White Rose of Avalon

Royal History

  • My Top 5 Biographies About Elizabeth Woodville

    For today’s post, I have decided to do a countdown of my favorite non-fiction books about the White Queen, Elizabeth Woodville.   Woodville is one of the iconic Queens during the Wars of the Roses.   She was called the White Queen because she was married to the first Yorkist King of England, Edward IV.…

  • Bessie Blount, Mistress of Henry VIII

    For this week’s Femme Fatale Friday, I have decided to do a short post to discuss Bessie Blount.   She was a famous royal mistress of Henry VIII during his marriage to Katherine of Aragon.   Unlike his more famous mistress during that first marriage, she never had a chance to become Queen. It is…

  • Katherine Swynford, Mistress of Royalty

    For this week’s Femme Fatale Friday, I have decided to discuss the life of Katherine Swynford.    Swynford was the lover of John of Gaunt, and she would become his third wife.   She was also the mother of the Beaufort line through her relationship with him. Katherine Swynford is a unique figure in medieval…

  • Glastonbury, Real Site of Avalon?

    For today’s post, I have decided to write about the real site of Avalon, Glastonbury England!   Now, the honest truth is that many locations have claimed to be the real-world location of the mystical land of Avalon.   This is very similar to the locations claiming to have been the historical seat of Camelot!…

  • Kathryn Howard: Doomed Tudor Queen

    For this week’s Femme Fatale Friday I have chosen to look at the story of Henry VIII’s infamous fifth Queen!   Kathryn Howard was just a teenager when she caught the eye of the aging monarch.   She is most noted for being the second Queen that he beheaded.   I feel much empathy for…

  • The Fascination with Doomed Queens

    For today’s post I have chosen to look at why so many of us are fascinated with doomed Queens.    I am certainly someone who is endlessly fascinated with any and all doomed Queens!    I sometimes wonder why it is that so many people love to revisit the stories of these women. In my…

  • My Top 5 Favorite Historically Inaccurate Period-Pieces

    I am sure that by the title of this post most of my readers have figured out that I will be talking about period-piece television series.    I am especially focused on the very historically inaccurate ones.   These are chosen because they are very fun, if totally unrealistic!    I may adore the real…

  • Marie of France, Duchess of Champagne

    For this week’s Femme Fatale Friday I have chosen Marie of France, Countess of Champagne!    This will be a very brief post about this French princess who became a Countess.  Marie was the daughter of Eleanor of Aquitaine and Louis VII of France.    She would be married off the the Duke of Champagne.…

  • Was Greensleeves About Anne Boleyn

    For today’s blog post I would like to take a look at a popular theory about the origins of the song Greensleeves.    For anyone who does not know this song was a famous one written likely sometime during the Tudor period.    Many think that it was most likely written during the Elizabethan period,…

  • An Incredible Historical Find: Anne Boleyn’s Falcon Badge

    In recent news we have learned of a huge find in the world of Tudor history.    I found out last Wednesday, when news really began to spread, that an old Tudor artifact had come to light.    This is very huge news for me because it is the Falcon Crest of Anne Boleyn!   …