#Melita Thomas

[fideidefenswhore]

Mary wrote to Cromwell on 26 May [1536]. Even if this were in response to Lady Kingston's visit, the speed with which Mary sought reconciliation with Henry demonstrates her genuine belief that it had been Anne keeping her father from her. According to Chapuys, the letter in no way resembled the draft Cromwell had drawn up. Mary apologised for her bad handwriting, saying she had written very little for over two years and was only able to do so now, because Lady Kingston had given her means. Since we know she had communicated regularly with Chapuys, she was either lying, or her messages to him were verbal. We also know she had sent letters to Mary of Hungary and Gattinara [...]

The King's Pearl: Henry VIII & His Daughter Mary, Melita Thomas

[tudorblogger]

‘1000 Tudor People’ by Melita Thomas

Genre: Adult Non-Fiction – Historical Biography Published: 2024 Format: Hardback Rating: ★★★★★ What a brilliant book! Despite being a Tudor historian there were quite a few people here I hadn’t heard of, and from all walks of life – kings, queens, nobles, playwrights, poets, pirates, merchants, thieves, and murderers. It made for a really fascinating read with the names I recognised and knew…

[snapheart1536]

Philip don't know what he's got coming.

“In April 1544, Chapuys wrote to Prince Philip, Charles’s son, passing on the congratulations of the king, queen and princess, on his marriage the previous November to his cousin, Maria Manuela of Portugal. Eager to mantain familial relations, Philip and his wife requested news of Henry and Mary, and from time to time asked Chapuys to visit Mary on their behalf.”

— The Kings Pearl Henry VIII and his daughter Mary, by Melita Thomas, 2017, page 263

[elizabethan-memes]

The stereotype of Mary for centuries has been that of an unskilled political novice, hesitant and timid until religious mania and her devotion to a heartless, Spanish husband turned her almost overnight into a bloody tyrant. In recent years, that myth has been examined and the negative accounts of her reign shown to be influenced by centuries of propaganda. Unfortunately, Bloody Mary is now becoming Tragic Mary. The trauma of her youth and the suffering she and her mother experienced at her father’s hands are seen as a reason to pity a queen many perceive as a failure. But there is more to the story of Mary than tragedy – and more to her than the devoted daughter of an abandoned mother because Mary, although she is usually associated with her mother Katharine of Aragon, was very much her father’s daughter. He too, was a risk-taker.

Melita Thomas, The King's Pearl

[princesselisabethofhesse]

1897

Portrait of Princess Elisabeth of Hesse (1895-1903)

Portrait of Princess Elisabeth of Hesse, dated 1897.

The author is unknown, but according to art historian and expert Thomas Aufleger, it could be Kaulbach. Although he possibly met Elisabeth in 1903, he painted Victoria Melita earlier and this portrait could have been drawn in the same occasion.

The portrait above was once in Victoria Melita's Salon in the Neues Palais. The photo below was taken in 1897 by Joseph Magnus.

source: Hessisches Staatsarchiv Darmstadt. Thank you Thomas for the info!

Apart from this portrait, 2 more portraits of Elisabeth were made in 1897:

-Portrait (probably dating 1897) by court painter Heinrich Reinhard Kröh (1841-1941). It shows Elisabeth sitting on the floor (in profile), dressed up in white lace and playing with one of her many dogs.

-Art-Noveau watercolour by Joseph Hartmann showing Elisabeth in Grand Duchess Alice's rotunda reception room at the Neues Palais in 1897. 

[goalhofer]

2024 olympics Chile roster

Archery

Andrés Gallardo (Santiago)

Athletics

Martín Sáenz (Santiago)

Hugo Catrileo (Saavedra)

Carlos Díaz (Santiago)

Claudio Romero (Santiago)

Gabriel Kehr (Temuco)

Humberto Mansilla (Temuco)

Martina Weil (Santiago)

Natalia Duco (San Felipe)

Ivana Gallardo (Osorno)

Canoeing

Paula Gómez (Santiago)

María Mailliard (Viña Del Mar)

Karen Roco (Constitución)

Cycling

Mauricio Molina (Santiago)

Martín Vidaurre (Santiago)

Catalina Soto (Santiago)

Macarena Pérez (Santiago)

Equestrian

Agustín Covarrubias (Santiago)

Fencing

Arantza Inostroza (Santiago)

Golf

Joaquín Niemann (Jupiter, Florida)

Guillermo Pereira (Jupiter, Florida)

Judo

Thomas Briceño (Santiago)

Mary Vargas (Santiago)

Pentathlon

Esteban Bustos (Santiago)

Rowing

César Abaroa (Concepción)

Eber Sanhueza (Puerto Montt)

Antonia Abraham (San Pedro De La Paz)

Melita Abraham (San Pedro De La Paz)

Sailing

Clemente Seguel (Temuco)

María Poncell (Santiago)

Shooting

Diego Parra (Santiago)

Francisca Crovetto (Santiago)

Swimming

Eduardo Cisternas (Santiago)

Kristel Köbrich (Córdoba, Argentina)

Table tennis

Nicolás Burgos (Santiago)

María Vega (Concepción)

Zeng Zhiying (Iquique)

Taekwondo

Joaquín Churchill (Santiago)

Fernanda Aguirre (Santiago)

Tennis

Marcelo Barrios (Santiago)

Nicolás Jarry (La Barnachea)

Alejandro Tabilo (Santiago)

Triathlon

Gaspar Riveros (Providencia)

Diego Moya (Santiago)

Volleyball

Marco Grimalt (Linares)

Esteban Grimalt (Santiago)

Wrestling

Néstor Almanza (Santiago)

Yasmani Acosta (Santiago)

[ladylucie]

Mary I and her siblings Elizabeth I and Edward VI

"On 21 July[1536], Mary sent a letter to her father [...] she praised 'my sister, Elizabeth' as a 'child toward (forward and clever for her age)' in whom she thought Henry[VIII] would 'rejoice in time coming'" The kings pearl by Melita Thomas. "Right dear and entirely beloved sister, We greet you well. [...] And thus we pray God to have you in his holy keeping. [...] Your loving sister, Mary the Quene" Mary in a letter to Elizabeth, 26 January 1554.

"Mary received another very sweet letter from [Edward VI] in May 1546. In it, he again apologized for not writing very often, and went on to say that he loved her just as much as if he wrote to her frequently. Although he did not wear his best clothes very often, he loved them most, so, although he rarely wrote to her, he loved her best" The kings pearl by Melita Thomas. Edward, now twelve, rebuked Mary for hearing Mass in the chapel. [...] He demanded her obedience, she resisted, and both were reduced to tears." Mary Tudor: Princess, Bastard, Queen by Anna Whitelock.

Pictures are stills from the shows The Tudors and Becoming Elizabeth, and drawings from John Cassell's Illustrated History of England, Volume II, 1865

(For foreverinthepagesofhistory's 300 follower challenge day 1)

[edwardseymour]

“lady kingston had two errands. the first was a personal one, a message from anne who had expressed remorse for her treatment of mary and for having conspired her death – by which she had probably meant in the general sense of wanting mary executed for failure to swear the oaths, rather than admitting any poison plot.” (from melita thomas)

unintentionally very funny quote 💀

[maryethequene]

“From mid-1525, government documents do refer to her as Princess of Wales. For example, the grant of the office of Chamberlain of South Wales and the Counties of Carmarthen and Cardigan to Sir Giles Grevile, dated 14 August 1525, refers to him as having been ‘in the service of Mary, Princess of Wales’. Similarly, the grant of office to Walter Devereux, Lord Ferrers of Chartley, in 25 May 1526, appointed him to be ‘steward in the household of Mary, Princess of Wales and Chamberlain of South Wales, Carmarthen and Cardigan’. There is also a patent of March 1529, granting £10 per annum to Margery Parker, ‘servant to the Princess of Wales’. So, while Henry did not issue formal Letters Patent, the title was used in documents and grants, Mary was referred to as Princess of Wales and, by inference, was his heir. Similarly, a despatch from the Imperial ambassador in Rome, the Duke of Sessa, dated 25 August 1525, called her Princess of Wales. Charles, too, used the term in his letters. ”

- The King’s Pearl: Henry VIII and his daughter Mary, Melita Thomas, 2017.

[heather123fan-blog]

Why do I torture myself? I was just listening to some Mary I historians do a talk on how Mary has been represented in film. (I probably shouldn't have expected much) it started out fine but then they (Linda Porter, Melita Thomas) started going on about the Thomas Seymour scandal and how he didn't abuse Elizabeth yada yada. The worst part is they seem to blame Elizabeth for why the sisters' relationship fell apart. Not considering the part or lack thereof that Mary played. Where was Mary during the Seymour scandal? Where was she when Henry VIII died? She didn't invite Elizabeth to live with her. Did she even bother checking in on Elizabeth to see if she was okay after she left Catherine Parr's house? After she was interrogated, and her servants had been arrested? Elizabeth could've died! Did Mary even care? Ugh sorry this really bothered me. I sympathize with Mary I really do but have a very hard time liking her post-the start of Edward's reign onwards. She just doesn't seem to be very caring towards either of her siblings. Miniseries on Queen Mary I: Mary in Film (Queens Series) - YouTube

[exileonpeachtreestreet]

The House of Grey

The House of Grey & Melita Thomas

The Grey family was one of medieval England’s most important dynasties, serving the kings of England as sheriffs, barons and military leaders. Like many families, they were split by the Wars of the Roses, one man betraying Henry VI at the Battle of Northampton, whilst his cousin, Sir John Grey, died for Lancaster at the second battle of St Albans, leaving a widow, Elizabeth née Woodville, and two…

[fideidefenswhore]

His 'merciful inclination and princely heart' meant he was always ready to 'take pity and compassion on all offenders repentantly crying'. In the case of his daughter, since she was, 'frail, inconstant and easy to be persuaded,' he would be glad to remit some of his displeasure.

The King’s Pearl: Henry VIII & His Daughter Mary, Melita Thomas

[tudorblogger]

Monthly Reading Summary – June 2024

[queenmarytudor]

Queen Mary was in a most feeble condition when the Scots made an invsaion in the north of England, nevertheless she expressed her determination to head her army in person. She had all the energy required for such an exploit, but was soon convinced that her bodily health forbade it. Her troops, under Northumberland and Westmoreland, replused the Scottish and gained a decided victory over them.

Queen’s of England Volume II by Agnes Strickland, page 55

[elizabethan-memes]

While in France, Wingfield travelled to Blois to see the dauphin, no doubt wondering what manner of child might be his future king. The little boy was undressed so Wingfield could confirm he was sound in wind and limb and well grown for his age. He reported that the two-year-old was ‘marvellously disposed to be joyous’, manifested by the toddler taking a fancy to one of Wingfield’s suite and insisting the man stand up and kneel, over and over again

Melita Thomas, The King's Pearl

[ofmodernmyths]

THE LIBRARY

“Mary Tudor, the first queen regnant of England, was a gambler. She gambled, not just with money on cards and dice, but also with her life. The most famous gamble she took was in 1553, when she staked everything - life, freedom, religion - in a bid for the throne, and won. But that was not the first time Mary had taken enormous risks. As a young woman between the ages of seventeen and twenty, she had defied her father, Henry VIII: pitting her unassailable belief in her right to be considered his legitimate daughter, and heir to the throne of England, against the determination of Henry, and his second queen, Anne Boleyn, to break her spirit.

(...)

The relationship between Henry and Mary has never been examined in detail, yet it was complex and multi-layered. Mary was the only person Henry forgave after publicly standing against him. He dispatched the wife, mentors and companions of his youth to exile and death; he executed two wives, one of whom he had loved passionately, and the other a young woman of no more than twenty-two; he sought vicious reprisals against the Pilgrims of Grace, even after they had been granted pardons, but Mary, once sufficiently obedient, was restored to favour and affection.”

The King’s Pearl: Henry VIII and His Daughter Mary, Melita Thomas, 2017.