#The Courts of Philip II and Alexander the Great

[alessandroiiidimacedonia]

[jeannereames]

Is it true that Alexander was against is baby sister Europa being killed? Or did he not know/have an opinion about it?

We don’t know when Olympias killed Kleopatra and baby Europa. Probably sooner rather than later; that is, on Alexander’s initial trip to south Greece, after he took the throne. By all accounts (and there aren’t many) he wasn’t in Pella when it happened. Plutarch tells us he was furious upon his return. He probably was, but not just because of the cruelty.

Tim Howe has an interesting theory in “Cleopatra-Eurydike, Olympias and a ‘Weak’ Alexander,” which suggests he’d intended to marry Kleopatra himself. This wouldn’t be the first example of a Macedonian king marrying the young widow of the prior king. Same thing happened with Archelaos who married the widow of his father Perdikkas II. (Ironically, she was also a Kleopatra.) Archelaos then killed his (unnamed) seven-year-old rival half-brother by Kleopatra. Although we can’t be 100% certain it’s the same woman, the likelihood is very high. We don’t know if the marriage occurred before or after he killed the boy. He then had a child himself by Kleopatra (which child, in turn, was murdered after Archelaos’s death and never took the throne).

Welcome to Macedonian politics.

In Alexander’s case, he wouldn’t have needed to kill the infant girl, as she was no threat. But by marrying his father’s widow, he could actively ‘perform’ his announced, “Only the name of the king has changed,” and secure political alliances before marching for Persia.

Yet a potential marriage on the horizon would be a very good explanation for Olympias’s action. On the face of it, the murder seems unduly vicious. An infant girl was, again, no threat—nor was Kleopatra herself. Perhaps Olympias did it purely for retribution, but she rarely acted for “mean” reasons. Killing Kleopatra suggests she was somehow still a threat. Why? Her uncle, Attalos, couldn’t be king (not an Argead), and her child was female. Why kill the widow?

Unless Alexander intended to marry her. What Alexander may have seen as good policy for him was a serious threat to Olympias’s own status. So she eliminated that option.

That would also explain Alexander’s apparent fury. Yes, he probably was horrified by the murder of an infant, but children under a year old already occupied liminal status, waiting to see whether they’d survive to their first birthday. I don’t mean that to be dismissive, but Europa’s life, or death, didn’t impact him much, politically. He may have seen her only a handful of times, so she was probably “nebulous” to him, his emotional reaction generic rather than specific.

His mother being responsible for the death of his father’s widow, however, DID impact him politically, upending any decision to marry her, plus requiring him to eliminate Attalos, who now had a blood feud with him. Supposedly, Attalos tried to tender an olive branch, but probably before he had news of his niece’s murder. So Alexander’s choice to have him assassinated (with Parmenion’s acquiescence) was a political choice necessitated by Olympias’s actions.

It would have been quite a mess, from a diplomatic POV. Olympias acted to safeguard her own security at court. But that, in turn, upset Alexander’s own plans, forcing him to reposition himself, leaving him desperate for Parmenion’s support, leading to high appointments for both Parmenion’s elder sons. It may have been the first serious (political) clash between mother and son. If normally, a mother’s fortunes in polygamous situations depended on her son’s, not always. Here, we see Olympias securing her own position by eliminating a rival…even if that then complicated her son’s political options.

The end result is that Alexander didn’t marry anybody before leaving for Asia.

Given his short life, that, in turn, resulted in a succession problem upon his death. Nobody could have foreseen as much in 336. Sometimes, you’re just trying to stay alive. But it had long-term consequences.

[worldhistoryfacts]

In the Alexander Romance, a medieval collection of mythical stories starring Alexander the Great, Alexander's father isn't Philip II of Macedon. It's Nectanebo, the last Egyptian pharaoh (after Alexander conquered Egypt, pharaohs were Greek). In the Romance, Nectanebo was a magician and trickster who supposedly fled to Macedon after a military defeat and found a place in the Macedonian court as a fortune-teller. He told the queen that she would be impregnated by a god. He then disguised himself as that god and slept with Olympias, fathering Alexander.

Here’s a French depiction of that moment from the 1400s:

You can read the whole piece here:

{WHF} {Ko-Fi} {Medium}

[histoireettralala]

Louis VII and his great vassals

Philip Augustus owed a considerable debt to his father, not least for extending royal authority into the principalities. Louis forged links which brought the great vassals closer to a monarchy which was becoming more than one among equals, establishing the suzerainty of the Capetians. Previously the magnates had rarely attended court, only doing homage, if at all, on their borders, and providing small contingents for military service, if any. Even in the Plantagenet lands, Louis advanced the royal position. Henry Plantagenet came to Paris to give homage in return for recognition in Normandy, something previous dukes had avoided. He went again as king in 1158, acknowledging that for his French lands: "I am his man." The Plantagenet sons made frequent visits to Paris to give homage. They offered Louis lands in return for recognition, weakening their grasp on vital border territories.

Even the practice of magnates having significant functions in the palace went into decline, but now a new sort of link began to be forged. The role of the magnates was altered by the emergence of large assemblies, sometimes local, sometimes broader. The assemblies at Vézelay and Etampes, in preparation for the Second Crusade, were an important step in the significance of something akin to national assemblies.

Louis's resistance to Frederick Barbarossa also paid dividends: in Flanders, Champagne and Burgundy. Barbarossa saw Louis as a 'kinglet', and coveted the lands between their respective realms, threatening and cajoling his French neighbours. Hostile relations developed between the kings, especially during the papal schism. Again Louis's Church policy gave him advantages. His favoured candidate for the papacy, Alexander III, carried the day, and Churches in the danger area turned to him as protector, as did some of the lesser nobility. The lord of Bresse offered himself as a vassal: 'come into this region where your presence is necessary to the churches as well as to me.'

Nor was Louis easy to push against his will. Even the count of Champagne experienced the king's wrath: 'you have presumed too far, to act for me without consulting me'. Louis's third marriage, to Adela in 1160, cemented his improving relations with the house of Champagne. He had transformed French policy to ally with the natural enemies of Anjou. Adela's brothers, Theobald V count of Blois, Henry the Liberal count of Champagne, Stephen count of Sancerre, and William who would be archbishop of Reims, became vital supporters of the crown; Theobald and Henry also married Louis's two daughters by Eleanor. The crown therefore did not have to face Henry II alone. When in 1173 Louis encouraged the rebellion by Young Henry, he could call to his support the counts of Flanders, Boulogne, Troyes, Blois, Dreux and Sancerre.

In the south Louis attempted to improve his position through marriage agreements. His marriage to Eleanor gave him an interest in Aquitaine, which was not completely abandoned after the divorce. He married his sister Constance to Raymond V count of Toulouse in 1154. In 1162 Raymond declared: 'I am your man, and all that is ours is yours.' It is true that Raymond' s marriage failed, his wife complaining 'he does not even give me enough to eat', and that Raymond flirted with a Plantagenet alliance, but only to join Richard against his father. By 1176 he had returned to the Capetian fold.

Louis used marriage as a prospect to cement relations with Flanders. Louis had brought Flanders into the coalition against Henry II, and now agreement was made for his son Philip to marry Isabella of Hainault, the count of Flanders' niece. The dukes of the other great eastern principality, Burgundy, were a branch of the royal family. As Fawtier has said, it was 'the only great fief over which royal suzerainty was never contested' - at least until the time of Philip Augustus. At Louis VI's coronation, three princes of the realm had refused to give homage. By the accession of Philip Augustus, liege homage of the great vassals to the crown had become the expected practice.

Vassals of the princes sometimes turned directly to the king for aid rather than to their own lords. Many in the south sought Louis's protection, including the viscountess of Narbonne, who declared: 'I am a vassal especially devoted to your crown'. Roger Trencavel received the castle of Minerve from Louis and did homage for it, though he was a vassal of the count of Toulouse, and the castle was not even the king's to give. William of Ypres, though a vassal of the count of Flanders, asked Louis to enfief his son Robert. Under Louis, not only were the great vassals brought closer, but Capetian influence was filtering through to a lower stratum of vassals.

Jim Bradbury - Philip Augustus, King of France, 1180-1223

[memolands]

Aristotle's school - The world's greatest ancient educational institution in Naoussa

Aristotle’s school – The world’s greatest ancient educational institution in Naoussa

   The ruins of school is the site where the greatest philosopher of the antiquity taught the greatness of classical Greek thought and the ideals of the Platonic philosophy to the King’s of Macedonia, Phillip II, son, Alexander and the other nobles of the Macedonian court. Aristotle was hired by Alexander’s father, Philip II of Macedon, to teach his son, and was given the Temple of the Nymphs as…

[gmqazi19739]

Aristotle 384-322 BCE: Biography, Top 20 Best Quotes

Aristotle (384-322 BCE) was a Greek philosopher and polymath whose work laid the foundation for much of Western philosophy and science. Born in Stagira, he studied under Plato in Athens before establishing his school, the Lyceum. Aristotle's interests spanned various fields, including metaphysics, ethics, politics, biology, and logic. His empirical approach and emphasis on systematic observation and classification significantly influenced the development of the scientific method. Aristotle's teachings on topics such as the "Golden Mean," the nature of reality, and the importance of virtue have had a lasting impact on both ancient and modern thought. Early Life Aristotle was born in 384 BCE in Stagira, a small town on the northern coast of Greece. His father, Nicomachus, served as the personal physician to King Amyntas of Macedon, which afforded Aristotle an early association with the Macedonian court. This connection would later prove pivotal in his life. Aristotle's parents died when he was still young, and he was subsequently raised by a guardian, Proxenus of Atarneus. Education and Influence At the age of 17, Aristotle moved to Athens to join Plato's Academy, where he spent 20 years as a student and then as a teacher. During this time, he was profoundly influenced by Plato's teachings, though he would eventually develop philosophical ideas that diverged significantly from those of his mentor. Aristotle's time at the Academy was crucial in shaping his thoughts on metaphysics, ethics, and natural philosophy. Teaching and Lyceum After Plato's death, Aristotle left Athens and spent some time traveling and studying in Asia Minor and Lesbos. During this period, he conducted research in biology and natural sciences. In 343 BCE, Aristotle was invited by King Philip II of Macedon to tutor his son, Alexander the Great. Aristotle's teachings would later influence Alexander's approach to governance and conquest. In 335 BCE, Aristotle returned to Athens and established his school, the Lyceum. The Lyceum was an institution for empirical research and philosophical discourse. Aristotle's lectures covered a broad array of subjects, including logic, metaphysics, ethics, politics, rhetoric, and the natural sciences. Philosophical Contributions Aristotle's contributions to philosophy and science are vast and varied. He is often regarded as the father of Western philosophy. His works include "Nicomachean Ethics," "Politics," "Metaphysics," "Poetics," and "On the Soul." Aristotle's approach was characterized by empirical observation and systematic classification, laying the groundwork for the scientific method. He believed in the concept of the "Golden Mean," which posits that virtue lies between extremes. Later Life and Legacy Following the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BCE, anti-Macedonian sentiment grew in Athens, leading Aristotle to flee to Chalcis on the island of Euboea. He lived there until he died in 322 BCE. Aristotle's influence persisted long after his death, profoundly shaping medieval scholarship through the works of Islamic and Christian philosophers and continuing to impact modern science and philosophy. Top 20 Quotes of Aristotle "Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom." Aristotle (384-322 BCE) "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts." Aristotle (384-322 BCE) "It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." Aristotle (384-322 BCE) "What is a friend? A single soul dwelling in two bodies." Aristotle (384-322 BCE) "Art aims to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance." Aristotle (384-322 BCE) "Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet." Aristotle (384-322 BCE) "Happiness depends upon ourselves." Aristotle (384-322 BCE) "The more you know, the more you realize you don't know." Aristotle (384-322 BCE) "The energy of the mind is the essence of life." Aristotle (384-322 BCE) "Wishing to be friends is quick work, but friendship is a slow-ripening fruit." Aristotle (384-322 BCE) "Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work." Aristotle (384-322 BCE) "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." Aristotle (384-322 BCE) "In all things of nature, there is something of the marvelous." Aristotle (384-322 BCE) "He who has overcome his fears will truly be free." Aristotle (384-322 BCE) "Quality is not an act, it is a habit." Aristotle (384-322 BCE) "To avoid criticism say nothing, do nothing, be nothing." Aristotle (384-322 BCE) "The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet." Aristotle (384-322 BCE) "The best way to avoid envy is to deserve the success you get." Aristotle (384-322 BCE) "Man is by nature a political animal." Aristotle (384-322 BCE) "To perceive is to suffer." Aristotle (384-322 BCE) Read the full article

[teenageread]

Review: Legacy of Kings

Synopsis:

Imagine a time when the gods turn a blind eye to the agony of men, when the last of the hellions roam the plains and evil stirs beyond the edges of the map. A time when cities burn, and in their ashes, empires rise.

Alexander, Macedonia’s sixteen-year-old heir, is on the brink of discovering his fated role in conquering the known world but finds himself drawn to a newcomer…

Katerina must navigate the dark secrets of court life while hiding her own mission: kill the Queen. But she doesn’t account for her first love…

Jacob will go to unthinkable lengths to win Katerina, even if it means having to compete for her heart with Hephaestion, a murderer sheltered by the prince.

And far across the sea, Zofia, a Persian princess and Alexander’s unmet betrothed, wants to alter her destiny by seeking the famed and deadly Spirit Eaters.

Weaving fantasy with the shocking details of real history, New York Times bestselling author of Sex with Kings Eleanor Herman reimagines the greatest emperor the world has ever known, Alexander the Great, in the first book of the Blood of Gods and Royals series.

Plot:

It was the day before Jacob was leaving that he told Kat he loved her. The Blood Tournament was a battle to the death with the winner receiving a cash prize that would set the winner up for a good life. Promising to marry her as soon as he returns as a winner, Jacob was wary when Kat did not seem overjoyed. That is because Kat had one mission to do before settling down and marrying Jacob. She must kill the woman that murdered her mother, which is difficult because that woman is the Queen. Following Jacob to the Blood Tournament, Kat meets Alex, the heir, and son of the person she wants dead. Not knowing who Kat is, Alex takes her under his wing and makes her a noble lady at the palace. Happy to meet Kat, Alex is not too pleased that Jacob won the tournament, as he wanted his childhood best friend, Heph, to win. As Alex does not have access to the palace funds, he was going to take Heph’s winnings to travel and find the fountain of youth to heal his birth deform that left him with a limp. Where Heph has been distant lately because of Alex’s affection for another stray, Cyn tries her luck to separate the dynamic duo and convince Heph that Alex is out to harm him. With Philip II of Macedon leaving to fight a war, the Queen and the teenagers of the palace are out to play with lying, thieving, love, and matter of the past become uncover as another war is blooming, one that Alex, Heph, Jacob, Cyn, and Kat have been waiting for.

Thoughts:

What a fantastic world Elanor Herman has set up for themselves. There are not many young adult novels that take place in 330 B.C, and very few books in general written about Alexander the Great life as a teenager, which is why Herman dominated the market with this series. Doing their research, Herman takes a creative spin on the story of Alexander the Great, adding in a lot of characters, and constantly switching point of view. This story moves roughly around eight (nine?) characters, consisting of Alex, Heph, Jacob, Cyn, Kat, Zo, the Queen, and honestly probably a lot more characters that I am forgetting. As the chapters are not titled with which point of view you are following, you figure it out pretty quickly as Herman makes their names one of the first few words, as the location does not really help as the majority of characters are within the palace. However, despite having so many characters, Herman does an excellent job at keeping them all relevant and keeping their stories interesting so it does not drag when it's their time to shine. With five parts, Herman keeps the plot moving steadily as you switch between characters who have all secrets with each other. For historical fiction, Herman did take some creative liberties, and it will be interesting to see what they do with the series as the story progresses and Alex grows up into the great conqueror he is meant to be. I took a university class on Alexander the Great, so I will be definitely keeping a close eye on the liberties Herman takes throughout the series, but so far they are doing well as they accurately tell the tale of Alex’s and Bucephalus meeting. Herman is definitely setting up for a series, as this book does an amazing job with setting up the storyline and introducing a lot of characters, with an ending that fills in some questions but leaves much more open.

Read more reviews: Goodreads

Buy the book: Amazon

[journalistjunction]

How Tall Was Alexander The Great? Who Did Alexander The Great Marry?

How Tall Was Alexander The Great? Who Did Alexander The Great Marry?

Alexander the Great was born on July 20, 356 B.C., to King Philip II of Macedon and Queen Olympia, a child of King Neoptolemus, in the Pella district of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia. The young prince and his sister were brought up in Pella’s royal court. Alexander was a dark-eyed, curly-headed boy who saw his father very little as a child because he was engaged in military operations…

[venicepearl]

Princess Elisabeth of Hesse and by Rhine, later Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna of Russia (1 November 1864 – 18 July 1918) was a German Hessian and Rhenish princess of the House of Hesse-Darmstadt, and the wife of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia, the fifth son of Emperor Alexander II of Russia and Princess Marie of Hesse and by Rhine. She was also a maternal great-aunt of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, the consort of Queen Elizabeth II.

A granddaughter of Queen Victoria and an older sister of Alexandra, the last Russian Empress, Elisabeth became famous in Russian society for her beauty and charitable works among the poor. After the Socialist Revolutionary Party's Combat Organization assassinated her husband with a bomb in 1905, Elisabeth publicly forgave Sergei's murderer, Ivan Kalyayev, and campaigned without success for him to be pardoned. She then departed the Imperial Court and became a nun, founding the Marfo-Mariinsky Convent dedicated to helping the downtrodden of Moscow. In 1918 she was arrested and ultimately murdered by the Bolsheviks.

In 1981 Elisabeth was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, and in 1992 by the Moscow Patriarchate.

[royalpain16]

A Brief History of Princess Diana’s Fiery Family

HADLEY HALL MEARES

JUNE 29, 2021 4:04 PM

According to Tina Brown’s The Diana Chronicles. Indeed, the role of the aristocratic family of Diana, Princess of Wales, for centuries has been that of royal disrupter. This legacy stretches to the 14th century, with their disputed ancestor Hugh Despenser’s alleged torrid affair with King Edward II and Despenser’s eventual brutal execution. Clever, charming, and fiery, much like Diana, her ancestors learned how to play the royal game—and then ripped up the rule book.

“Nearly 300 years on, my father would talk about him with an ashamed, resigned chuckle,” Charles, Earl Spencer, writes in The Spencers: A Personal History of an English Family of the mercurial family blackguard Robert Spencer (1641-1702). While the second earl would secure the Spencers’ status as political power players for centuries, he was also “cunning, supple [and] shameless” with “a restless and mischievous temper, a cold heart, and an abject spirt.”

Sunderland’s ascendancy began in the 1670s when he orchestrated King Charles II’s secret pact with England’s traditional enemy, France. Securing large payments from the French king and court for Charles II and himself, Sunderland was rewarded when he was appointed secretary of state.

After double-crossing Charles II’s illegitimate son, the Duke of Monmouth, Sunderland cleverly insinuated himself with new King James II. He converted to Catholicism to appeal to the very Catholic king, and became one of James II’s closest advisers. But the king, though he valued the brilliant man’s diplomatic skills, was fully aware of Sunderland’s duplicity.

James II finally dismissed Sunderland from service in 1688, and he was later exiled. But in December of that year, James II was deposed by the Glorious Revolution, bringing his daughter Mary and her husband, William, Prince of Orange, (with whom Sunderland had conspired) to the throne.

Again in favor, he was rewarded with the post of Lord Chamberlain before retiring from public life in 1697. “Too much cannot be said of his talents,” one historian noted. “Nor too little of his principles.”

The Boss: Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough

The daughter of Parliamentarian Richard Jennings and his scandalous wife, Frances, the passionate, brilliant Sarah (1660-1744) started out as a maid of honor in the court of James II. She became the most powerful woman in England, through her magnetic control of the future Queen Anne, a comparative dullard who worshipped her and perhaps became her lover. (You may remember their relationship from the 2018 movie The Favourite, in which Rachel Weisz played Sarah.)

For Sarah, her friendship with Anne was a way to advance her family and her liberal Whig politics, which she shared with her equally powerful husband, the military hero the Duke of Marlborough. “I hated tyranny by nature,” she wrote in one version of her memoir, according to Ophelia Field’s The Favourite: The Life of Sarah Churchill. “I thought mankind was born free, & if Princes were ordained to make their subjects happy; so I had always in me an invincible aversion to slavery, & to flattery.”

In 1700, Sarah arranged the marriage of her distant relation Charles Spencer, the future Third Earl of Sunderland, with her favorite daughter, Anne. Over the next 44 years, she would shape the family fortunes—and gift them with their famed auburn-tinted locks.

According to The Favourite: The Life of Sarah Churchill, with Anne’s accession to the throne in 1702 Sarah reached the peak of her power, racking up virtually every important post in Queen Anne’s suite, dictating cabinet appointments, and encouraging the ire of satirists.

But cracks would soon begin to appear. Queen Anne was naturally inclined to support the royalist Tories and was encouraged in these leanings by a new favorite named Abigail. A vindictive Sarah became a master propagandist, leaking insinuations about their relationship to the press, and allegedly threatening to blackmail Anne over the contents of their highly charged correspondence.

Sarah was finally forced to vacate her royal apartments in 1711, but she was not down for the count. A brilliant businesswoman, she became the richest woman in England, according to Field, controlling her Spencer grandchildren with promises of money and power. Centuries before the modern Diana and Prince Charles wed, Sarah even attempted to marry her favorite granddaughter—Lady Diana Spencer—to the broke Frederick, Prince of Wales, with a promise of 100,000-pound dowry. The plan fell through.

But not all her grandchildren were willing to be manipulated by their formidable matriarch. Sarah claimed her equally tough granddaughter Anne “[deserved] to be burnt,” and she disinherited her grandson Charles, Fifth Earl of Sunderland, which prompted him to write her:

As for putting me out of your will…I neither expected or desired to be in it. I…assure Your Grace that this is the last time I shall ever trouble you by letter or conversation. I am Your Grace’s grandson, Sunderland.

Sarah’s letter back was brutal. “You end that you are my grandson. Which is indeed a very melancholy truth…had you not been my grandson, you would have been in as bad a condition as you deserve to be.” Fitting words from a woman immortalized by Alexander Pope thusly:

Sixty years the World has been her Trade, The wisest Fool much Time has ever made. From loveless youth to unrespected age, No Passion gratify’d except her Rage.

The Star: Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire

From the start there was something special about Georgiana (1757-1806), the coddled daughter of John, First Earl Spencer and his wife, Margaret. The captivating teenager married the sophisticated William, Duke of Devonshire, in 1774, and quickly became a sensation in London’s highest circles. “[The Duchess of Devonshire] effaces all,” Horace Walpole wrote, according to The Devonshires: The Story of a Family and a Nation. “Her youth, figure, flowing good nature, sense…and modest familiarity, make her a phenomenon.”

Georgiana soon found her cold, older husband was not nearly as interested in her as everyone else. Luckily, she had many talents with which to amuse herself. She set fashions of the day, developed her own haughty way of speaking, known as the “Cavendish drawl,” and became dear friends with Marie Antoinette, according to Amanda Foreman’s The Duchess. She was also a successful novelist, and an amateur scientist.

But it was Georgiana’s brilliance as a Whig operative that would turn her into a target of the press. Constantly brainstorming with her friend, George, Prince of Wales, and political soulmate Charles James Fox, she hosted countless summits at her home. Georgiana was, she later wrote, “in the midst of the action,” seeing

“partys rise and fall—friends be united and disunited—the ties of love give way to caprice, to interest, and to vanity…”

Georgiana also worked essentially as a campaign manager for Whig candidates. During the 1784 election she bravely canvassed the street for Fox, charming Londoners with her common touch. “During her canvass,” Walpole wrote, “the Duchess made no scruple of visiting some of the humblest of electors, dazzling and enchanting them by the fascination of her manner, the power of her beauty and the influence of her high rank.”

According to Foreman’s The Duchess, there were rumors Georgiana kissed men in exchange for votes, leading to scurrilous cartoons distributed by the Tory opposition. “You have almost unavoidably amassed a great deal of useless trash—gathered weeds instead of flowers,” Lady Spencer wrote Georgiana. “You live so constantly in public you cannot live for your own soul.”

Her mother was worried about more than bad press. The hard-partying Georgiana was one of a long line of Spencer gambling addicts. She also had a laudanum dependency, and a scandalous ménage à trois arrangement with her husband and the disreputable Bess Foster. Calamity struck in 1792, when Georgiana became pregnant by the future Prime Minister Charles Grey and was banished from the country for a while.

Georgiana returned to her husband and children two years later. For the remainder of her life she battled ill health, but continued her role as a political operative, aware of what she could have been. “Would I were a man,” she mused to Sir Philip Francis. “To unite my talents, my hopes, my fortune, with [Charles James Fox’s], to make common cause, and fall or rule.”

From the start, the Spencer legacy laid heavily on John Spencer’s (1924-1992)

shoulders. As a child he was constantly cowed by his genealogically obsessed, brutal father, who considered him an intellectual lightweight. “He used to dread the train journey home [from boarding school],” his son, Diana’s brother Charles, writes. “He would hide in shadows of the train carriage, hoping his father had forgotten to collect him.”

But by the 1940s, John’s heroism as a captain in the Royal Scots Greys during World War II, and his tall, good looks and simple charm made him a most eligible bachelor. According to the documentary When the Spencers Met the Monarchy, he was even once looked at by the palace as a suitor to the future Queen Elizabeth II.

Instead, in 1954, Queen Elizabeth II (whom he served as an equerry) attended his wedding to heiress Frances Roche at Westminster Abbey. The couple had four children—Sarah, Jane, Diana, and Charles (another son, John, died shortly after birth). They were a mismatched pair, he rather dull and she vivacious, but John was reportedly blindsided when he discovered Frances was cheating on him. “How many of those years were happy?” he later said of his marriage. “I thought all of them until the moment that we parted.”

After the dissolution of his marriage, John became Diana and Charles’s primary caregiver and developed what Lord Glenconner once termed “an unfortunate raw sausage look.” Although he was stiff and old-fashioned, he attempted to be an involved father, and Diana was determined to be his “comforting angel,” according to The Diana Chronicles.

In 1975, John’s fortunes turned when his curmudgeonly father died, making him the Eighth Earl Spencer. According to Andrew Morton, he also inherited a 2.25-million-pound bill for death duties as well as 80,000-pounds-a-year running costs for Althorp, the family estate in Northamptonshire. He also found a helpmate to run Althorp in the fascinating Raine, Countess of Dartmouth, whom he married in 1976 without even telling his children. “We weren’t invited. ‘Not grand enough,’” his daughter Sarah quipped to a reporter at the time.

Despite the flippant tone, John’s betrayal would cause a deep rift in the family. A severe stroke in 1978 caused him to become frail and even more distant from his children. “He was one person before and he was certainly a different person after,” Princess Diana said, according to Morton. “He’s remained estranged but adoring since. If he comes and sees me he comes and sees me, if he doesn’t he doesn’t. It’s not my problem anymore. It’s his.”

The Rebel: Frances Shand Kydd

Frances Ruth Roche (1936-2004) wasn’t from as noble stock as the Spencers, but her family was far richer. Her father Maurice, fourth Baron Fermoy, was a conservative politician and a “terrible bottom pincher,” Lady Glenconner says in The Diana Chronicles, while her wealthy mother, Ruth, was a scheming, incurable snob and great friend of Elizabeth, the Queen Mother.

It was Ruth who encouraged a teenage Frances to marry the much older John Spencer, despite her tender age. “When you meet someone at the age of 15 and get engaged just five months out of school at 17, you can look back and ask, ‘Was I adult?’” she asked years later. “I sure thought I was at the time.”

The couple cultivated a farm at her family home of Park House in Norfolk, but Frances was quickly disillusioned with life in the country as a young aristocratic mother. “I’m so bloody bored with opening village fetes,” she told a friend. It was no wonder that the fiery Frances wanted more. “She was very attractive and blonde and sexy with such joie de vivre and fun about her,” a friend told Brown, author of The Diana Chronicles.

By the 1960s, Frances escaped to London more and more. She also started having an affair with a married bon vivant named Peter Shand Kydd. In 1967, she separated from John and left her two youngest children with him. “The biggest disruption was when Mummy decided to leg it. That’s the vivid memory we have—the four of us,” Princess Diana later told Andrew Morton.

Frances fought for custody of the children but lost to John, partially due to her own mother, Baroness Fermoy, who testified against her. Social outcasts, the Shand Kydds eventually moved to the coast of Scotland, and their warm household was a refuge for her children when they were allowed to visit. “Diana and I adored it for its wild beauty and the fun we had on the sea, lobster potting and mackerel-fishing,” Charles Spencer recalls.

Frances counseled against her youngest daughter’s marriage to Prince Charles, seeing too many parallels to her own first marriage—including her mother’s encouragement of the match. According to Brown, after voicing her concerns, Diana said, “Mummy, you don’t understand. I love him.” Frances replied, “Love him, or love what he is?” To which Diana asked rhetorically, “What’s the difference?”

The Grande Dames: Barbara Cartland and Raine Spencer

Perhaps no writer influenced generations of British romantics—including Princess Diana—more than Barbara Cartland (1901-2000). The author of 723 books, Cartland had, in the words of Brown, a “penchant for pink, her meringue coiffure and false eyelashes,” which betrayed a steely, snobbish character that was tough as nails.

Cartland would pass both her strength and outrageousness on to her daughter Raine (1929-2016), whom she raised to be, in Brown’s words, a “social monster baby.” Not only did she nab Gerald Legge, Ninth Earl of Dartmouth, but she also forged a career as a conservative politician, becoming the youngest person to ever serve on the Westminster City Council.

“She never took any prisoners, and never took no for an answer,” a friend recalled.

In the early 1970s, Raine set her sights on the divorced John Spencer. “She wanted to marry Daddy; that was her target and that was it,” Princess Diana recalled. According to sources, “Acid Raine” alienated the children and old friends. She also took the reins of Althorp, allegedly selling off family treasures and decorating it in her and her mother’s garish style.

During the lead-up to Diana’s wedding to Prince Charles in 1981, what to do with the clownish Cartlands became a national conversation. According to Brown:

Alexander Chancellor, the editor of The Spectator, wrote an editorial in which he called for a special Act of Parliament to ban Raine and her mother from St. Paul’s Cathedral, adding, “For it would be more than a little unfair on everybody if these two absurdly theatrical ladies were permitted to turn a moving national celebration into a pantomime.” Diana was so afraid the pantomime might indeed take place, she pressed for stratagems to blackball Cartland.

In the end Raine was invited but her mother was not. This would not be the most awkward Spencer wedding—that prize would go to Charles Spencer’s first wedding in 1989, where Diana scolded Raine for her rudeness to their mother. “If only you knew how much we all hated you for what you’ve done, you’ve ruined the house, you spend Daddy’s money and what for?” she hissed.

For her part, Raine would tire of being the scapegoat for the Spencer dysfunction. “I’m absolutely sick of the ‘wicked stepmother’ lark,” she said, according to Kitty Kelley. “You’re never going to make me sound like a human being, because people like to think I’m Dracula’s mother.”

Surprisingly, Diana would come to agree. Toward the end of her life, she grew close to her stepmother, whose no-nonsense advice she came to admire. However, it appears there was no love lost between Diana and her former favorite writer, who would quip of the royal breakup, “Of course, you know where it all went wrong. She wouldn’t do oral sex.”

The Role Model: Lady Sarah McCorquodale

Born in 1955, Sarah Spencer was the oldest, and wildest of John and Frances Spencer’s brood. Reckless and salty from an early age, Brown writes that she was kicked out of boarding school and rode her horse into her grandmother’s living room. “Sarah always had to be the best at everything,” a friend recalled. “The best car, the wittiest put-down, and the best dress.”

She also had a constant shadow in her youngest sister, Diana. “I idolized my eldest sister and I used to do all her washing when she came back from school. I packed her suitcase, ran her bath, made her bed—the whole lot. I did it all and I thought it was wonderful,” Diana told Morton.

In 1977, Sarah, who had suffered from anorexia, according to Brown, met Prince Charles at Ascot. The two began dating, and it was Sarah who introduced Diana to the prince during a shooting party at Althorp (“I’m cupid,” she’d later quip). “I remember,” Diana later said, “feeling desperately sorry for him that my sister was wrapped around his neck because she’s quite a tough old thing.”

But Sarah’s romance with the prince would soon end. She made the mistake of talking to reporters. Not only did she reportedly confess to having “thousands of boyfriends,” she also disparaged Charles as a hopeless romantic. “I wouldn’t marry a man I didn’t love, whether it was a dustman or the King of England,” she said. “If he asked me I would turn him down.”

This cardinal sin would cause Sarah to be promptly frozen out, with Charles reportedly informing her, “You’ve just done something extremely stupid.” And so, only three years later Charles would begin to court the blossoming Diana. Perhaps there was a hint of jealousy in her alleged counsel to a despondent Diana to not pull out of the wedding over his relationship with Camilla: “Bad luck, ‘Duch. Your face is on the tea towels so you’re too late to chicken out.”

[earnestly-endlessly]

Bridgeton AU!!!! yespleasethankskbye

Thanks for the ask @pinkoptics. I do love my period drama and when I watched Bridgerton I thought of all the ways I could cherik it. Now you can’t quite match the storyline entirely to the characters of x-men so I had to develop different ways to establish family connections and backgrounds. This is the idea I have currently, and it might change. The main idea of Bridgerton is there, but some of the characters are merged into others so that the characterisation makes sense. Also, this is A/B/O universe so those are the main differences. But I hope you enjoy what I have. 

Bridgerton AU

As London’s social season is fast approaching, Charles Xavier is about to make his formal introduction into high society at the annual Debutante Ball hosted by Queen Emma. Every year the queen hosts the debutante ball where young omegas of noble and gentry families are presented to the royal court. After being presented at court, debutantes are allowed to partake in all the exclusive social events of high society. More importantly, after their debut the young noble omegas are considered eligible for marriage. The season is anticipated by everyone in town, especially when the elusive secret columnist who writes under the pseudonym Lady Whistledown follows reports on the proceedings with her ever watchful gaze.

Charles Xavier is the only son of Brian Xavier and Sharon Marko nee Xavier. After Brian Xavier’s untimely death, Sharon is forced into marriage to Brian’s business partner and friend, Kurt Marko. Kurt Marko has a son Cain from a previous marriage (his wife passed away under suspicious circumstances but there was no proof of foul play). Cain is brutish and boisterous and terribly dim witted. He harbours jealousy towards Charles who is smart, well-read and friendly to all. Charles is also proud and ambitious. Together Kurt and Sharon have Raven who is very close to Charles and becomes overprotective of him.

Kurt Marko doesn’t care about his omega stepson’s societal status and is keen to marry him off as soon as possible. He has made an arrangement with Lord William Stryker II who has shown Charles great interest. Kurt Marko owes Stryker’s father hefty money as he has been spending the Xavier fortune on gambling and indulging his and his wife’s overly excessive lifestyle. By marrying Charles to Stryker’s son, he has solved all of his problems. His plan to marry Charles quietly off to William Stryker II is dashed when Charles receives attention and high praise from the queen herself at the Debutante ball. Suddenly, Charles becomes the most sought after omega of the season and every noble and single alpha is after his hand in marriage.

When Charles and the Marko´s are invited to the first social gathering at the Summers residence in Kensington Charles becomes hopeful of finding a suitable mate. Despite his independence and keen mind, Charles is also very much aware that in order to leave the Markos household he must find a suitable mate.

The Summers family lives near the Marko´s and are an unusually large family. Christopher and Katherine have eight children, Scott being the oldest of them. He has his eyes set on young miss Jean Grey who is also one of the more favourable omegas of the season. The Summers have four omegas to present for the debutante: Henry Philip ´Hank´, Alexander ‘Alex’, Anna Marie and Sean. Their three youngest, Katherine ‘Kitty’, Nathaniel and Gabriel are too young to be presented. Charles and Raven have been close friends with the Summers siblings since childhood. Charles is especially close to Hank who is awkward and doesn’t have the typical small stature of young noble omegas. Hank doesn’t want to sacrifice his studies and get married to a noble alpha. He wants a future in academia and spends most of his time holed in the library with his stack of books.

During the Summers ball, Charles is eager to be introduced to eligible alphas but realizes that Kurt has no intention of making his formal introductions. Raven is of no help either. As an alpha, Raven knows many of the alphas who have their eye on Charles and feels as if they would all take advantage of her brother. She even steers him away from the dashing Lord Azazel and the lovely Lady Braddock. There are also more disagreeable suitors such as Lord William Stryker II whose attempts of seduction are repulsive and aggravating. In his haste to remove himself from Stryker’s presence Charles accidentally stumbles into a tall, handsome alpha. In his desperation to get out of Stryker’s hands he attempts to engage the alpha in a conversation with no luck. It turns out that the alpha is rude, proud and standoffish. Charles deems his character altogether unpleasant though he begrudgingly admits that he is handsome, and his scent is pleasing. Thankfully Raven sweeps him away before he can make any more fool of himself. Raven explains to him that he just ran into Erik Lehnsherr, Duke of Hastings. Raven warns Charles of the Duke who is an acquaintance of hers. Despite her young age, Raven has tried to establish her place in the alpha community of the noble and gentry of London. In her experience the Duke is taciturn and aloof with no intention of marrying.

Much to his dismay, Jean Grey receives all the attention that night. This becomes even worse when the Summers family present their cousin and ward, Angel Salvadore, at the next ball who gains the attention of everyone with her beauty and charm. Little does the family know that she has secrets of her own that are best kept under wraps.

The days following the Summers ball Charles is called on by various suitors but Kurt Marko´s ominous presence and Raven’s forthright comments and criticism of the suitors repel most of them away.

Charles hopes that he’ll have better luck at the ball hosted by Viscount MacTaggert. At the ball, Kurt informs Charles that he has agreed to give Charles’ hand to Lord William Stryker II in marriage. Charles refuses to marry Stryker and storms off. As he seeks solace in the quiet rose garden, Charles is ambushed by none other than Stryker who attempts to take advantage of him. He’s instantly grateful when a tall, dark figure arrives in time to strike Stryker in the head and render him unconscious. Unfortunately for Charles, his saviour is none other than Duke Erik Lehnsherr himself and Charles reluctantly thanks him for saving him (though he assures him that he could have taken care of it himself). The Duke merely humors him and offers to escort him back to the party. Charles explains to him his predicament and Kurt’s acceptance of Stryker’s proposal on his behalf.

During Charles’ explanation, Erik halts him in his step and proposes an idea that is so absurd that Charles can’t help but laugh. Erik proposes that they pretend to court each other. With Charles on his arm everyone would believe that he has found his true mate and he would be free of the constant wooing of young, impressionable omegas. This would help Charles gain the attention of eligible Alphas of good standing, and to challenge his stepfather who has already promised his hand to Stryker. Unknown to Charles, Erik has made a vow to never marry and have children due to events from his past that involve his father Jakob Lehnsherr and his father’s associate Sebastian Shaw. Erik intends to end the toxic reign of his father’s and shaw’s influence by ending their legacy with himself. His last vow to his father was that he would never conceive children and involve an omega into the legacy his father left on his deathbed.

At first their arrangement goes exactly to plan. Charles’ new relationship with the Duke makes suitors seek him out at every ball and he receives severe calls a day from hopeful suitors. The whole affair draws the attention of the handsome Colonel James Howlett and the dashing General Steve Rogers (who harbours a scandalous secret that gets reported in Lady Whistledown’s column). When the queen herself invites Charles to tea at the palace she introduces him to her cousin Prince Warren Worthington III who shows Charles great interest Charles finally feels as if he can escape Kurt Marko’s clutches at last.

The only problem is that as Charles continues his ruse with the Duke…Erik, he starts to become fond of him. Once taciturn and cold, Erik seems to let his guard down when he is around Charles. As their charade goes on Charles begins to form a sort of attachment to Erik and finds that not merely does he seek his presence, but he looks forward to their chaperoned outings. Moreover, Erik gives him lingering, burning glances and subtle touches that makes his skin tingle. But Charles can’t harbour feelings for Erik when he has plenty of other suitors. Besides, Charles is sure that he doesn’t feel the same way about him. He probably sees him as a naïve, foolish omega with no worth.

Their whole charade takes a turn when lady Jean Grey witnesses Erik kiss Charles without an escort present in the maze by the Grey manor house. Jean Grey threatens to reveal the truth and Charles knows that it will ruin him and his prospects entirely. Raven challenges Erik to a duel since it’s her duty to protect her brother’s virtue. Charles manages to stop the proceedings before they go any further and pleas for them to stop, eventually begging Erik to marry him and end their foolish escapades. With reluctance Erik agrees to marry Charles. Raven is furious at Charles and claims that she can end this without Charles having to sacrifice his happiness and freedom. However, Charles is steadfast. Erik agrees to marry Charles but makes it clear that he can‘t and won‘t have children. In his desperation Charles agrees.

However, Charles does not know the reason behind Erik‘s refusal to have children and in the first weeks of their marriage he gives it no heed. Eventually, Charles finds out the truth and challenges Erik‘s decision which ultimately challenges their fragile relationship. Charles‘ belief that Erik was starting to care for him shatters which makes him question his growing feelings for him.

Their whole affair is closely followed by Lady Whistledown‘s column. Not only is the affair between Charles Xavier and the Duke the talk of town, but Ms. Salvadore‘s affair with young Mr. Armando Munoz who was believed to hold the affection of Alexander Summers. Things become even more complicated when Lady Whisteldown reports that Ms. Salvadore has a dark secret of her own.

[alessandroiiidimacedonia]

Paperback out soon: "The Courts of Philip II and Alexander the Great. Monarchy and Power in Ancient Macedonia" by Frances Pownall, Sulochana R. Asirvatham and Sabine Müller (editors)

Good day and happy Sunday everyone, I’m Elena and thanks to be here on Alessandro III di Macedonia, the blog about Alexander the Great and Hellenism. This is a must-have release for all of us: The Courts of Philip II and Alexander the Great. Monarchy and Power in Ancient Macedonia by Frances Pownall, Sulochana R. Asirvatham and Sabine Müller (editors) Publisher: De Gruyter Out on: October 23,…

[jeannereames]

Hello, I hope you're well :D I have some questions related to Olympias.

Was she "de facto leader of Macedonia" as it says on wikipedia? She was also regent for her cousin Eacides, and for a few months also regent on behalf of Alexander IV?

I’ve actually written a fair number of entries on Olympias. But in most, I refer to THE leading authority on her life: Elizabeth D. Carney. The number of articles (and books) this woman has written is a just a little scary!

If you are interested in Olympias, ignore everything on the internet (even me) and go and buy Beth’s book: Olympias: Mother of Alexander the Great. It’s been out a while, so you can probably find it used at a fair price, or find it in a library, especially a university library. If you can’t find it or afford to buy it, ask the library to get it for you via “interlibrary loan.”

Bonus. She’s easy to read, has a very good narrative style (imo). And yes, when she gives lectures, she talks just like she writes. Ha. (Not all authors do.) When I’m reading Beth’s stuff, I can almost always “hear” her voice in my head, amusingly.

Anyway, just start there; she will answer every question you have, and some you never would have thought of. Very rarely can I give such a singular “Go read this” suggestion as with Beth’s book on Olympias. She has several other good ones, including on Macedonian women generally, and on Eurydike, Philip II’s mother (e.g., ATG’s grandmother).

Now, as for my own posts on Olympias, here are some. I mention her quite frequently (as a search of “asks” + “Olympias” will show), but these are some of the longer ones.

Olympias’s role in Macedonia was complicated, and she was not de facto leader except in some respects, especially as it involved religion. When it came to war, and politics, that was Antipatros. That may be one reason Olympias eventually retreated to Epiros later in Alexander’s campaign, where she had more influence. But again, Beth’s book is much better about explaining all of that.

How Old Was Olympias When She Married Philip? A general post on Olympias herself and her background, that should help contextualize where she came from and what expectations she may have had, for her role as Philip’s 4th or 5th wife.

Olympias’s Relationships with Philip’s Other Wives. This discusses dynamics in a polygamous household like Macedonia.

Did Philip and Alexander of Epiros Have an Affair? While this is more about Olympias’s younger brother, it addresses, again, family dynamics in Epiros and Olympias’s role at the court (both courts).

Finally, a pair of posts on Philip’s murder, and Alexander and Olympias’s (non-)role in it. IMO.

Who Killed Philip of Macedon?

Did Alexander and Hephaistion (and Olympias) Know about the Plot?

Hope all this helps!

[speakinghistorically]

Ra-Ra Rasputin

It was called the “Royal Disease”. The price of generations of inbreeding. It had a not insignificant part to play in the downfall of the Russian tsars. I am talking about Hemophilia, of course. Hemophilia is a genetic disorder that inhibits the blood’s ability to clot effectively. This means that a cut has the chance to be fatal. Bruises, which are just bleeding under the skin, can be serious and bleeding in the joints or in the brain can be likewise fatal. Before blood transfusions were readily available, acute hemophilia was nearly always a death sentence. 

There are varying degrees of seriousness. Some people only experience symptoms after traumatic injuries or surgery. Others have the condition from birth and must constantly be vigilant or risk dire consequences. 

“But what does this have to do with the fall of the Russian tsars?” you ask. Patience, my followers, patience. You see, hemophilia is most often passed down through a family. My knowledge of science cuts off around 1870, so I don’t understand the intricacies of genetics. But, to my understanding, hemophilia is commonly passed down through the female line. It is a recessive gene linked to the X chromosome. Women are carriers, but rarely exhibit symptoms. If women who are carriers have children with men who are susceptible, there is a good chance their male children will have the disease and their female children will be carriers.  The reason why it was called the “Royal Disease” is that, due to centuries of marriages between cousins or other relatives, most of the monarchs in Europe were related to each other. The English were no exception. Queen Victoria married Prince Albert, her first cousin in 1840. They had 9 children together and several of them were known to be either hemophiliacs or carriers. 

(Side note: Both Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip are descendants of Queen Victoria. Nice to know they’re keeping up the tradition of marrying relatives!)

I’m getting to Russia, I promise. You see, one of Victoria and Albert’s daughters, Alice married into German royalty and became the Grand Duchess of Hesse. She was certainly a carrier because one of her sons died of hemophilia and her daughters were carriers as well, including daughter Alix, who married Tsar Nicolas II of Russia and became Tsarina Alexandria of Russia. Alex and Nicolas were by all accounts loving parents to their 5 children: Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia and Alexander. They were not, however, great at ruling Russia, especially at the turn of the century when tensions between the proletariat and ruling class were rising. When Alexander, the heir apparent, began showing symptoms of hemophilia his parents were devasted. His illness was the highest state secret. Nobody outside the royal family and their personal physician knew. So when Alex devoted all her time and energy to her ailing son it appeared she was neglecting her duties as a head of state. When Nicolas did the same, the situation of Russia rapidly disintegrated as World War One was starting to unfold. 

One of the final nails in the coffin of the Tsar’s rule was the presence of Rasputin in the royal inner circle. Rasputin was a peasant, which made him unpopular with the nobility. He was rumoured to be part of a heretical religious sect, which made him unpopular with the Orthodox Church. He was also the only person who seemed to be able to help Alexander. The wildest thing is, to this day nobody knows for certain why Rasputin was successful in treating Alexander. Theories range from hypnosis to psychic powers. But because nobody knew Alexander was sick in the first place, Rasputin’s presence in the court was never properly explained. He was just this weird, smelly monk who had a rather unsavoury reputation for debauchery that was closer to the royal family than almost anyone else in Russia. Of course, rumours flew that he was having an affair with the Tsarina and the oldest daughters, further eroding their popularity. Eventually, the Tsar and his family became so unpopular that he had to abdicate the throne. The last Tsar and his family were executed not long after. And there you have it. The somewhat tragic story of how hemophilia helped to bring down a 300-year old dynasty. 

[jezabelofthenorth]

First round of 2020 Tudor releases

Henry VII and the Tudor Pretenders, Nathen Amin (July 15 2020)

For the first time in one compelling and comprehensive account, Nathen Amin looks at the myriad of shadowy conspiracies and murky plots which sought to depose the Tudor usurper early in his reign, with particular emphasis on the three pretenders whose causes were fervently advanced by Yorkist dissidents - Lambert Simnel, Perkin Warbeck, and Edward, Earl of Warwick. Just how close did the Tudors come to overthrow long before the myth of their greatness had taken hold on our public consciousness?

Katherine Parr: Queen, Sinner, Survivor by Don Matzat (15 Apr 2020)

Unlike other biographies, which have focused on the court politics of the Tudor era, the romantic desires of Henry VIII that drove his serial marriages, and the military and economic challenges to England at the time, this biography remembers the central influence of religious belief on the king and queen, and explains how Katherine’s devotion to the self-questioning protestant ethos had a directing influence on her actions. In particular, the author identifies her seminal work, ‘The Lamentation of a Sinner’, as the key to unlocking Katherine’s personality.

The Man Behind the Tudors: Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk by Kirsten Claiden-Yardley (30 January 2020)

During the course of the fifteenth century, he and his father would rise through the political and social ranks as a result of their loyal service to Edward IV and Richard III. In a tragic turn of events, all their hard work was undone at the Battle of Bosworth and his father was killed fighting for King Richard. Imprisoned for treason and stripped of his lands and titles, Thomas had to start from the beginning to gain the trust of a new king. He spent the next thirty-five years devoting his administrative, military and diplomatic skills to the Tudors whilst rebuilding his family fortunes and ensuring that his numerous children were well-placed to prosper

1520: The Field of the Cloth of Gold, Amy Licence (15 May 2020)

This book explores not only the political dimension of their meeting, and the difficult triangle they established with Emperor Charles V, but also the material culture behind the scenes. While the courtiers attended masques, dances, feasts and jousts, an army of servants toiled in the temporary village created specially for that summer. Who were the men and women behind the scenes? What made Henry rush back into the arms of the Emperor immediately after the most expensive two weeks of his entire reign? And what was the long-term result of the meeting, of that sea of golden tents and fountains spouting wine?

Elizabeth I’s Secret Lover: Robert Earl of Leicester, Robert Sedall (30 March 2020)

Lord Robert Dudley has faced criticism from historians by competing with William Cecil to gain the ear of Elizabeth I and thwarting his efforts to arrange a political marriage for her to protect against Continental Catholic aggression. There can be no doubt that Elizabeth wanted to marry him. He was devastatingly attractive, athletic and loyal. The text provides compelling evidence that the virgin queen' spent time in bed with him. An influential and important character of the Elizabethan age, this biography places Robert Dudley within the context of the time and how he navigated court as the favourite of the infamous Elizabeth I.

Mary and Philip: The Marriage of Tudor England and Habsburg Spain by Alexander Samson (31 Jan 2020)

The co-monarchy of Mary I and Philip II put England at the heart of early modern Europe. This positive reassessment of their joint reign counters a series of parochial, misogynist and anti-Catholic assumptions, correcting the many myths that have grown up around the marriage and explaining the reasons for its persistent marginalisation in the historiography of sixteenth-century England

[jeannereames]

Hi Dr. Reames! I wondered if you’d read ‘Philip and Alexander: Kings and Conquerers’ by Adrian Goldsworthy, or if you had any opinion on it? I’m thinking about buying it but I wasn’t too sure about it and thought I’d ask you! :)

I have not read it, no, so I can't tell you much about it.

Goldsworthy is a respected military historian, but really a Romanist. That's part of why I've not hurried to read the book. Every year a BOATload of articles by specialists comes out, so my reading time tends to go to that, to keep up with what my colleagues are theorizing. I just reviewed the Pownall/Asirvatham/Muller collection The Courts of Philip & Alexander the Great (from DeGruyter). I recommend it. There are a couple oddball papers in it, but that's true of most conference proceedings. Quite a few important articles in that collection, if the court is your thing. :-)

But it is, of course, ridiculously expensive. So get it from a library, via ILL (interlibrary loan).

If you want a more introductory book, and more reasonably priced, I'd recommend Ed Anson's recent one Philip II: Father of Alexander the Great. Themes and Issues. It's really meant as a textbook, but it's one of the better recent books on ol' Phil. And (unlike Goldsworthy) Anson is a Macedonian specialist, especially on Philip.

So I'd put my money into Anson's book, not Goldsworthy's. the latter may be perfectly fine--probably is--but also probably won't reflect the most recent work in the field, which Ed's will. (I still think he's wrong about when the Pezhetairoi came to be applied to the whole phalanx, but that's a specialists' quarrel, ha. Ed's scholarship is dead solid.)