This article was written by Carol. Valentina was born about 1370, the daughter of Gian Galleazo Visconti, Duke of Milan and the French princess Isabella de Valois. Valentina’s mother died in 1373, and she was mainly raised by her grandmother, Bianca of Savoy. Bianca was a cultured woman, and she passed on to Valentina a [read more]
A regent is “a person appointed to administer a state because the monarch is a minor, is absent or is incapacitated.” Blanche of Castile was born on 4 March 1188 as the daughter of Alfonso VIII of Castile and Eleanor of England. Not much is known of her youth. At the age of 12, Blanche was [read more]
In the mid-ninth century, Francia was rocked by the first royal divorce scandal of the Middle Ages: the attempt by King Lothar II of Lotharingia to rid himself of his queen, Theutberga and remarry. Even ‘women in their weaving sheds’ were allegedly gossiping about the lurid accusations made. Kings and bishops from neighbouring kingdoms, and [read more]
Marie Thérèse was born at the Palace of Versailles on 19 December 1778 as the daughter of King Louis XVI of France and his wife, Marie Antoinette (Maria Antonia of Austria). Her birth came seven years after her parents’ marriage and her gender was a disappointment, though not for Marie-Antoinette who said, “Poor little one, [read more]
Delve deeper into the world of the BBC hit drama series Versailles, and discover the real Marie-Antoinette in this ground-breaking study of her secret love affair with the Swedish diplomat Count Axel von Fersen. For the first time an historian has compiled all the known letters between Swedish count Axel von Fersen and Marie-Antoinette, including six [read more]
Louis XV of France and his wife Marie Leszczyńska had a successful marriage and Marie gave birth to ten children, of which eight were daughters. For the French, the boys were more important, as women could not succeed to the throne. Her eldest son, Louis Ferdinand, died before he could become King, but he had three [read more]
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