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, 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 Juana la Loca, or Joanna the Mad, was the elder sister of Catherine of Aragon and sister-in-law to Henry VIII of England. Juana was born on 6 November 1479, a daughter of the formidable Isabella of Castile and Isabella’s husband Ferdinand of Aragon. Juana was known during her lifetime as Juana of Castile. Juana married Philip von Habsburg, known as the … Continue reading Juana of Castile and Her Madness
Maidens and Manuscripts: Taking a fresh look at people and events from 1347 to 1625, with a focus on women and illuminated manuscripts 