongues wagging for her groom was a mere earl. It is an exciting headline but like much of Louise’s life – her lofty position in the line of…
Read more