by Heather R. Darsie, J. D. Happy New Year! As we bid farewell to 2022 and greet 2023, I thought we could peer back through the mists of time to 500 years ago. Below are some important events in the Tudor world! Henry VIII was thirteen years into his reign, which began in January 1509. He was thirty-one years old, married to Katharine of Aragon, … Continue reading 1522: A Tudor Year in Review
by Heather R Darsie, J. D. Dear Reader, this is a reflection piece from my visit to the Greater London area after the Queen’s passing. I booked my flight across the Pond several months before, and it was by fate that I arrived in London the day after Queen Elizabeth II shuffled off her mortal coil. Upon walking through the airport, there was a feeling … Continue reading The Loss of Elizabeth II
by Heather R Darsie, JD Dear Reader, I thought I would share with you a couple historical cookie recipes that I make for my family. They come from 12th and 16th century recipes. Our first recipe comes from St Hildegard von Bingen, with recipe following the image of Hildegard. Our second cookie recipe comes from a 16th century English manuscript, and can be found after … Continue reading Medieval and Early Modern Cookies: A Tasty Dalliance
by Heather R. Darsie, JD Anne of Celje did not have an enjoyable life. True, it was likely better than her lower-class peers, but Anne’s life seemed to be an after thought. She was born in 1386 as the only child of Count William of Celje and Anna of Poland. Anna of Poland’s cousin was Jadwiga of Poland‘s father. Anna was the youngest child of … Continue reading Anne of Celje, Second Queen of Wladyslaw II Jagiello of Poland
The links below will be for Amazon UK and US purchases. Please note that the books are available at your favorite US bookstores. Continue reading Fiction Books by Heather R Darsie & Links for Purchase
The links below will be for Amazon purchases. Please note that the books are available at your favorite bookstore too, like Waterstones or Barnes & Noble. Continue reading Non-Fiction Books by Heather R Darsie & Links for Purchase
by Heather R. Darsie, JD Jadwiga was born to King Louis I of Hungary and Poland, known as Louis the Great, and his wife Elizabeth of Bosnia sometime in 1373 or 1374. Elizabeth married King Louis in the Hungarian city of Buda in 1353. Elizabeth was Louis’s second wife. His first wife, Margaret of Bohemia, was a mere seven years old when she married sixteen-year-old … Continue reading Lady Jadwiga of Poland: King and Saint
Greetings, Dear Reader! I am sorry for not updating this website recently. I finished my first fiction novella, the links for which I shall post below. I am hard at work finishing “Stuart Spouses: A Compendium of Consorts from James I of Scotland to Queen Anne” (Pen & Sword, 2023). My book, “Children of the House of Cleves: Anna and Her Siblings” (Amberley 2023) is … Continue reading Update!
By Heather R. Darsie, J. D. The Jagiellon Dynasty saw its start with Jogaila Algirdaitis, Grand Duke of Lithuania. It is unknown exactly when Jogaila was born to his parents, Grand Duke Algirdas of Lithuania and Uliana of Tver. Jogaila was likely born sometime between 1352 and 1362. Algirdas, possibly the fifth of seven sons, was quite successful in expanding his portion of the Lithuanian … Continue reading The Start of the Polish Jagiellon Dynasty
by Heather R. Darsie, J.D. Elisabeth von Habsburg was born between 1436 and 1439 to the Austrian Archduke Albert II of Germany and his wife Elizabeth of Luxembourg. Elisabeth’s early life saw great struggle between her father, who was crowned King of Bohemia and Hungary in 1537, and the Polish prince Casimir IV Jagiellon. The Polish wished for a marriage between one of Albert II’s … Continue reading Elisabeth von Habsburg, Queen Consort of Poland and Grand Duchess Consort of Lithuania
Maidens and Manuscripts: Taking a fresh look at people and events from 1347 to 1625, with a focus on women and illuminated manuscripts 