The Secret Diary of Edward VI (and other monarchs)

Yes, Edward VI and other monarchs wrote diaries. Here are some extracts : Edward VI, early 1547: “After the death of King Henry th’eight his son Edward prince of Wales was come to at Hartford by th’erle of Hartford and S[ir] Anthony Brown Master of t’horse for whom befor was made great preparation that he…

“Useful Charts” tries to answer the big question: the Roman Empire

The Roman Empire dates back to this day in 27BC, when Augustus assumed the title Princeps, to end (in the West) with Romulus Augustulus’ deposition in 476 and (in the East or Byzantine) with the defeat and death of Constantine XI by the Ottomans at Constintinople in 1453. So, who is the hypothetical Roman Emperor…

The Middle Ages and the movies….

  “….In The Middle Ages and the Movies eminent historian Robert Bartlett takes a fresh, cogent look at how our view of medieval history has been shaped by eight significant films of the twentieth century. The book ranges from the concoction of sex and nationalism in Mel Gibson’s Braveheart, to Fritz Lang’s silent masterpiece Siegfried, the art-house classic The Seventh Seal to…

Not Russian to judgement?

So, having examined the succession to the English monarchy according to Henry VIII’s will and the British monarchy if James VII/II had not been ousted, what do “Useful Charts” make of Russia? First, a few points to note:1) Russia had a monarch as late as 1917, more recently than France (1871).2) The Russian Revolution, with…

What has MKJ started?

If you watched Channel Four on the first Saturday evening in January 2003, then you will probably remember Michael K. Jones and Tony Robinson discussing Edward IV‘s possible illegitimacy, followed by Britain’s Real Monarch, an investigation into the King or Queen of England if Edward had not existed or been debarred, leading through the Poles…

Richard III and the Ancient Egyptian cheese….!

In this intriguing list of twenty , the discovery of Richard III’s remains comes in at number two! He was pipped at the post by an extremely old cheese from Egypt. Eh? Old cheese? Sorry, but can that possibly be more important than Richard? It doesn’t even have King Tut’s fingerprints or teethmarks! 😦 Oh…

Christmas and the Tsars in medieval Moscow….

Here’s an interesting link to an article about how the medieval Tsars spent Christmas in Moscow. I know we grizzle about the British weather, but I’d rather be here any time than be turned to ice in Russia!

The contemporaries of Henry VIII

Genealogy Francois I of France died in the first quarter of 1547, after a reign of over thirty years, leaving only one legitimate son, Henri II. Whilst thought of as a cultured monarch, a patron of the arts and a linguistic reformer, he took an ambiguous approach to religious reform, (in which his sister Marguerite…

On Harold II and others

I would recommend Mercedes Rochelle’s post here http://mercedesrochelle.com/wordpress/?p=719 : a discussion of Harold II’s possible remains. Just to emphasise a few points: 1) “forensic evidence in the 1950s was not exacting” – it wasn’t in the 1930s either, as we know. 2) Richard III is unquestionably the template for such cases. First, find your location.…