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Louise of Savoy- The King’s Mother Part II
As we discussed in Part I, Louise of Savoy was a huge influence on her son and instrumental in bringing him to the throne of France. (Please see here for this post: http://www.historynaked.com/louise-savoy-kings-mother-part/ ). So in 1515, Francis ascended the throne of France, but he went off to enjoy the pleasures of being king and left the governing in the capable hands of his mother. Louise was prepared for the job as she watched Anne of Beaujeu run the country in her youth. Ambassadors and other notables of the court knew to go to her and treated her as if she was the crowned queen. However, she was always careful…
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Louise of Savoy- The King’s Mother Part I
The royal line of France is somewhat of a tangle because of their insistence on Salic Law, which said the crown could not be claimed through the line of female descent. (For more on why this was enforced, see this post: http://www.historynaked.com/tour-de-nesle-affair-medieval-soap-opera/ ) This did not stop French history from being full of powerful and strong women. They just remain ostensibly behind the scenes. Louise of Savoy was one such woman. Born on September 11, 1476 at Pont-d’Ain, Louise was the daughter of Duke Philip II of Savoy and Princess Marguerite of Bourbon. Louise is described as vivacious and tall with light brown hair and blue eyes. Louise’s mother died…
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Kidnapping a King- The Fall of Thomas Seymour
Henry VIII had labored over the need for a son. He changed the country’s religion and sent two women to their death- one by neglect the other to the block- to get his much beloved son. Finally, Edward was born to his third wife, Jane Seymour, on October 12, 1537. Jane died in the process and Henry grieved, but it was a small price to pay for an heir. Edward’s life and health was guarded zealously as he was the one thing standing between the Tudor dynasty and oblivion. However, Henry didn’t live as long as he had planned. Most people don’t. He left Edward a ten year old boy…
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Anne of Cleves- The Ugly Wife
When we discuss Henry VIII, we talk about his six wives- the faithful one, the coquette, the mother, the ugly one, the flirt and the nurse. Anne of Cleves was famously called by Henry VIII “the Flander’s Mare” and claimed that he was incapacitated by her “slack breasts” and “evil smells”. But what do we know of this woman, who was defamed throughout England as too unattractive to marry? Anne was born September 22, 1515 to Duke Johann III the late Duke of Juliers-Cleves. She was the second daughter, and had a brother William, who became the Duke after her father’s death, and a sister Amalia. Sybille was an older…
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Accession Day
Many people in England were sick of the reign of Mary I. Protestants were being burned on a regular basis, inflation was sky high and she had lost Calais, the last outpost of English dominion in France. Mary herself was desperately unhappy as she had not provided the realm a Catholic heir and was essentially abandoned by her husband, Philip II of Spain. In her last days, she consoled by a vision of angels “like little children”. On November 17, 1558 she received Holy Communion then lost consciousness and never awoke again. (For more on Mary and Elizabeth please see these posts: http://www.historynaked.com/elizabeth-mary-ever-devoted-sisters/ and http://www.historynaked.com/elizabeth-mary-part-2-surviving-sister-wars/ ) Though the Queen was dead, the court…
