White Rose of Avalon

Britian

  • My Top 10 Shakespearean Films

    Number 10: Hamlet (1969) ~This version of Hamlet starred Marianne Faithfull as Ophelia, and is worth watching for that alone! Number 9: William Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet (1996) ~This is the classic Leo DiCaprio and Claire Danes version! Number 8: William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1999) ~Michelle Pfiffer made an awesome Titania in this…

  • Doomed Tudor Queens

     In the Tudor age there are four queens who were beheaded.    The first was Anne Boleyn, the second was Katheryn Howard, the third was Lady Jane Grey, and the final was Mary Queen of Scots. These queens would be sentenced to death for various reasons during three separate reigns of Tudor monarchs.    All…

  • Robin Hood

    In the high medieval period the legends of Robin Hood began to abound!    The tale centered on Robin of Locksley who was a nobleman who had been on Crusade with Richard the Lionheart.    Robin came back to England to find that John, Richard’s brother, had become King in his absence.   As someone…

  • Faerie Queens and Art

    Faerie Queens have long been inspiration for artists.    They factor heavily into Celtic lore and legends.   Celtic culture itself heavily influenced the Arthurian Legends!   Arthurian legends would inspire many generations of artists. Edmund Spenser wrote the epic poem The Faerie Queene during the reign of Elizabeth I.   The poem is an…

  • Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville

    One of the most romantic true love stories in the history of royal Britain is that of King Edward IV and his Queen Elizabeth Woodville.   Elizabeth was a commoner and widow with two young boys, and five years Edward’s senior.    Her husband had been killed in second Battle of St. Albans, fighting for…

  • Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn

    The love story of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn is an iconic one.     This love story quite literally changed the fate of a nation!   Henry fell in love with Anne likely sometime early in 1526, and at this point he had already become determined to divorce his current wife Katherine of Aragon.…

  • Lady of the Lake

    Within the Arthurian Legends there is the faerie woman known as the Lady of the Lake.    She is keeper of Excalibur, and the protectress of Avalon.    In some tales Lady of the Lake is the title given to the head of the nine sisters who practice magic on the Isle of Avalon.   …

  • My Top 5 Anne Boleyn Portrayals

    In this post I will count down my top five actresses to have portrayed Anne Boleyn in films and television.   I am very particular about how my favorite wife of Henry VIII is portrayed. Number 5: Claire Foy in Wolf Hall ~Claire Foy starred in the miniseries that centers on the life of Thomas…

  • My Top 5 Henry VIII Portrayals

    In this post I will count down my top five actors to have given life to Henry VIII in films and television. Number 5: Ruairi O’Connor in The Spanish Princess  ~In the series based on the life of Katherine of Aragon, and books by Philippa Gregory Henry VIII is portrayed by Ruairi O’Connor.   During…

  • Rival Queens

    In the times of Tudor rule in England there were two rival Queens, both with claims to the throne.    The first was Elizabeth I, Queen of England and daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn.   The second was Mary Stuart, Queen of Scotland, and the great niece of Henry VIII (Mary’s grandmother was…