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Homosexuality and the Throne of England- Part 2
I have always maintained in the absence of celebrities, people had to have someone to gossip about. Hence all the discussion around the royal family and courtiers. Because of this history always resembles more of a soap opera than dry dusty dates. Also, a quick note. In the absence of a better term, I am referring to same sex relationships as homosexuality. I know that this was not a term that was familiar to the medieval mind as they did not identify as straight, gay or bisexual. I was using the term to simplify writing since the term is familiar to the modern reader. Please bear with me. So we…
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Homosexuality and the Throne of England
Rumors fly when a person is in a position of power. The royalty of England is no exception. One of the easiest and deadliest lobs to throw was sexuality- either adultery, homosexuality or a combination thereof. This post will take a look at two of the most pervasive rumors. William Rufus Son of William the Conquerer, William Rufus inherited England in his father’s death. Though not a large man, he had a definite presence and was described as a “wild bull”. Muscular and stocky with fair hair and a taste for the latest fashion, he never married, which was odd for a king of the time period. He needed a…
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Isabella of Angoulême and the Lusignans
The Lusignans could not keep away from Isabella of Angoulême. After her initial betrothal to Hugh IX and subsequent jilting of him for King John of England, one would think they would stay away. In a previous post we discussed how the jilting of Hugh led to the loss of the Angevin Empire. However, the Lusignans and England were not done yet. As part of a peace offering, John and Isabella’s daughter, Joan, was betrothed to Hugh IX’s heir, also confusingly named Hugh. Joan was sent to La Marche to be raised in her future husband’s court. During this time, John died leaving the throne to his young son, who…
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Richard III and the Legend of the Car Park
You all watched the documentary, saw the news. It was September 2012 and thanks largely in part to the endeavors of Philippa Langley, a small council office car park in Leicester city centre, was pinpointed as the possible site of the church of the Greyfriars Abbey, the original burial place of short-lived King Richard III, killed by his successor Henry Tudor at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485. Headlines grabbed the nation as, with the help of a team from the University of Leicester’s archaeology department, trenches were dug and under the ominous letter R from the reserved parking space it covered, a skeleton emerged, with its hands crossed as…
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Henry and Alais
Henry II was not known for his family feeling. He had been at war with his wife and sons for years, and eventually put his wife, the formidable Eleanor of Aquitaine, under house arrest. Into this stew of intrigue comes a new innocent figure, Alais of France. Alais was the daughter of Louis VII of France and Constance of Castile. Like her sister Marguerite, she was a pawn in the constant dealings between Henry and Louis. Marguerite was betrothed to Henry’s heir, Young Henry, and they must have decided to keep it in the family as Alais was betrothed to Young Henry’s brother, Richard. She brought the county of the…
