Mary in the Chronica Hugarorum, 1488. Mary, the first Queen Regent- or female King- of Hungary, is often viewed as a pawn in a royal succession crisis, a young girl with no agency. She’s ofte…

Long before modern skyscrapers, medieval megacities housed up to a million people, boasting wide avenues, complex aqueducts, and bustling markets.

Jacqueline, anonymous painting from the 16th C. In the early fifteenth century, Jacqueline (Dutch: Jacoba) was the heiress of an immense territory in what is now called the Low Countries. In her ow…

As we saw with the story of Isabella of Gloucester, King John of England was not a good king or a good husband. His marriage to Isabelle of Angoulême was no exception. Her age at the time of her ma…

Margaret Douglas, sometimes styled “Princess of Scotland”, was the daughter of Margaret Tudor, Queen of Scotland and her second husband, Archibald Douglas, Earl of Angus. Margaret enjoyed the affec…

Norman strongholds, royal prisons, and rebel battlegrounds. These UK castles shaped medieval power struggles and still tower with tales of conquest, kings, and crumbling keeps.

The corset is far from a simple undergarment – it’s sparked controversy due to its association with female oppression and, later, disbelief in modern audiences of period dramas. But what’s the real…

What little historical records we have pertaining to Queen Eadgifu tell us she exercised considerable power. She was the third wife of Edward the Elder, son of Alfred the Great. While she didn’t ha…

The memorial of Lord Darnley by Livinus de Vogelaare. The son of Margaret Douglas and Matthew Stewart, Earl of Lennox, Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley was the husband of Mary Queen of Scots. His parent…

The story of the life of Alys of France is sad and more than a little bizarre. At a young age she was contracted to marry Richard the Lionheart and sent to England to be brought up at the court of …

Juan, Prince of Asturias I’ve been reading a bit of Spanish history lately, researching the life of Queen Isabella of Castile. She had a considerable number of children, however only one male child…

Elizabeth de Valois died at the age of twenty-three after a short illness and premature labor on Sunday, October 3, 1568 at the Royal Palace of Aranjuez. She gave birth to a baby girl who died a fe…

Pierre Corneille was a writer of French tragedies and is considered one of the three great seventeenth century French dramatists along with Molière and Racine. He has been called the “founder of Fr…

In 855, King Aethelwulf of Wessex made a decision to travel to Rome as his predecessors King Ine and King Caedwalla had in earlier times. Aethelwulf’s wife Osburh had recently died (or he had repud…

The Dukes of Burgundy were wealthy and powerful, the premier nobles in France. As a daughter of Burgundy, Anne lived a life of luxury and was destined for a noteworthy marriage. Anne had something …

The English Princess Margaret Plantagenet married King Alexander III of Scotland in December of 1251. This was to be the third youngest marriage of monarchs in British history. Alexander was aged 1…

Depiction of Margaret Clifford Stanley from Jan van Belcamp’s “The Great Picture”, 1646. (Credit: Lakeland Arts@Tate There was no shortage of female heirs, in remainder to the cro…

Portrait believed to be of Infante Ferdinand the Saint, Master of the Order of Aviz Infante Ferdinand was the youngest of the family known in Portuguese history as the “illustrious generation”. Fer…

The Freelance History Writer is pleased to welcome Heather R. Darsie to the blog with a guest article. Heather is an attorney and the author of Anna of Cleves: The King’s Beloved Sister and the adm…

The Freelance History Writer would like to welcome Elisabeth Waugaman, PhD with a guest post on some interesting medieval history regarding the Norman Conquest. Her degree from Duke University is i…

Margaret was called Queen but was never crowned. She was known as Lady of Scotland, Margaret of Scotland and the Maid of Norway. The story of her life is very poignant and short. Margaret was the d…

While in the UK on my Mary Queen of Scots tour, we visited many historic sites associated with her life story. This included a trip to Fotheringhay Castle, the scene of her execution on February 8,…

Since I’ve been studying Tudor history, I’ve never come across another historical figure with as remarkable a story as Arbella Stuart. She was a great granddaughter of Margaret Tudor through her pa…

In the early years of the fifteenth century, the government of France was in complete disarray. The king of England was attacking in an attempt to take the throne. The French King Charles VI was su…

Liège was a part of the Holy Roman Empire and had been ruled by prince-bishops since the year 972. The city remained free of interference from the Empire except in the case of the death of a prince…

Yolande of France, Duchess of Savoy To celebrate the US and Canadian release of The Formidable Women Who Shaped Medieval Europe: Power and Patronage at the Burgundian Court, Here’s an article…

Bemberg fondation Toulouse – Portrait de Louise de Savoie, mère de François Ier – École De Jean Clouet (1475;1485-1540) 22×17 Inv.1013 Keira is the writer of historical fiction bas…

In reading Peter Russell’s biography of Prince Henry of Portugal, known as ‘the Navigator’, he includes as an appendix the only strictly private letter written by Henry that has been found.  H…

England explodes into fury as serfs revolt against the landed lords and gentry, all while a young King Richard II tries to hold on to power that is both slipping away and has already been grabbed by…

Henry Tudor’s Lancastrian claim to the throne of England was weak at best. In August of 1485, he defeated the Yorkist King Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field and established the Tudor dyna…

The name of Edward Courtenay always comes up during the reign of Queen Mary I, mostly as a possible husband for Queen Mary herself or for her sister Elizabeth. Although he was born of royal blood, …

Henry, king of England, caused his son Henry to be married to Margaret, the daughter of the king of France, although they were as yet but little children, crying in their cradle (…) the marriage (……

While doing some research on Frances Brandon, Duchess of Suffolk and her daughters, I came across a book written by Richard Davey in 1912 about Katherine and Mary Grey, the sisters of Lady Jane Gre…

Hildegard of Bingen stands out as a visionary and strong intellectual power of the Middle Ages. She was a writer of letters to people of all rank and standing and of books on subjects ranging from …

The Freelance History Writer welcomes Lisa Graves with an article about a medieval feast held during the Wars of the Roses in England. Lisa and her colleague Tricia Cohen are joint authors of “A Th…

In 17th and 18th Century France, there were an extraordinary number of men and women artists that emerged, making a name for themselves. They were poets, fabulists, painters, playwrights, actors, c…

Titus Oates reportedly could only be described as ugly. He is said to have had a broad face with his mouth in the middle, deep-set eyes, a bull neck, wobbling chins and a high raspy voice. He had s…

The Freelance History is pleased to welcome back Tony Riches with a guest post about Sir Walter Raleigh Tudor adventurer, courtier, explorer and poet, Sir Walter Raleigh has been called the last tr…

The Hundred Years War was started in 1337 by King Edward III of England, grandfather of King Richard II. The constant fighting was taking its toll on England and France. Both King Richard and the F…

Marguerite of Valois is one of those rare princesses who didn’t marry until late in life. She was thirty-six when her wedding finally took place. This was partly due to the fact that her father and…

Anne Boleyn, from the National Portrait Gallery The Duchess One of the most pleasurable benefits of researching history is the eureka moments, when the reader stumbles upon a previously unknown con…

Isabella of Valois, the eldest child of King Charles VI of France and Queen Isabeau of Bavaria was only seven years old when she was married to King Richard II of England. Because of her youth, she…

Philip was born on May 21, 1527 in Valladolid in northern Castile.  He was the son of Charles V, King of Spain and Holy Roman Emperor and Isabella, sister of the King of Portugal. …

In reading about the mother of Mary Queen of Scots, Marie of Guise, I came across a touching story about Marie of Guise’s father, Claude, Duke of Guise. Claude was a cousin of King Francis I of Fra…

In 17th and 18th Century France, there were an extraordinary number of men and women artists that emerged, making a name for themselves. They were poets, fabulists, painters, playwrights, actors, c…

The men of France invoked the ancient Merovingian Salic Law to bar women from inheriting the throne of France but this hasn’t stopped women from ruling the kingdom. There is a prominent tradition o…

In 17th and 18th Century France, there were an extraordinary number of men and women artists that emerged, making a name for themselves. They were poets, fabulists, painters, playwrights, actors, c…

John the Fearless, Duke of Burgundy John the Fearless, the second Valois Duke of Burgundy, was born to Margaret of Male in Dijon on May 28, 1371. When his maternal grandfather, Louis, Count of Flan…

“Here lies the daughter, wife, and mother of Henry” We would like to tell the story of Empress Maud who was never crowned Queen of England but caused civil war trying to attain her inheritance. Mau…

After all the turmoil of James III’s time in power as King of Scotland, his son’s reign seems positively peaceful. James IV ushered the Renaissance into Scotland in many ways. He cemented an allian…