Helen Gloag
Helen Gloag – Slave to Sultana of Morocco
Helen went from blacksmith’s daughter to the Empress of Morocco. [read more]
Year: 2017
Lilian of Sweden
Love against all odds – The miner’s daughter who became Princess of Sweden
This article was written by Sophie Strid. Lillian May Davies was born on 30 August 1915 in Wales to miner William Davis and his wife, Gladys. She grew up in the slums of Swansea with her mother after her father had abandoned the family. In 1931, 16-year-old Lillian moved to London with hopes of a [read more]
Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont
Arolsen Palace – The Wedding of William and Emma
Arolsen Palace was built between 1711 and 1722 by Count Ulrich zu Waldeck. The construction that was on the site was completely torn down. The new baroque palace was the birthplace of Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont, the future Queen (regent) of the Netherlands, who famously remarked “We can’t just let the poor man go home all [read more]
China
Imperial Consort Shangguan Wan’er – China’s female Prime Minister
Shangguan Wan’er was one of Tang dynasty’s greatest poets and was known to be “the first female premier in China.”[1] She also played a “larger role in male literary culture, both as writer and arbiter than any other woman in Chinese history”.[2] Shangguan Wan’er is one of the very few women in Chinese history who rose to [read more]
Elisabeth of France (1764 - 1794)
One step closer to sainthood for Marie-Antoinette’s sister-in-law
Élisabeth of France had just celebrated her 30th birthday when she was removed from the Temple, where she had been imprisoned with her sister-in-law, Marie-Antoinette, Marie-Antoinette’s daughter Marie-Thérèse and son, now King Louis Louis XVII. Only Marie-Thérèse would emerge from the Temple alive. Élisabeth was executed on 10 May 1794 along with 23 others. She reportedly conversed [read more]
Jang Hui-Bin
Queen Jang Hui-Bin – The Korean Femme Fatale
Queen Jang Hui-bin’s reputation has often been negative. According to historian Hwang, her story has some similarities to Anne Boleyn.[1] Throughout history, she has been labelled as a “stubborn, licentious, decadent, femme fatale.”[2] She is said to have seduced King Sukjong and made him divorce his queen, Inhyeon, and make her queen in her place. She was [read more]