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
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 Anna Jagellonica was born 23 July 1503. Known more commonly as Anne of Bohemia and Hungary, she was the only daughter and eldest child of Vladislaus II. Vladislaus was king of Bohemia, Hungary, and Croatia. Anne’s mother was Anne of Foix-Candale, a French noblewoman. The women were descended from John II of Aragon, whose son was one half of the … Continue reading Anne of Bohemia and Hungary
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, JD Marie de Valois, Hereditary Duchess of Burgundy, was born on 13 February 1457. She was born at Coudenburg Palace in Brussels, which existed since at least the 12th century. Known commonly as Mary of Burgundy, her parents were Charles Martin, known as the Bold, and Isabelle of Bourbon. Isabelle was Charles’ second wife. He was wed to his first wife, Catherine of … Continue reading Mary of Burgundy: The Basics
Maidens and Manuscripts: Taking a fresh look at people and events from 1347 to 1625, with a focus on women and illuminated manuscripts 