• Titus Oates and the Popish Plot

    Titus Oates was a giant liar, and had been a giant liar all his life.  He was born at Oakham in Rutland on September 15, 1649.  His father was a minister who started out in the Church of England and became a Baptist briefly during the Puritan Revolution and fought with the New Model Army.  He came back to the Church of England during the Restoration, and became the rector of All Saint’s Church at Hastings.  A bit radical beginnings, but the family seemed to have righted itself. Titus was sent to school at Cambridge and was described as a “great dunce” and gained a reputation for homosexuality, which was…

  • The Loves of John Smith

    As we discussed in our previous post on Pocahontas (http://www.historynaked.com/pocahontas/), explorer John Smith had his life saved by the Native American princess.  Some historians have cast doubt on this story as the only source we have is a letter Smith wrote to Queen Anne describing the event in 1616 when Pocahontas journeyed to England.  Smith’s only journals from that time make no mention of the event and describe the Powhatan people as nothing but friendly.  What is known is Smith had a thing for princesses as another one made a significant impact on his life. Before his journeys to the New World, John Smith was a bonafide pirate.  As a…

  • Expedition to Spain-    George and Charles’ Not So Excellent Adventure

    Previous postings have discussed James I infatuation with George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham.  The Duke was extremely handsome, and had the king wrapped around his finger. (For more speculation this relationship, please see this post:  http://www.historynaked.com/homosexuality-throne-england-part-3/ )  The king called him “Steenie”, which was short for Stephen as the Duke bore a resemblance to a painting of St. Stephen.  Prince Charles, eventually King Charles I, was more reserved than his father so it was difficult to judge how Buckingham and the Prince got along.  However, together they did manage to embark on one of the larger fool’s errands in English history. James was angling for a betrothal for Prince Charles with…

  • Margaret Tudor- Part I- The Sacrificial Lamb

    When people think of the Tudors, the first monarch that comes to mind is Henry VIII and then his many wives and children.  Even his sister Mary comes to mind more quickly than his older sister Margaret.    However, she played an important role in Tudor history. Margaret was born November 28, 1489 and was the second child of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York.  She was named after her formidable grandmother, Margaret Beaufort.  She raised with her royal brothers and sister at the palace of Eltham, and learned skills that would befit her future role as a queen consort.  This included learning to play the lute and clavichord and some…

  • Homosexuality and the Throne of England- Part 3

    And we now move from the medieval period, past the Tudors who had their own problems with personal relationships, to the Stuarts. (Please see part 1 here: http://www.historynaked.com/homosexuality-throne-england/ and part 2 here:  http://www.historynaked.com/homosexuality-throne-england-part-2/) James I James I of England and VI of Scotland married Anne of Denmark and had the required heir and spare for the throne.  However, it was well known he enjoyed the company of his male favorites.  In fact, many of his subjects, including Sir. Walter Raleigh, called him “Queen James” openly. His first relationship that could be considered questionable was with Esmé Stewart, 6th Lord of d’Aubigny.  They met when James was 13 and Stewart was 35…