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 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 On 2 December 1594, Gerardus Mercator died from complications related to continues strokes. He was 82 years old. Mercator was born in the small town of Rupelmonde, not far from Antwerp, on 5 March 1512 while his parents were visiting Mercator’s uncle, a priest. He was only a few months older than Sybylla of Juelich-Cleves-Berg; his parents being from Gangelt in … Continue reading Gerardus Mercator: Cartographer and Geographer
by Heather R Darsie, JD The Habsburg family had inauspicious beginnings in the late 10th century. Count Radbot von Klettau, a count, was born at the very end of the 10th century. He built Habsburg Castle in Habsburg, County Aargau, Switzerland in the early 11th century. The precise source for the name “Habsburg” is unknown, either it seems to have come from the German word … Continue reading The Habsburgs in the Medieval and Early Modern Period
by Heather R. Darsie, J. D. Dear Reader, I am hard at work on my second book, Children of the House of Cleves: Anna and Her Siblings, set for release by Amberley Publishing around May 2022. Researching and writing this book has been particularly challenging because of the state of the world right now, and for personal reasons. All is well with me, but 2020 … Continue reading Update
by Heather R. Darsie, J.D. Anne Boleyn’s coronation, like those of her predecessors, took into account aspects of her personality and future ideological role. As the first Renaissance English queen, Anne was not only seen as an intercessor between the public and the king, but also as part of Henry VIII’s body politic. This idea was established in the 15th century, most firmly so with … Continue reading Anne Boleyn’s Coronation
by Heather R. Darsie, JD At the beginning of Henry VIII’s reign in 1509, there were three different coins used as currency. The coins and their value were roughly as follows: silver penny, the lowest; a silver groat (worth four pennies/pence); gold angel (worth 120 pence/10 shillings); and gold half-angel (worth 60 pence/10 shillings). The value of these coins remained the same from 1509 to … Continue reading Tudor Currency and the Great Debasement: An Overview
Maidens and Manuscripts: Taking a fresh look at people and events from 1347 to 1625, with a focus on women and illuminated manuscripts 