Tag: Blogger
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Shakespeare’s First Folio: from London to the world -and Leeds! Lecture by Professor Emma Smith
Earlier this week I attended a brilliant lecture at the University of Leeds about Shakespeare’s First Folio, the first printed collection of his many works. 2023 marks marks the 400th anniversary of the publication of the first folio, so an apt time to learn more about it and how it arrived in Leeds’ Special Collections.…
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A Tour of Hobbiton
“A wizard is never late, Frodo Baggins. Nor is he early; he arrives precisely when he means to.” — Gandalf Film history is not something I usually delve into, but as a fan of The Lord of the Rings film trilogy it would be remiss not to write about my visit to Hobbiton! Hobbiton was…
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Gallipoli: The Scale of Our War Exhibition
The Gallipoli military campaign (April 1915–January 1916) was a brutal episode in the First World War that resulted in over 130,000 deaths across both sides of the conflict. The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) played a significant role in this campaign, and in 2015 the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa opened…
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Vasa Museet
One of the best museums I have visited in recent years was the Vasa Museet in Stockholm, Sweden. The museum is dedicated to the story of the Vasa, a royal warship that sunk less than 2000 metres into its maiden voyage in 1628. The museum is a large, impressive building, and it has to be,…
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The Yearlong Queen
As the youngest of the Provence sisters, Beatrice observed her elder sisters Marguerite, Eleanor and Sanchia make glittering dynastic matches. They were a close-knit family, and despite the political stage on which they all walked, their family loyalty was notable. When their father Ramon Berenguer IV died in August 1245, the still unwed Beatrice was…
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A Queen in Name Only
Sanchia of Provence was the third daughter of Raymond Berengar V, count of Provence and Beatrice of Savoy. Her elder sisters Marguerite and Eleanor made noteworthy marriages to Louis IX of France and Henry III of England respectively, opening the door for Sanchia to make an equally advantageous match herself. Although not a king, she…
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The Hated Queen
Her elder sister Marguerite’s marriage to the King of France, paved the way for Eleanor of Provence to make a glittering dynastic match of her own. In 1236 she married Henry III of England becoming Queen of England. Yet despite building a close loving family with Henry and their five children, she was one of…
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Crusader Queen
Marguerite of Provence like another Queen of France before her, the famous Eleanor of Aquitaine, joined her husband Louis IX on a crusade to the Holy Land. The crusades are described by historian Dan Jones as “a series of interconnected Christian ‘holy wars’ fought against a wide variety of foes”, with the motivations for these…
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Sisters & Queens
In 13th century Provence there lived four sisters. Daughters of Count Raymond Berengar V of Provence and his wife Beatrice of Savoy, all would rise to greatness becoming Queens of France, England, Germany and Sicily respectively. These sisters had a huge impact on Western Christendom, and this month we’ll explore how the personal affected the…
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