August 2024 - Page 3 of 5 - History of Royal Women

The Dutch Sapphire Parure Tiara

Friday, 16 August 2024, 6:00 Moniek Bloks 0

The Dutch Sapphire Parure Tiara consists of 655 brilliants and 32 sapphires and made perhaps its most famous outing on the head of Queen Maxima during the inauguration of her husband, King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands. Embed from Getty Images The largest sapphire has an intersection of 2 centimetres and consists of 44 carats, and [read more]

The Year of Isabella I of Castile – The death of Isabella’s mother

Thursday, 15 August 2024, 6:00 Moniek Bloks 0

On 15 August 1496, Queen Isabella I of Castile’s mother, Isabella of Portugal, died at Arévalo. The elder Isabella was born sometime in 1428 as the daughter of John, Constable of Portugal, the fourth son of King John I of Portugal, and his half-niece, Isabel of Barcelos. She married King John II of Castile on [read more]

Magdalena of Austria – The venerable Archduchess

Wednesday, 14 August 2024, 6:00 Moniek Bloks 0

Magdalena of Austria was born on 14 August 1532 as the daughter of the future Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor and Anne of Bohemia and Hungary. She was their sixth child and fourth daughter, and she was born in Innsbruck. She was just 14 years old when her mother died in childbirth. The sisters were [read more]

Empress Guo Shengtong – The luckiest deposed Empress in Chinese history

Monday, 12 August 2024, 6:00 Lauralee Jacks 0

Empress Guo Shengtong was the first Empress of Emperor Guangwu of the Eastern Han Dynasty. She was Empress for fifteen years and bore him six children. Yet, she was deposed for political reasons.[1] However, historians consider her to be very lucky.[2] After her deposition, Empress Guo Shengtong enjoyed a comfortable life.[3] Even though she would no longer [read more]

Book News Week 33

Sunday, 11 August 2024, 0:00 Moniek Bloks 0

*contains affiliate links* Book News Week 33 – 12 August – 18 August 2024 The Boleyns: From the Tudors to the Windsors Paperback – 15 August 2024 (US) Young Queens: The Intertwined Lives of Catherine de’ Medici, Elisabeth de Valois, and Mary, Queen of Scots Paperback – 13 August 2024 (US)

Book Review: Young Queens: Three Renaissance Women and the Price of Power by Leah Redmond Chang

Saturday, 10 August 2024, 6:00 Moniek Bloks 0

*review copy* *contains affiliate links* Young Queens: Three Renaissance Women and the Price of Power by Leah Redmond Chang follows the stories of Catherine de’ Medici, her daughter Elisabeth, Queen of Spain, and her daughter-in-law, Mary, Queen of Scots. Particularly Mary, Queen of Scots, has been covered extensively by historians, so I was glad to [read more]