It has not always been possible for the LGBT+ community to be open about who they are and who they love. Finding historic LGBT+ figures can be difficult, yet today's trailblazer left us a priceless resource for exploring LGBT+ love in 19th century Britain. That woman was Anne Lister (1791-1840). Portrait of Anne Lister by Joshua Horner … Continue reading Trailblazers: Anne Lister
Tag: History Blog
The Maid of Norway
History is full of sliding doors moments, and when looking at medieval Scotland such a moment can be seen with the death of Margaret, the Maid of Norway. Margaret, the Maid of Norway in stained glass window at Lerwick Town Hall. Image courtesy of Colin Smith under the CC BY-SA 2.0 license. The young Norwegian … Continue reading The Maid of Norway
Royal Portraits and Power (Guest post by Elizabeth Hill-Scott from Smart History Blogging)
Throughout history, royal portraits have been about more than just decorative pictures for Great Halls and bed chambers. They were the advertising signs or political propaganda mechanisms of their day. Here, I explore how English royal portraits have been used to forge alliances, marriages, scare off enemies, display power and wealth and combat insecurities whilst … Continue reading Royal Portraits and Power (Guest post by Elizabeth Hill-Scott from Smart History Blogging)
A Guide to Non-Written Sources
My history topic for January 2022 is Stories Behind Paintings, and this got me thinking about paintings as historical sources for research. Often when thinking about sources for history we think about written texts, but there are so many other valuable types of sources out there! I've created this guide as a bit of an … Continue reading A Guide to Non-Written Sources
Namesake: The Daughter of Eleanor of Aquitaine
It was pretty standard in medieval Europe for people to name their children after themselves, with Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine no different. Their second son was named Henry after his father, and their second daughter was named Eleanor after her mother. Upon her marriage she became Leonor so for clarity in … Continue reading Namesake: The Daughter of Eleanor of Aquitaine
The Forgotten Brother: Geoffrey Plantagenet
Next in our series on the Angevins we’re going to be looking at Geoffrey Plantagenet and his family. Geoffrey Plantagenet, Duke of Brittany Born in 1158, Geoffrey is often overlooked by history in favour of his kingly brothers Henry the Young King, Richard the Lionheart and John. With so many brothers, his father Henry II … Continue reading The Forgotten Brother: Geoffrey Plantagenet
A Good King of England? Re-Evaluating the Lionheart.
Richard Plantagenet was never meant to rule England. His surviving elder brother Henry had been crowned in 1170 to secure the Angevin succession, but the medieval world was a deadly place and his brother died of dysentery in 1183. This led to Richard becoming his father Henry II’s primary heir. Richard Plantagenet With so many … Continue reading A Good King of England? Re-Evaluating the Lionheart.
The Exiled Duchess
Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine’s eldest daughter Matilda was born in 1156, and was likely named after her legendary paternal grandmother the Empress Matilda. She faced the fate of many princesses and was married off young to support her family’s political manoeuvrings. 13th century depiction of Matilda of England, Duchess of Saxony and Bavaria. … Continue reading The Exiled Duchess
The Young King
Henry Plantagenet (who I’ll refer to as the young king for the rest of the post for clarity) was born in 1155 the second son of medieval power couple Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine. He became their heir the following year when his elder brother William tragically died. His father’s domains were … Continue reading The Young King
Eleanor of Aquitaine: An Icon
Eleanor of Aquitaine was iconic and one blog post cannot do justice to the many interesting facets of her life, so today we’re going to focus on her later life during the reign of her sons Richard and John. Portrait in a 12th-century psalter thought to be an older Eleanor). When her husband Henry II died in … Continue reading Eleanor of Aquitaine: An Icon
Some Sources Say 