Moniek Bloks's Blog, page 123
February 18, 2022
Book News March 2022
Daughters of the North: Jean Gordon and Mary, Queen of Scots
Hardcover – 17 March 2022 (UK) & 17 May 2022 (US)
Mary, Queen of Scots’ marriage to the Earl of Bothwell is notorious. Less known is Bothwell’s first wife, Jean Gordon, who extricated herself from their marriage and survived the intrigue of the Queen’s court.
Daughters of the North reframes this turbulent period in history by focusing on Jean, who became Countess of Sutherland. Follow her from the intrigues of Mary’s court to the blood feuds and clan battles of the Far North of Scotland, from her place as the daughter of the ‘King of the North’ to her disastrous union with the infamous Earl of Bothwell – and her lasting legacy to the Earldom of Sutherland.
Maria Theresa: The Habsburg Empress in Her Time
Hardcover – 18 January 2022 (US) & 15 March 2022 (UK)
A major new biography of the iconic Austrian empress that challenges the many myths about her life and rule.
Embroidering Her Truth: Mary, Queen of Scots and the Language of Power
Kindle Edition – 17 March 2022 (US & UK)
At her execution Mary, Queen of Scots wore red. Widely known as the colour of strength and passion, it was in fact worn by Mary as the Catholic symbol of martyrdom.
In sixteenth-century Europe women’s voices were suppressed and silenced. Even for a queen like Mary, her prime duty was to bear sons. In an age when textiles expressed power, Mary exploited them to emphasise her female agency. From her lavishly embroidered gowns as the prospective wife of the French Dauphin to the fashion dolls she used to encourage a Marian style at the Scottish court and the subversive messages she embroidered in captivity for her supporters, Mary used textiles to advance her political agenda, affirm her royal lineage and tell her own story.
In this eloquent cultural biography, Clare Hunter exquisitely blends history, politics and memoir to tell the story of a queen in her own voice.
The Queen: The Life and Times of Elizabeth II
Hardcover – 8 March 2022 (US & UK)
It is unlikely that we will ever see a monarch reign so long or so effectively again, holding together a disparate group of nations, each with its own aspirations, customs and traditions.
From her uncle’s abdication to the marriage of Princess Diana and Prince Charles, this intriguing biography includes all the ups and downs of Queen Elizabeth’s long life.
In Search of a Kingdom: Francis Drake, Elizabeth I, and the Perilous Birth of the British Empire
Paperback – 29 March 2022 (US) & 28 April 2022 (UK)
In 1580, sailing on Elizabeth’s covert orders, Drake became the first captain to circumnavigate the earth successfully. (Ferdinand Magellan had died in his attempt.) Part exploring expedition, part raiding mission, Drake’s audacious around-the-world journey in the Golden Hind reached Patagonia, the Pacific Coast of present-day California and Oregon, the Spice Islands, Java, and Africa. Almost a decade later, Elizabeth called upon Drake again. As the devil-may-care vice admiral of the English fleet, Drake dramatically defeated the once-invincible Spanish Armada, spurring the British Empire’s ascent and permanently wounding its greatest rival.
The relationship between Drake and Elizabeth is the missing link in our understanding of the rise of the British Empire, and its importance has not been fully described or appreciated. Framed around Drake’s key voyages as a window into this crucial moment in British history, In Search of a Kingdom is a rousing adventure narrative entwining epic historical themes with intimate passions.
Cleopatra: The Queen Who Challenged Rome and Conquered Eternity
Paperback – 15 March 2022 (US) & 28 April 2022 (UK)
Cleopatra focuses on a twenty-year period that marked a sweeping change in Roman history, beginning with the assassination of Julius Caesar that led to the end of the Republic, and ending with the suicides of Antony and Cleopatra and the birth of the Augustan Empire. Angela brings the people, stories, customs, and traditions of this fascinating period alive as he transports us to the chaotic streets of the capital of the ancient world, the exotic port of Alexandria in Egypt, and to the bloody battlefields where an empire was won and lost.
The People’s Princess
Paperback – 31 March 2022 (UK) & 17 May 2022 (US)
The stunning new historical novel from the author of the bestselling Before the Crown. Perfect for fans of Gill Paul, Wendy Holden, Pam Jenoff and Jennifer Robson!
Buckingham Palace, 1981
Her engagement to Prince Charles is a dream come true for Lady Diana Spencer but marrying the heir to the throne is not all that it seems. Alone and bored in the palace, she resents the stuffy courtiers who are intent on instructing her about her new role as Princess of Wales…
But when she discovers a diary written in the 1800s by Princess Charlotte of Wales, a young woman born into a gilded cage so like herself, Diana is drawn into the story of Charlotte’s reckless love affairs and fraught relationship with her father, the Prince Regent.
As she reads the diary, Diana can see many parallels with her own life and future as Princess of Wales.
The story allows a behind-the-scenes glimpse of life in the palace, the tensions in Diana’s relationship with the royal family during the engagement, and the wedding itself.
Hitler’s Spy Princess: The Extraordinary Life of Stephanie von Hohenlohe
Paperback – 3 March 2022 (UK)
A portrait of Stephanie von Hohenlohe (1891-1972), notorious as a secret go-between and even a professional blackmailer. Despite being the illegitimate daughter of a Jewish parents, Stephanie always claimed to be of pure Aryan descent, and began a career of social climbing from a young age. She acquired a title through marriage to an Australian nobleman, became a columnist and mistress for Lord Rothermere, then infiltrated the Reichs Chancellery itself to get to know Hitler personally. Soon enough, Hitler would begin to employ her on secret diplomatic missions, for which she was awarded the Golden Insignia and given a castle in Austria. After chasing her then lover to the USA and at the point of being expelled as a spy, she began another affair with the head of the US immigration authority to avoid deportation. It was only after the Second World War that she returned to Germany, where she began a successful media career. A tale of lovers and manipulation, cleverness and deceit, there is no dull moment in Stephanie von Hohenlohe’s dubious rise, as expertly told here by acclaimed German author Martha Schad.
The post Book News March 2022 appeared first on History of Royal Women.
February 17, 2022
Book Review: A Queen for All Seasons: A Celebration of Queen Elizabeth II on her Platinum Jubilee by Joanna Lumley
You can’t possibly have missed it. The year 2022 marks the Platinum Jubilee, or 70 years on the throne, for Queen Elizabeth II, and many celebrations are planned. In addition, there are several new books but also several new prints of older books. Joanna Lumley has written one of those new books, and it’s described as “A sparkling celebration of our much-loved Queen Elizabeth II for her Platinum Jubilee, including special writings and illuminating insights around key moments in her 70-year reign, introduced and edited by her biggest fan, Joanna Lumley.”
Now, I am not one to give up on books quickly, and I was rather surprised to see so many good reviews for this book. The book highlights moments in The Queen’s life, but the author not only adds her own personal experiences from that time but also makes wide use of quotes from other books. Unfortunately, the reader can only tell the difference by a slightly different font, making it hard to pick up the book again and immediately get back into the flow. This lack of flow was very frustrating and confusing for me, and after about 60 pages, I gave up. This book was meant to be a celebration of The Queen, but I am not seeing anything to celebrate here. There are and will be better books out there about The Queen and her Platinum Jubilee.
A Queen for All Seasons: A Celebration of Queen Elizabeth II on her Platinum Jubilee by Joanna Lumley is out now in the UK and the US.
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Remains of Queen Farida of Egypt moved to nearby royal tombs
The remains of Queen Farida of Egypt, consort of King Farouk I, were moved to the El Rifa’i Mosque in a ceremony attended by two of her grandchildren. She was known as Safinaz Zulficar before becoming Queen.
The remains were moved from Old Cairo’s Imam El Shafei cemetery following a notice from the government that the tomb would be demolished to make way for a new motorway set to be built in the area. A petition was then begun to save the tomb, but when this didn’t work, negotiations were begun to move the remains of Queen Farida.
Embed from Getty ImagesQueen Farida is now buried with her three daughters, Princesses Ferial, Fawzia and Fadia and several other members of the Muhammad Ali’s dynasty.
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February 15, 2022
Empress Yin – Emperor Guangwu’s beloved
Empress Yin has gone down in history as a virtuous empress. She was the second empress of Emperor Guangwu and was his beloved. Her love story with Emperor Guangwu has become legendary. A popular television show called Singing All Along (starring the famous Ruby Lin as Empress Yin) reimagines their unbreakable romance. Empress Yin’s character shows why she captured the Emperor’s heart.
In 5 C.E., Empress Yin was born in Xinyie (modern-day Henan province).[1] She was from a wealthy household. Yin Mu was her father, and her mother’s surname was Deng.[2] Empress Yin’s original name was Yin Lihua.[3] She had many brothers.
Yin Lihua was well-known for her beauty and had many admirers. One of her admirers was Liu Xiu, a member of the Han royal family.[4] He saw her from afar and was immediately smitten.[5] When he came back to Chang’an (the capital of the Western Han Dynasty), he made the famous comment, “One should aim at chamberlain for the imperial insignia as one’s official career and at having Yin Lihua as one’s wife.” [6]
In 22 C.E., Liu Xiu and his older brother, Liu Yan, started a rebellion against the usurper, Wang Mang.[7] They declared that the Han throne should belong to the rightful Liu family.[8] In 23 C.E., Liu Xiu fulfilled his dream of making Yin Lihua his wife.[9] He married her at Dangchengli in Yuan District (modern-day Nanyang in Henan Province). She was nineteen years old.[10] Together, they travelled to Luoyang but came back to Xinye. Yin Lihua went to stay with her older brother, Yin Shi, while Liu Xiu led his rebel forces to Hebei.[11]
In 24 C.E., Liu Xiu took a second wife. Unlike his first marriage, this was not a love match. It was a marriage of convenience.[12] His second wife was Guo Shengtong, who was the niece of his relative, Liu Yang.[13] Liu Xiu won his rebellion and was made Emperor Guangwu in Hao (modern-day Baixing District in Hebei Province).[14] He made his capital Luoyang instead of Chang’an.[15] He started a new dynasty called the Eastern Han.
Emperor Guangwu sent for Yin Lihua. Upon her arrival, he bestowed on her the title of “Worthy Lady”.[16] He wanted to make her an empress, but she refused. This was because Guo Shengtong had a son, and she did not.[17] Guo Shengtong was made empress, and her son, Liu Qiang, was made Crown Prince. Even though she was a consort, Lady Yin was not jealous.[18] She was still the Emperor’s beloved.[19] She followed him on his military expeditions. During one of these expeditions in 28 C.E., she gave birth to a son named Liu Zhuang (the future Emperor Ming). The birth of their son established an unbreakable bond between the imperial couple.[20] Empress Guo grew jealous of Lady Yin and resented her husband’s love for his consort.[21] She complained to her husband about his relationship with Lady Yin.[22] This did not help matters and only managed to distance him from her.[23]
In 41 C.E., Emperor Guangwu found that Empress Guo was no longer a suitable empress. He demoted her and made Lady Yin empress instead.[24] He made Liu Zhang the Crown Prince. It was said that as empress, she was “modest, uncontentious, demure, and serious”.[25] Empress Yin also maintained good relations with the generals that brought her husband to the throne. Thus, she was seen as an ideal empress by her contemporaries.[26]
In 57 C.E., Emperor Guangwu died. Liu Zhuang ascended the throne as Emperor Ming. Lin Yinhua was made Empress Dowager. As Empress Dowager, she maintained a good relationship with her late husband’s concubines, including the deposed Empress Guo and the former Crown Prince.[27] At the age of fifty-nine, Empress Yin died in 64 C.E. [28]She outlived her husband by seven years.[29] She was buried beside her husband. She was given the posthumous title of Empress Guanglie.[30] Empress Yin is still respected and loved for being an exemplary empress. It is no wonder why Emperor Guangwu remarked that an official should have Yin Lihua as a wife.[31]
Sources:
Fanzhong, F. (2015). Notable Women of China: Shang Dynasty to the Early Twentieth Century. (B. B. Peterson, Ed.; Z. Jianfeng, Trans..). London: Routledge.
Pao-Tao, C. (2015). Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women: Antiquity Through Sui, 1600 B.C.E. – 618 C.E. (L. X. H. Lee, Ed.; A. D. Stefanowska, Ed.; S. Wiles, Ed.; L. Huichi, Trans.). NY: Routledge.
McMahon, K. (2013). Women Shall Not Rule: Imperial Wives and Concubines in China from Han to Liao. NY: Rowman and Littlefield.
[1] Pao-Tao, p. 233
[2] Fanzhong, p. 92
[3] Fanzhong, p. 92
[4] Fanzhong, p. 92
[5] Fanzhong, p. 92
[6] Pao-Tao, p. 233
[7] Pao-Tao, p. 233
[8] Pao-Tao, p. 233
[9] Pao-Tao, p. 233
[10] Pao-Tao, p. 233
[11] Pao-Tao, p. 233
[12] Pao-Tao, p. 233
[13] Pao-Tao, p. 233
[14] Pao-Tao, p. 233
[15] Pao-Tao, p. 233
[16] Pao-Tao, p. 234
[17] Pao-Tao, p. 234
[18] Fanzhong, p. 94
[19] Fanzhong, p. 94
[20] Fanzhong, p. 94
[21] Pao-Tao, p. 234
[22] Pao-Tao, p. 234; McMahon, p. 101
[23] Pao-Tao, p. 234
[24] McMahon, p. 101
[25] Pao-Tao, p. 234
[26] Pao-Tao, p. 234; McMahon, p. 101
[27] Fanzhong, p. 94
[28] Pao-Tao, pp. 234-235
[29] Pao-Tao, pp. 234-235
[30] Fanzhong, p. 94
[31] Pao-Tao, p. 233
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February 13, 2022
Enheduanna -The Akkadian Princess who became the world’s first female author
Enheduanna was the world’s first recognized female author. Very little is known about her, but it is clear she was one of the most powerful women within the Sumerian empire (present-day south-central Iraq). She was an Akkadian princess, the daughter of King Sargon the Great, and High Priestess of the Moon Goddess Inanna. As High priestess, she wielded power for forty years. She was an astronomer, mathematician, and writer. Yet, her greatest legacy was her poetry. Her poems are still being widely read and cherished today.
Enheduanna was born around 2285 B.C.E.[1] She was the daughter of King Sargon the Great, the ruler of Akkad who conquered the major city-states of Sumer.[2] Her mother was most likely Queen Tashlultum.[3] We do not know Enheduanna’s real name and Enheduanna was actually a title within the Sumerian empire.[4] She was most likely the first woman to hold that title, and it meant “High Priestess and wife of the God Nannar”.[5]
King Sargon the Great installed his daughter, Enheduanna, as the High Priestess of Inanna (the moon Goddess) in a temple in Ur.[6] By installing his daughter as the High Priestess of Inanna, it would increase his political legitimacy.[7] Enheduanna lived in the giparu, which housed not only the temple, but also her living quarters, dining area, kitchen, and a burial ground for former high priestesses.[8] As the High Priestess, she had to make many astronomical and mathematical predictions. She often studied the stars and the Moon cycles.[9]
Enheduanna apparently was the High Priestess in Ur for 40 years.[10] When the rebel Lugalanne overthrew her brother, Rimush, and installed himself as King, the temple of Inanna was destroyed.[11] Enheduanna was exiled at first to the Sumerian city of Uruk and then to the desert.[12] The events of the destruction of her temple and her exile greatly influenced her poetry.[13] She continued to write in her exile. She wrote in cuneiform.[14] Her poems were “The Exaltation of Inanna” and “A Hymn to the Goddess Inanna by the en-Priestess of Enheduanna”, She also wrote “Inanna and Ebih” and “Hymn to Nanna”.[15] However, both of those poems are in fragments.[16] One sample of her poem Hymn 48 is:
“The true woman who possesses exceeding wisdom,
She consults a tablet of lapis lazuli
She gives advice to all lands…
She measures off the heavens,
She placed the measuring-cod’s on the Earth.”[17]
Two lines in “The Exaltation of Inanna” bears her signature:
“the person who bound this tablet together
is Enheduanna
my king is something never before created
did not this one give birth to it”.[18]
Enheduanna may have died around 2225 B.C.E.[19] Her poems were stored in the royal archives in the Sumerian empire and were widely read by high priestesses.[20] She was widely venerated and some historians think that she may have attained semi-divine status. Over millenniums, she was forgotten.[21] Her works were only read by scholars who could read the Sumerian language.[22]
CCO via Wikimedia CommonsIn 1927, Enheduanna began to get the recognition she deserved when the University of Pennsylvania’s expedition to the site of Ur was unearthed.[23] One of them was the Alabaster Disk that identifies the central figure as Enheduanna, who dressed in ceremonial robes.[24] In front of her, a priest pours a libation on the altar.[25] The artefact is currently on display at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archeology and Anthropology in Philadelphia.[26] Even though not much is known about Enheduanna, she was much revered in the Sumerian empire. Her greatest legacy was her writing which survived long after the Sumerian empire had fallen.
Sources:
Bernardi, G. (2016). Enheduanna (XXIV bc). In G. Bernardi, Springer-Praxis books in popular astronomy: The unforgotten sisters: female astronomers and scientists before Caroline Herschel. Springer Science+Business Media. Credo Reference: https://go.openathens.net/redirector/...
“Enheduanna.” Encyclopedia of World Biography Online, Gale, 2021. Gale In Context: Biography, link.gale.com/apps/doc/K1631011056/BI.... Accessed 27 Nov. 2021.
Glaz, S. (2020). Enheduanna: Princess, Priestess, Poet, and Mathematician. Mathematical Intelligencer, 42(2), 31–46. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00283-019-09...
[1]“Enheduanna”, para. 2
[2]“Enheduanna”, para. 2
[3]“Enheduanna”, para. 2
[4]“Enheduanna”, para. 2
[5]“Enheduanna”, para. 2
[6]“Enheduanna”, para. 3
[7]“Enheduanna”, para. 3
[8] “Enheduanna”, para. 3
[9] Bernardi, para. 8
[10] “Enheduanna”, para. 4
[11] “Enheduanna”, para. 4
[12] “Enheduanna”, para. 4
[13] “Enheduanna”, para. 4
[14] “Enheduanna”, para. 5
[15] “Enheduanna”, para. 5
[16] “Enheduanna”, para. 5
[17] Bernardi, para. 7
[18] Glaz, p. 35
[19] “Enheduanna”, para. 4
[20] “Enheduanna”, para. 9
[21] “Enheduanna”, para. 10
[22] “Enheduanna”, para. 10
[23] “Enheduanna”, para. 10
[24] Glaz, p. 32
[25] Glaz, p. 32
[26] “Enheduanna”, para. 10
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February 12, 2022
Queens, Queens, Queens – Here’s how many kinds there are
What makes a Queen, and what kind of Queens are there are exactly?
Queen regnant
A Queen regnant is a Queen who rules in her own right (for example, the current Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and Queen Margrethe II of Denmark). The husband of a Queen regnant is usually a Prince as the title of King is usually considered to be higher than that of Queen. In the United Kingdom, the Duke of Edinburgh was eventually made a British Prince (and he was a Greek Prince by birth, but he gave up that title).1 He was never a Prince Consort, which was a title that Queen Victoria created for her husband Prince Albert.2 There are some cases of King consorts, for example, in Portugal where a husband of a Queen regnant would become King consort upon the birth of an heir. Mary, Queen of Scots, made her husband Lord Darnley a King consort. In the case of King William III and Queen Mary II, they ruled jointly, and William later continued to rule on his own after his wife’s death as previously agreed.
Queen consort
A Queen consort is the wife of a ruling King. In the United Kingdom, a wife takes the status of her husband upon marriage unless hers is higher. This was confirmed by King George V shortly before the marriage of Prince Albert, the Duke of York, to Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. An official announcement stated that “In accordance with the settled general rule that a wife takes the status of her husband Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon on her marriage has become Her Royal Highness the Duchess of York with the status of a Princess.”3 The ‘consort’ part is not used in daily life, and a Queen consort would be addressed as “Her Majesty The Queen.” There are some countries where the wife of a King is not a Queen consort. In Morocco, King Mohammed VI of Morocco recognised his wife Salma as a Princess consort. However, in this case, she was the first wife to even be officially recognised at all and given a title. The wife of the King of Saudia Arabia, Fahda bint Falah Al Hithlain, is also not a Queen.
Queen dowager and Queen mother
A Queen dowager is the widow of a King. As there is usually a new Queen consort, the Queen dowager will no longer be referred to as The Queen. Like with consort, the dowager part is usually not used in daily life. In the United Kingdom, King George V’s widow Mary began to use Her Majesty Queen Mary to differentiate her from the new Queen consort, Elizabeth. Subsequently, when Elizabeth was widowed, she began using the title Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother to avoid confusion with her daughter Queen Elizabeth II, who became Her Majesty The Queen. A Queen mother is thus usually also a Queen dowager as the mother of the new King or Queen but not necessarily. In Romania, Princess Helen was created Queen Mother of Romania when her young son became King, despite being divorced from her husband while he was still the Crown Prince, and she was thus never a Queen consort. In Thailand, Queen Sirikit was officially conferred the title of Queen Mother in 2019, three years after her son succeeded as King.4 In Bhutan, the King’s mother is known as Gyalyum Kude (Queen Mother) and his paternal grandmother as the Queen grandmother (or The Royal Grandmother). In addition, his father’s three other wives are also known as Queen mothers, despite not being the mother of the current King.
Queen regent
A Queen regent can be a Queen dowager who is now acting as regent for the new underage monarch or the wife or mother of an absent monarch (in the case of the wife, she wouldn’t be a Queen dowager as well!). One of the most recent examples is Queen Emma, who was regent for her daughter Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands. She was usually referred to as the ‘Koningin-Regentes’ (Queen regent) during her daughter’s minority. However, she became known as Queen mother when her daughter no longer required a regent. In England, Catherine Parr acted as regent while King Henry VIII was in France and in Scotland, Mary of Guise acted as regent for her underage daughter.
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February 11, 2022
Princess Astrid at 90: Temporary First Lady of Norway
Princess Astrid of Norway was born on 12 February 1932 as the second daughter of King Olav V (then Crown Prince) and his wife, Crown Princess Märtha of Norway (born of Sweden). She was baptised with the names Astrid Maud Ingeborg for her aunt Queen Astrid of Belgium (born of Sweden) and her two grandmothers Queen Maud (born of Wales) and Princess Ingeborg of Sweden. While Norway currently practises absolute primogeniture, it did not at the time of her birth, and Astrid was never in the line of the Norwegian succession. However, owing to her descent from King Edward VII’s daughter Maud, she is distantly in line to the British throne. She had an elder sister named Ragnhild, who died in 2012, and her younger brother is the current King Harald V.
Embed from Getty ImagesAstrid grew up with her siblings on Skaugum in Asker, but the family was forced to flee from the German invasion on 9 April 1940. She had been receiving a private education at home until then. Astrid, her siblings and her mother managed to reach safety in Sweden and eventually went to the United States, while her grandfather King Haakon VII and her father Crown Prince Olav stayed in London. Astrid lived in the outskirts of Washington DC until the peace was declared in 1945, and the family was able to be reunited.
Embed from Getty ImagesEmbed from Getty ImagesEmbed from Getty ImagesAfter the war, Astrid enrolled at the Nissen Girls’ School and graduated in 1950. She went on to study social economics and political history at Oxford for two years. She also learned dressmaking at Märthaskolen and cooking at Lolly Ræstad’s household school. Her mother tragically died in 1954, and when her father became King in 1957, Astrid became the acting first lady of Norway. Her elder sister Ragnhild had married commoner Erling Lorentzen in 1953 and subsequently moved to Brazil. Astrid began to lead the HRH Crown Princess Märtha’s Memorial Fund, which is still central in her work today.
Embed from Getty ImagesEmbed from Getty ImagesAstrid often accompanied her father the King, and her brother the Crown Prince, during official royal engagements. Astrid, too, would marry a non-royal man and perhaps even more controversially, he was also divorced. His name was Johan Martin Ferner, and he was a businessman. Despite the reservations, her father gave his blessing for the marriage.
Embed from Getty ImagesEmbed from Getty ImagesOn 12 January 1961, Astrid married Johan at Asker Church and became known as Her Highness Princess Astrid, Mrs Ferner. The couple went on to have five children together: Cathrine (born 1962), Benedikte (born 1963), Alexander (born 1965), Elisabeth (born 1969) and Carl-Christian (born 1972). Astrid continued her duties as the first lady until her brother married Sonja Haraldsen in 1968. Astrid later told Familien magazine about her time as the first lady, “I have become acquainted with many competent, delightful people in this way, and I have gained a great deal of valuable knowledge.” Astrid was widowed in 2015.
Embed from Getty ImagesAstrid still carries out the occasional royal duty despite her age. She places a special emphasis on causes that protect the most vulnerable in society. She still enjoys sports and the outdoor life. Her 80th birthday was celebrated with a gala banquet, though this seems unlikely to happen this year.1
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February 10, 2022
Shangguan – China’s youngest Grand Empress Dowager
Grand Empress Dowager Shangguan was one of China’s youngest empresses. She became an empress at six years old. She was made Empress Dowager and Grand Empress Dowager at the age of fifteen. Yet, historians have praised her for being a successful interim ruler for the periods between the reigns of Emperor Zhao and Emperor Xuan. Even though she was young, Grand Empress Dowager Shangguan used her powerful position to issue edicts capably.[1] With her power, she demoted an unworthy emperor and installed a worthy emperor. Historians have used her as a model example of how an Empress Dowager should rule.[2]
When Emperor Wu of Han died in 87 B.C.E., he left two regents to run the empire because his youngest son, Emperor Zhao, was seven years old.[3] The two regents, Shangguan Jie and Huo Guang, were in-laws.[4] Shangguan Jie’s son married Huo Guang’s daughter. Their daughter was the future Empress Shangguan. After she was born in 89 B.C.E., she was sent to live with the Princess of Gai (who was Emperor Zhao’s older sister).[5] Thus, she knew her husband from an early age.
In 83 B.C.E., the two regents decided to make their granddaughter empress[6]. The six-year-old Shangguan married the twelve-year-old Emperor.[7] Shortly after his granddaughter’s investiture as Empress, Shangguan Jie was given the title of Marquis of Sanle.[8] It would seem that the two regents got along in peace, but they did not. Trouble started brewing as the two regents swiftly became enemies.
The two regents could not have been more different. Shangguan Jie was known for being power-hungry and often indulged himself in sensual pleasures and alcohol.[9] He was never satisfied with his position and lusted for more power. On the other hand, Huo Guang was known for being virtuous and devoted to his country.[10] Gradually, he began to assume complete control of the court. This angered Shangguan Jie because he hungered for power. Shangguan Jie teamed up with the Princess of Gai and her lover, Ding Wairen, to eliminate Huo Guang.[11] The Princess of Gai had no love for Huo Guang because he refused to promote her lover.[12] Their plan was to murder Huo Guang, depose Emperor Zhao and install another of Emperor Wu’s sons on the throne with Shangguan Jie as the regent and given the rank as Prince.[13] Shangguan Jie disliked the idea and wanted to depose Emperor Zhao and make himself Emperor, but he finally agreed to the Princess of Gai and Ding Wairen’s plans.[14]
It was not long until Huo Guang found out about their plans. Empress Shangguan could do nothing as her husband pronounced death sentences on her grandfather, Shangguan Jie, and her father.[15] Ding Wairen was sentenced to death with the Empress’s father and grandfather.[16] The Princess of Gai was forced to commit suicide.[17] Prince Liu Dan, whom her grandfather plotted to put on the throne, hung himself.[18] Liu Dan’s wife and concubines were not involved in the conspiracy but were forced to commit suicide.[19] Emperor Zhao also declared that his wife played no part in the conspiracy and allowed her to maintain her position as Empress.[20]
In 74 B.C.E., Emperor Zhao died. He was twenty-one years old.[21] Empress Shangguan was fifteen.[22] They had no children. Shangguan was made Empress Dowager and was appointed to the position of regent.[23] However, she was merely a figurehead. The true ruler was her grandfather, Huo Guang.[24] Huo Guang chose Emperor Wu’s grandson, Liu He, as the next Emperor.
Huo Guang found him unsuitable.[25] Under her grandfather’s guidance, Empress Dowager Shangguan issued an edict deposing him as Emperor.[26] He was Emperor for only twenty-seven days. Thus, the throne was vacant until a suitable candidate was installed. Empress Dowager Shangguan continued to be regent.[27] Even though Empress Dowager Shangguan was only a figurehead as regent, Huo Guang decided it was time to give his granddaughter a formal education.[28] Under the tutelage of Xiahou Sheng, she was well-versed in Confucian principles.[29]
At long last, Huo Guang settled on Liu Bingyi, Emperor Wu’s great-grandson. His great-grandmother Empress Wei Zifu and grandfather Liu Ju were implicated on the charges of witchcraft and committed suicide.[30] Emperor Wu ordered a mass execution on all of Liu Ju’s household.[31] Liu Bingyi’s parents, Prince Liu Jin and Wang Wengxu, were killed in the massacre.[32] As an orphan, he was raised by his great-grandmother Zhengjun (his father’s maternal grandmother).[33] Around the age of fifteen, he married Xu Pingjun.[34] Liu Bingyi was well-educated in history and literature.[35] Thus, he seemed a suitable candidate for Huo Guang and Empress Dowager Shangguan. Empress Dowager Shangguan issued an imperial edict installing him as the next Emperor.[36] He became known in history as Emperor Xuan.
Once Emperor Xuan was installed, Shangguan was made Grand Empress Dowager, and she retired to Changle Palace.[37] When Emperor Xuan died in 49 B.C.E., she became Great Grand Empress Dowager upon the ascension of Emperor Yuan.[38] She died in 37 B.C.E. and was buried next to Emperor Zhao in Pingling.[39] Historians have praised her for being a successful interim ruler during the transition of the reigns from Emperor Zhao to Emperor Xuan.[40] Through her tutelage of her wise and virtuous grandfather, historians praised her by writing, “her charge of state affairs put men to shame.” [41]
Sources:
Bao, S. (2015). Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women: Antiquity Through Sui, 1600 B.C.E. – 618 C.E. (L. X. H. Lee, Ed.; A. D. Stefanowska, Ed.; S. Wiles, Ed.). NY: Routledge.
McMahon, K. (2013). Women Shall Not Rule: Imperial Wives and Concubines in China from Han to Liao. NY: Rowman and Littlefield.
[1] McMahon, p. 74
[2] Bao, p. 189
[3] Bao, p. 187
[4] Bao, p. 187
[5] Bao, p. 187
[6] Bao, p. 187
[7] Bao, p. 187
[8] Bao, p. 187
[9] Bao, p. 187
[10] Bao, p. 187
[11] Bao, p. 187
[12] Bao, p. 187
[13] Bao, p. 187
[14] Bao, p. 187
[15]Bao, p. 188
[16] Bao, p. 188
[17] Bao, p. 188
[18] Bao, p. 188
[19] Bao, p. 188
[20] Bao, p. 188
[21] Bao, p. 188
[22] McMahon, p. 74
[23] Bao, p. 188
[24] Bao, p. 188
[25] McMahon, p. 74
[26] Bao, p. 188
[27] Bao, p. 188
[28] Bao, p. 189
[29] Bao, p. 189
[30] McMahon, p. 74
[31] McMahon, p. 74
[32] Bao, p. 189
[33] Bao, p. 189
[34] Bao, p. 189
[35] Bao, p. 189
[36] McMahon, p. 74
[37] Bao, 189
[38] Bao, p. 189
[39] Bao, p. 189
[40] Bao, p. 189
[41] Bao, p. 189
The post Shangguan – China’s youngest Grand Empress Dowager appeared first on History of Royal Women.
February 8, 2022
Book Review: Falling Pomegranate Seeds: All Manner of Things by Wendy J Dunn
*review copy*
Among Catherine of Aragon’s ladies was a young woman, who was perhaps a kinswoman, named Maria de Salinas. Maria suffered alongside Catherine during the long years of her widowhood. She remained unmarried until 1516, when she married William Willoughby, 11th Baron Willoughby de Eresby, and their sole child was a daughter named after the Queen. When Catherine lay dying in 1536, it was Maria who rode through the night to be with her friend.
Falling Pomegranate Seeds: All Manner of Things by Wendy J Dunn is the fictional account of the life of Maria de Salinas. We follow the young Maria through the trials and tribulations by the side of Catherine. While deeply connected to the Princess to whom she has sworn her loyalty, she falls deeply in love with the married William Willoughby, whom she would eventually marry after the death of his wife. Although fictional, it is a wonderful look at the Tudor court from a different perspective than that of a King or Queen. However, it does get a little long-winded sometimes, so you may have to keep focus.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the book!
Falling Pomegranate Seeds: All Manner of Things by Wendy J Dunn is available now in the UK and the US.
The post Book Review: Falling Pomegranate Seeds: All Manner of Things by Wendy J Dunn appeared first on History of Royal Women.
February 6, 2022
Empress Zhang Yan – The eleven-year-old who was forced by her grandmother to marry her uncle
Empress Zhang Yan’s story is truly tragic because she could not control the events in her life. She was a political pawn used by her own grandmother and was often in her shadow. Through her grandmother’s political machinations, she was forced to marry her own uncle at the young age of eleven. After she married him, her grandmother, Empress Lu Zhi, constantly ordered her to bear him a son, but she remained childless. She was even an empress dowager at the age of fourteen, but she was politically eclipsed by her grandmother. At the end of her life, she died lonely and forgotten.
Empress Zhang Yan was born in 202 B.C.E. Her parents were Zhang Ao, Prince of Zhao, and Princess Luyuan, the eldest daughter of Empress Lu Zhi and Emperor Gaozu.[1] Prince Zhang Ao was known to be a respected father-in-law.[2] However, two of Emperor Gaozu’s counsellors asked him to be a part of their conspiracy to kill the emperor.[3] Prince Zhang Ao refused. When the plot was revealed, he was arrested.[4] When Emperor Gaozu learned that he played no part in the assassination attempt, he pardoned him and demoted him as Marquis of Xuanping.[5]
Three years later, Emperor Gaozu’s son, Liu Ying, ascended the throne as Emperor Hui. He had no interest in state affairs and often lived a life of indulgence.[6] Thus, Empress Dowager Lu Zhi was the true ruler. Empress Dowager Lu Zhi decided to strengthen her power and secure her son’s reign by choosing one of her kinswomen to marry her son.[7] The person whom she chose was her granddaughter, Zhang Yan.
In 191 B.C.E., the eleven-year-old Zhang Yan was forced by her grandmother to marry her twenty-one-year-old uncle.[8] Thus, Zhang Yan became empress. Even though it was considered incest in the Han dynasty, Empress Dowager Lu Zhi was so powerful that no one objected to the marriage.[9] Empress Zhang Yan’s marriage would last three years.[10] During her short marriage, Empress Zhang Yan tried every means to get pregnant, but she remained childless.[11] She eventually adopted seven of her husbands’ sons.[12] Some accounts said that Empress Dowager Lu Zhi ordered her to kill her sons’ birth mothers, but modern-day historians believe this was a false fact.[13]
When her husband died in 188 B.C.E., one of Empress Zhang Yan’s adopted sons ascended the throne as Emperor Shao.[14] She was made Empress Dowager at the age of fourteen, but she wielded very little political influence.[15] The true ruler was her mother-in-law and grandmother, Empress Dowager Lu Zhi.[16] When Emperor Shao learned that Empress Dowager Zhang Yan was not his real birth mother, he was angry and wanted to get revenge on her for lying to him.[17] However, Emperor Dowager Lu Zhi prevented him from acting on his thoughts of revenge by secretly assassinating him.[18] She quickly installed another of Empress Zhang Yan’s adopted sons to the throne.[19] He was Emperor Wang Yi.
When Empress Dowager Lu died in 180 B.C.E., the imperial Liu family wanted to eliminate her Lu kin.[20] Empress Dowager Zhang Yan was afraid they would kill her for being related to Empress Dowager Lu Zhi.[21] However, the Liu family did not execute her. Instead, she was sent to the North Palace (a residence for deposed empresses).[22] She lived there until she died in 163 B.C.E. Thus, Empress Zhang Yan was a political victim that suffered under the hands of her powerful grandmother. One can only imagine the horrors and trauma this overshadowed empress experienced.
Sources:
McMahon, K. (2013). Women Shall Not Rule: Imperial Wives and Concubines in China from Han to Liao. NY: Rowman and Littlefield.
San, T.K. (2014). Dynastic China: An Elementary History. Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia: The Other Press.
Zang, J. (2015). Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women: Antiquity Through Sui, 1600 B.C.E. – 618 C.E. (L. X. H. Lee, Ed.; A. D. Stefanowska, Ed.; S. Wiles, Ed., C. Tam, Trans.). NY: Routledge.
[1] Zang, p. 242
[2] Zang, p. 242
[3] Zang, p. 242
[4] Zang, p. 242
[5] Zang, p. 242
[6] Zang, p. 241
[7]Zang, p. 241-242
[8] McMahon, p. 67
[9] Zang, p. 242
[10] Zang, p. 242
[11] Zang, p. 242
[12] San, 76; San p. 74
[13] San, p. 74
[14] Zang, p. 242
[15] San, p. 75
[16] San, p. 75
[17] Zang, p. 242; McMahon, pp. 67-68
[18] Zang, p. 242; San, p. 75; McMahon, p. 68
[19] San, p. 75
[20] Zang, p. 242
[21] Zang, p. 242
[22] Zang, p. 242
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