White Rose of Avalon

Royal History

  • Mandolin

    The mandolin is part of the lute family of stringed instruments.    It has four sets of paired strings, a total of eight, that are played in pairs.   The tuning of the mandolin is G,D,A,E traditionally.    This instrument, or at least early forms of it, was used by medieval minstrels and troubadours.  …

  • Sovereignty

    The definition of sovereignty is the right to rule.   This is something that played a huge role in both Arthurian legend and royal history!   In ancient times sovereignty was represented as a goddess of the land, and many early myths and legends feature a marriage between kings and goddesses of sovereignty. Within the…

  • Mottos of the Six Wives

    Today I want to take a look at the coronation mottos chosen by the six wives of Henry VIII.   Each motto really seemed to fit the queen and her reign! Katherine of Aragon chose “Humble and Loyal” as her motto.   She certainly lived up to this, and was very loyal to Henry, even…

  • Royal Mistresses

    Monarchs throughout time have taken mistresses to satisfy their desires.   Especially French kings had special places at court for their mistresses.   There was in fact a particular title in the French royal court for a king’s mistress.   The king’s official mistress is known best by the original French term, maitresse-en-titre.    One…

  • Courtly Love

    The dynamics of courtly love, and the so called games of courtly love were very specific.    The ideation of courtly ideals was incredibly popular throughout Europe in the medieval period.    This usage of courtly love ideals carried over into the Tudor age.    Anne Boleyn, for example, was well versed in the art…

  • The Chivalric Code

    The medieval code of chivalry is something that was developed and followed by royal knights and kings during the middle ages.   There were several tenets of the code of chivalry. The code of chivalry as listed on medieval-life-and-times.info is as listed below: To fear God and maintain His Church To serve the liege lord…

  • Lady Godiva

    Lady Godiva was a noblewoman in Coventry in the eleventh century.    She was famous for being fervently opposed to her husband’s taxation of the citizens.   Being a woman in her era meant that she was not likely to be heard by her husband in matters of state.    So she famously took extreme…

  • My Top Ten British Royalty Period Pieces

    The ten period pieces listed below are my personal favorites to depict the British monarchs!   It is obvious that I am a lover of the Plantagenet and Tudor dynasties, so the period pieces here are all from the late medieval period and the Tudor era! Number 10: Mary Queen of Scots (2018) ~Margot Robbie…

  • Lucrezia Borgia

    The Borgias were one of Renaissance Italy’s most notorious families.   Today they are seen as a precursor to the modern Mafia, or a proto-Mafia if you will.   Lucrezia Borgia was the daughter of Rodrigo Borgia who would become Pope Alexander VI.    Lucrezia Borgia’s story is one filled with intrigue, poisoning, sex, and…

  • Five Medieval Queens You Should Know!

    Today I wanted to share with my readers five medieval queens I feel that everyone should know about!   This is not a count down list of the five best, but rather just a list of amazing queens!   I have listed the queens chronologically. Number 1: Matilda of Scotland (1080 –1118), Queen of Henry…