England
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The Eleanor Crosses
Edward I of England and his queen, Eleanor of Castile, were deeply devoted to one another. Their marriage, like most marriages at the time, was pure rooted in pragmatic politics. Henry III, Edward’s father, was having a dispute with Eleanor’s half brother Alphonso over claims to the duchy of Gascony. A deal was struck that Alphonso would cede his claims to his half-sister’s new husband after the marriage. They were married at Burgos in Castile in August 1254 in a lavish ceremony. Although the two had not known each other previously, there seems to be a real affection that grew up between them. From the time of the marriage, they…
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Green children of Woolpit
The village of St. Mary’s of the Wolf Pits, or Woolpit for short, was a quiet little place in Suffolk, East Anglia. In the Middle Ages, the village belonged to the Abbey of Bury St. Edmunds, which had great wealth and power in the area. It was in a very densely populated agricultural area of England. So imagine the villager’s surprise when they came out to work their land and found two green children. A strange story, one that was told by two 12th century chroniclers- Ralph of Coggestall and William of Newburgh. The place the story of the green children within the reign of either King Stephen or…
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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…
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The Crippen Murder
Hawley Harvey Crippen was a meek little man with a big problem. His wife was a cheating, gold digging narcissist. To complicate matters, he was in love with another woman. How did he get into this predicament? Crippen was born to a prosperous family in Coldwater, Michigan in 1862. Despite the fact the family was comfortable, they instilled in young Hawley a strict work ethic. Crippen completed a degree an M.D. from Cleveland Homeopathic Hospital after graduating from the University of Michigan. He set up practice in Brooklyn, NY and married a nurse named Charlotte Bell and the two had a son. Bell died suddenly, and Crippen sent their son…
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Sophia Dorothea of Celle- The Lady in the Tower
Born the only child of the Duke George William of Brunswick-Lüneburg in 1666, Sophia Dorothea was illegitimate. Her mother was the Duke’s long standing mistress, Éléonore Marie d’Esmier d’Olbreuse, an exiled French Protestant aristocrat. They weren’t even supposed to be together, and Sophia Dorothea was not supposed to exist. George William was supposed to marry Princess Sophia, daughter of the Palatine King of Bohemia (For more on her, please see this post: http://www.historynaked.com/sophia-of-hanover/) George William was so repulsed by the “mannish” Sophia, he traded his claim to the duchy of Hanover to his brother, Ernst Augustus, so he’d take her off his hands. Item: If you look at her picture,…
