Moniek Bloks's Blog, page 170

A sneak peek at The Crown season 4

Netflix has released a sneak peek at the next season of The Crown and we’ll see Gillian Anderson as Margaret Thatcher and Emma Corrin as Lady Diana Spencer (later the Princess of Wales) join Olivia Colman. The new season will be released on 15 November.

The post A sneak peek at The Crown season 4 appeared first on History of Royal Women.

Margaret Plantagenet – A traitor’s daughter (Part one)

Margaret Plantagenet was born on 14 August 1473 at Farleigh Castle near Bath as the daughter of George, Duke of Clarence and Isabel Neville. Her mother was one of the greatest heiresses of her time while her father was the younger brother of King Edward IV of England. An elder sibling was stillborn or died shortly after birth. In 1475, she was joined in the nursery by a younger brother named Edward. A second brother died in infancy, and her mother died shortly after his birth at the age of just 25.

Her father would try to remarry twice after her mother’s death, first with Mary of Burgundy and second with Margaret of Scotland, daughter of King James II but both matches ended due to King Edward IV’s involvement. Meanwhile, George grew more and more discontent with his brother. He had been disloyal before and had always been forgiven. Margaret was just three years old when he was arrested, and he was privately executed the following year. Margaret and Edward were now orphans and the children of a traitor.

They became the royal wards of their uncle, the King, who took full responsibility for their care. Margaret had nothing to inherit, as opposed to her brother, and was utterly dependent on her uncle. The lands of her father had been forfeit due to his attainder for treason, but the lands of her mother were exempt from this. Her brother had succeeded as Earl of Warwick upon his birth, and his wardship was quite valuable. In 1480, his custody and marriage were granted to Thomas Grey, Marquess of Dorset, the son of King Edward IV’s wife Elizabeth Woodville by her first marriage. Margaret remained in the care of the King until his unexpected death in 1483. In the following months, her young cousin King Edward V and his little brother Richard were imprisoned in the Tower of London and declared illegitimate with another uncle, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, being declared King Richard III. Margaret’s brother was moved by Richard to the household of his wife Anne, the sister of their mother, Isabel. Richard realised that George’s children and especially the young Earl, could still pose a threat to him, despite being barred from the throne by their father’s attainder.

Margaret joined her younger brother at Sheriff Hutton Castle in Yorkshire with a cousin of theirs, Joh de la Pole, Earl of Lincoln. They would spend the next two years of their lives there. In 1485, destiny changed once more when Henry Tudor became King of England. The new King Henry VII also realised the importance of the siblings at Sheriff Hutton Castle, and he sent Robert Willoughby to take possession of young Edward. Margaret and her brother, along with Edward IV’s daughters (including Elizabeth of York) were to go to the household of his mother, Margaret Beaufort. Here, the new King could keep a close eye on them. Henry married Margaret’s cousin Elizabeth of York on 18 January 1486 and in September the 12-year-old “my lady Margaret of Clarence” was listed as being present at the christening of their first-born son Prince Arthur.

She was also present for Elizabeth’s coronation in November 1487. However, by then, she was listed as “my Lady Margaret Pole Doughter to the Duc of Claraunce.” Sometime between September 1486 and November 1487, Margaret had married Sir Richard Pole – his mother was a half-sister of the King’s mother. A lowly marriage was one way to neutralise her claim to the throne. But the new King remained uneasy about her younger brother’s claim to the throne and the 11-year-old boy was confined to the Tower in 1486.

Nevertheless, Margaret and Richard’s marriage appears to have been a happy one. Margaret gained a place at court and was in regular attendance on Queen Elizabeth and Margaret Beaufort. Her husband became lord chamberlain to Prince Arthur, which required personal attendance on the Prince, even when he was in Wales. Margaret and Richard went on to have five – possibly six – children together. Henry was born in 1492. Arthur, Ursula and Reginald were born by 1500 and Geoffrey was born around 1504.

In 1499, Margaret’s brother was executed for treason after an escape attempt and after spending many years in the Tower. He had been described as an “imbecile”, but his long incarceration probably meant that he was childlike due to a lack of education and human contact. King Henry VII bore the cost of the Earl’s funeral, and he was not interred as a traitor within the Tower. Margaret – who was pregnant at the time – must have been grieved.

After the arrival of Catherine of Aragon as Prince Arthur’s bride in 1501, Richard and possibly also Margaret joined them in Wales. Margaret and Catherine formed a friendship during her short tenure as Prince Arthur’s wife. This new life came to a crashing end when Arthur died on 2 April 1502. As her husband was no longer lord chamberlain, Margaret was forced to give up her position in Catherine’s household, but the two remained in correspondence. They remained in Wales for the next two years as Catherine returned to court as a widow in limbo. Margaret too would be widowed in Wales. Sir Richard Pole died sometime before the end of October 1504. Margaret was 31 years old and had several young children.

Her financial situation became constrained during this time, and this may have been the reason why her son Reginald was given to the church. She had to borrow £40 for her husband’s funeral. Her eldest son Henry became the King’s ward, but he did not attend court during this time – he was after all the Duke of Clarence’s grandson. Margaret and Catherine found themselves in similar circumstances which probably strengthened their friendship. Catherine stoically battled on and finally became Queen of England when she married the new King Henry VIII on 11 June 1509. The new King paid for Margaret to come to court to attend the coronation.

Soon after, Margaret was appointed as one of Catherine’s principal attendants, and her son Henry became one of the King’s servants. Margaret was given the highest allowance – usually given to Countesses – and she received an annuity. The new King also began to support Reginald’s education. In 1512, King Henry granted her petition for the earldom of Salisbury – held by her grandfather Richard Neville (the Kingmaker) – which made her the Countess of Salisbury in her own right. She had risen to become one of the most powerful women in England.2

Part two coming soon.

The post Margaret Plantagenet – A traitor’s daughter (Part one) appeared first on History of Royal Women.

Teresa Cristina of the Two Sicilies – The Saint of Brazil (Part two)

Read part one here.

The family often spent the winter and spring at São Cristóvão and the summer and autumn at Petrópolis. The Empress and Emperor were affectionate parents, but the sisters’ upbringing was rather sheltered, and they lived their lives outside of the public eye. The sisters learned to read and write with the help of a teacher named Valdetaro, who called them “Little Ladies.” At the age of seven, Isabel was placed in the care of an aio (supervisor) who traditionally oversaw the education of the heir. Pedro realised that Isabel and Leopoldina would need more than the traditional education for girls and wrote, “As to their education I will only say that the character of both the princesses ought to be shaped as suits Ladies who, it may be, will have to direct the constitutional government of an Empire such as that of Brazil. The education should not differ from that given to men, combined with that suited to the other sex, but in a manner that does not detract from the first.1 Tradition also required that the girls be educated by a woman and Pedro did not believe that there was a suitable woman for this task in Brazil. Pedro turned to his stepmother Empress Amélie (born of Leuchtenberg), but she refused to take up the post. He eventually found a suitable woman with the help of sister Francisca; her name was Luísa Margarida Portugal de Barros, the Countess of Barral.

The Countess of Barral took up her post in 1856 and attracted the immediate dislike of Teresa Cristina, who was the exact opposite of the enigmatic Countess. Yet, she hid her dislike as best she could, not wanting to antagonise her husband. The Countess was also well-liked by the two Princesses, and Isabel became deeply attached to her. By the end of 1850s, both girls were following a strict educational program that lasted 9,5 hours a day, six days a week. The Countess of Barral did not personally teach them all their subjects, but she did supervise. Even their father took it upon himself to teach his daughters. Isabel would later write to her father, “How greatly I thank you for having taught me, for having given me teachers so that I now understand the greater part of the things I see, even though I am ignorant about so much.”

(public domain)

Despite their excellent education, the sisters were still kept in social seclusion and surprisingly, Pedro also excluded Isabel from the affairs of state. Yet, in 1863 – shortly before Isabel’s 18th birthday – Pedro launched the search for a husband for Isabel and Leopoldina. Two Princes were chosen and shipped to Brazil so that the Princesses could meet them. Although Pedro would have the final say in the matter, he did not wish to force them. The Princesses did not learn of all of this until just three weeks before Prince Gaston, Count of Eu and his cousin Prince Ludwig August of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha were due to arrive. They first met on 2 September 1864 before returning the following day for a longer meeting. Prince Gaston wrote home, “The princesses are ugly, but the second decidedly less attractive than the other, smaller, more stocky, and in sum less sympathetic.”2 Isabel married Prince Gaston, Count of Eu on 15 October 1864, while Leopoldina married Prince Ludwig August of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha on 15 December 1864.

Grandchildren soon followed as Leopoldina gave birth to four sons in quick successions, but her marriage would be tragically short. Leopoldina died on 7 February 1871 of typhoid fever – still only 23 years old. Shortly after, Pedro and Teresa Cristina left for an extended trip to Europe. In July, they were received by Queen Victoria at Windsor Castle. She wrote of Teresa Cristina, “The Empress (a p.ss of Naples) is very kind & pleasing, so simple and unassuming. She is short & lame.”3 They travelled along the mainland of Europe, stopping at Coburg where Leopoldina was buried and Carlsbad where Teresa Cristina took the waters. Eventually, Isabel also gave birth to several children. Three sons survived to adulthood while her eldest daughter was stillborn.

By 1875, Teresa Cristina was suffering from ill-health. She was often confined to a chair due to pain in her legs, and she often spent time taking the waters. As Pedro caught the travel bug, Teresa Cristina often accompanied him part of the way and made stops at spas. The couple visited Queen Victoria again in 1877.

(public domain)

On 15 November 1889, Pedro was deposed during a military coup. The family was informed that they had to leave Brazil as soon as possible. Isabel issued one final public message, “It is with my heart riven with sorrow that I take leave of my friends, of all Brazilians, and of the country that I have loved and love so much, and to the happiness of which I have striven to contribute and for which I will continue to hold the most ardent hopes.”4 Their exile began on board the Alagoas, which would take them to Europe.

On 7 December, the Alagoas arrived in Lisbon where they were received by Pedro’s great-nephew King Carlos I of Portugal. While Pedro and Teresa Cristina stayed, Isabel and her family travelled on for a visit to the south of Spain. Teresa Cristina was by now suffering from cardiac asthma and arthritis, and she had wanted nothing more than to end her days in Brazil. She had been broken by the recent events. On 18 December, Pedro recorded in his journal that he had to help Teresa Cristina “who was crying due to a most painful attack of asthma.”5 Nevertheless, she joined Pedro as he travelled to Coimbra. He returned after a day of sightseeing to find her “in bed due to her tiredness but without any sign of fever.”6 They travelled on to Porto where she arrived “visibly unwell.”7

When the news arrived that the family was banned from owning property in Brazil, Teresa Cristina’s will to live was broken once and for all. By the 28th, Teresa Cristina was bedbound and asked for a priest several times. Pedro ignored her requests and did not think it was serious. He did note in his journal that the room was only 7C (44.6F) and that there was condensation on the windows. He left her to go sightseeing again. At 2 in the afternoon, she suffered respiratory failure, which led to a cardiac arrest. A passing priest was found to give her final absolution, and she passed away that day. Despite Pedro’s behaviour earlier that day, he wrote “A gulf has opened in my life which I don’t know how to fill. I cannot wait to embrace my daughter. If only I could lessen my sorrow. Nothing can express how much I have lost.”8 He had taken Teresa Cristina for granted for so many years, and perhaps the guilt caught up with him now. He began referring to her as “my Saint.”

On 4 January 1890, she was given a state funeral in Lisbon. She was interred at São Vincente de Fora where Pedro would eventually rest beside her. Their bodies were returned to Brazil in 1939.

The post Teresa Cristina of the Two Sicilies – The Saint of Brazil (Part two) appeared first on History of Royal Women.

Teresa Cristina of the Two Sicilies – The Saint of Brazil (Part one)

Teresa Cristina of the Two Sicilies was born on 14 March 1822 in Naples as the daughter of King Francis I of the Two Sicilies and Maria Isabella of Spain. She was known to be timid and lost her father at an early age. She was reportedly not close to her mother after she remarried. Teresa Cristina would be one of twelve siblings; she had six brothers and five sisters.

The portrait that was sent to Brazil (public domain)

By early 1841, Emperor Pedro II of Brazil was looking for a wife, and the Two Sicilies offered the hands of Teresa Cristina. At the same time, Pedro was looking for a husband for his sister Januária, who should preferably be from the same family as his bride. He initially wanted a Habsburg bride, but a suitable one could not be found. The offer from the Two Sicilies came at the right time. The Brazilian liaison described her as, “of marriageable age, good looking, and well educated, from a temperate climate, and in blood of the most illustrious.”1 The marriage treaty was soon signed without the bride and groom meeting, as was usual. A portrait was sent to Brazil along with the marriage treaty. On 13 August 1842, the Brazilians sent back their ratification of the marriage treaty with a portrait of the Emperor. It wasn’t until 3 March 1843 that a squadron of three ships departed Brazil to fetch the new Empress. The ship had to be lavishly decorated, and an entourage had to be selected for her.

During these months of waiting, Teresa Cristina wrote to her future husband, “Be certain also that I will do everything in my power to contribute to that of your Majesty; my entire desire will be to please you and to merit, thanks to the advice you may kindly wish to give me, the affection of your subjects.”2 On 30 May 1843, the proxy marriage took place, and Teresa Cristina wrote to her future husband that her brother Prince Louis, Count of Aquila, would be accompanying her. On 3 September 1843, Teresa Cristina arrived in her new homeland. The meeting with Pedro was not quite as everyone had hoped. Pedro was apparently disgusted with her looks, and she knew it, breaking down in tears to her lady-in-waiting and saying, “Elisa, the Emperor did not like me.”3 She apparently considered throwing herself overboard.  It took hours to convince him that he could not repudiate her. Teresa Cristina was described as “not ugly but also not pretty.”4 She also walked with a pronounced limp. Despite the first impression, the wedding was set for the following day.

Teresa Cristina dressed in a “dress of white lace over white satin, with a single band of splendid large Brazilian diamonds, to confine her jet black hair. Altogether, the appearance of the Princess was rather prepossessing. She is plain, modest, intelligent looking, and exceedingly healthy – although not what would be called a beautiful lady.”5 Pedro reportedly refused to consummate the marriage for several days, and it wasn’t until Teresa Cristina broke down and asked to be sent back to her parents, that he was touched and consummated the marriage. It would never be a loving marriage, but Teresa Cristina adapted, as many royal women did.

Teresa Cristina’s brother had made a good impression of Pedro’s sister and on 28 April 1844, Januária and Louis were married. Pedro and Louis had been friendly at first, but for some reason, the relationship between Pedro and Louis deteriorated rapidly, and by the middle of July, they were no longer on speaking terms. In September, Januária and Louis were excluded from the Imperial couple’s first wedding anniversary celebrations. Once when Pedro refused to accompany his wife, sister and brother-in-law to a ball, Louis said, “Well, we are going to dance, and we leave you in your convent.”6Pedro began to see his new brother-in-law as a threat. At the end of 1844, Januária and Louis sailed from Rio de Janeiro never to return.

(public domain)

On 23 February 1845, Teresa Cristina gave birth to her first child – a son. It was recorded that, “as soon as the empress had given birth the emperor, who had not quitted her side for an instant, took the young prince in his arms and, showing him to the people around him, said with emotion: ‘Gentlemen, it is prince whom God…’ at which point sobs choked his voice.”7 Teresa Cristina quickly conceived again, and she gave birth to a daughter named Isabel after a long labour on 29 July 1846. She was pregnant with her third child when tragedy struck on 11 June 1847. Young Afonso died from convulsions at the age of two and a half. Just one month later, Teresa Cristina gave birth to a second daughter – named Leopoldina. A second son named Pedro was born on 19 July 1848 to great relief, but he would die before his second birthday. Pedro wrote, “This has been the most fatal blow that I could receive, and certainly I would not have survived were it not that I still have my wife and two children, whom I must educate so that they can assure the happiness of the country in which they were born.”8 Pedro and Teresa Cristina had found a common interest in their children and they had grown closer in their marriage. Pedro treated his wife with respect, and she called him, “my dear and always beloved Pedro”9 but it was mostly a facade. Teresa Cristina passed her days with knitting, reading and writing letters. She was also religious and often gave alms. She had a close group of ladies-in-waiting. She really only wore jewels on state occasions and was adored by the palace staff. She was described as “kindly in her manner, but a certain vein of sadness in her character.”10 She showered her affection on her children and later also on her grandchildren.

After having given birth to four children in a short time, it was perhaps expected that Teresa Cristina would give birth to more children, but she did not become pregnant again. The cause of this is not clear as she was in generally good health and still only 28 years old. Pedro did manage to pick up a mistress in the form of Maria Leopoldina Navarro de Andrade. The Empire of Brazil adhered to male-preference primogeniture which meant that the throne could pass to a woman if she had no brothers. Isabel, their eldest daughter, thus became Princess Imperial of Brazil as the new heir.

Part two coming soon.

The post Teresa Cristina of the Two Sicilies – The Saint of Brazil (Part one) appeared first on History of Royal Women.

Princess Xu Mu – China’s First Female Poet

Princess Xu Mu was a contemporary of Sappho and was the first female poet recorded in Chinese history.[1] She wrote political poems about her homeland.[2] Today, she is considered to be a patriotic heroine.[3] Her poems were beloved during her time and have continued to be cherished for over two thousand years.[4]

Princess Xu Mu lived during the Spring and Autumn period, which lasted from 771 to 476 B.C. E.[5] In this period, the Chinese states were declaring their own independence from the ruling Zhou dynasty to form their own dynasties.[6] One of these states was Wei. This Kingdom was where Princess Xu Mu was born and raised.[7]

Xu Mu was born in the seventh century B.C.E. She was a Princess of Wei. Her father was Duke Wei Xuan, the ruler of Wei.[8] Her older brother, Wei Yi, would be the next Duke of Wei.[9] She also had two other brothers, both of whom would later become Dukes of Wei after Wei Yi, Dai and Wei Wen.[10] Wei was a small state that was always under a threat of invasion from the northern nomadic tribes.[11]

When it was time for her to marry, she had two suitors that asked for her hand in marriage. One was the Emperor of Qi, and the other was the Duke of Xu. Princess Xu Mu wanted to marry the Emperor of Qi.[12] She found Qi to be closer to Wei. Also, if Wei was ever under attack, Princess Xu Mu believed their large military forces would come to their aid. [13] However, her parents had a different man in mind. The Duke of Xu had offered her richer gifts that her parents found irresistible to refuse.[14] Princess Xu Mu was disappointed in her parents’ choice of a bridegroom. She found Xu to be too far away for their military to help her tiny Kingdom.[15] Nevertheless, she obeyed her parents and married the Duke of Xu.[16]

Princess Xu Mu became very homesick and longed for Wei. It was during this time that she wrote the poem “Bamboo Pole”.[17] It goes:

“With a long and slender bamboo,

I fished by the shores of Qi,

Can’t help thinking of that river,

And the land so far from me.

On the left the fountain gushes,

On the right the river flows.

Far away the girl has traveled

From parents, brothers, and home.”[18]

In 660 B.C.E., Princess Xu Mu’s worst fears proved to be true. A northern nomadic tribe known as the Di attacked Wei.[19] The new Duke of Wei (who was also Princess Xu Mu’s older brother), Wei Yi, could not defeat them.[20] He was killed in battle. The Di burned the capital causing many to flee to Caoyi (modern-day Huaxian County), a small town in southern Wei.[21] When Princess Xu Mu learned what had happened to her Kingdom, she wrote her poem, “Spring of Water”[22]. It goes:

“The sparkling fountain rushes on,

It flows into the river Qi,

Not a day passes without thoughts of home,

The home I shall never see.

When I think of the dear fountain,

I have a sigh in vain;

When I think of Xuyi and Caoyi,

My heart flies far away.”[23]

Princess Xu Mu also asked the nearby states of Wei, including her former suitor the Emperor of Qi, for military aid to save her homeland.[24] However, all states refused her.[25] Some states even criticised her for interfering publicly in politics.[26] Devastated and furious with receiving no help from other states, she penned her most famous poem, “Speeding Chariot”.[27] This poem expressed her patriotism for Wei.[28] She still continued to plead for the neighbouring Wei states for help. Eventually, Qi was persuaded by Princess Xu Mu’s efforts[29]. The Emperor of Qi gave Wei three hundred battle chariots and three thousand soldiers.[30] After two years of fighting, Wei recaptured their lost territories and built a new capital at Chunqiu.[31]

No one knows what happened to Princess Xu Mu after the rebuilding of the Wei kingdom. However, the Wei people never forgot how she had helped them.[32] She became their patriotic heroine.[33] Her poem, “Speeding Chariot” was well-loved among her contemporaries and continued to be read in successive generations.[34] Through her poetry, the princess’s love and devotion to her homeland will never be forgotten.

References:

Cunningham, A. (2019). The most influential female writers. New York: Rosen YA.

Eno, R. (2010).  1.7. Spring and Autumn China (771-453). Indiana University, PDF.

Peterson, B. B. (2015). Notable women of China: Shang Dynasty to the early twentieth century (B.

B. Peterson, Ed.). London: Routledge.

[1] Cunningham, p. 22

[2] Cunningham, p. 22

[3] Peterson, p. 20

[4] Cunningham, p. 22

[5] Peterson, p. 17

[6] Eno, p. 2

[7] Peterson, p. 17

[8] Peterson, p. 17

[9] Peterson, p. 17

[10] Peterson, p. 17

[11] Peterson, p. 17

[12] Cunningham, p. 22

[13] Peterson, p. 17

[14] Peterson, p. 17

[15] Peterson, p. 17

[16] Peterson, p. 17

[17] Cunningham, p. 22

[18] Peterson, p. 18

[19] Peterson, p. 18

[20] Peterson, p. 18

[21] Peterson, p. 18

[22] Peterson, p. 18

[23] Peterson, p. 18

[24] Peterson, p. 18

[25] Peterson, p. 19

[26] Peterson, p. 19

[27] Peterson, p. 19

[28] Peterson, p. 19

[29] Peterson, p. 20

[30] Peterson, p. 20

[31] Peterson, p. 20

[32] Peterson, p. 20

[33] Cunningham, p. 22

[34] Cunningham, p. 22

The post Princess Xu Mu – China’s First Female Poet appeared first on History of Royal Women.

Fu Hao – Queen, General, and Priestess

If a historian could name the roles that Queen Fu Hao played in her lifetime, the list would be endless. Queen Fu Hao played so many unusual roles that very few women in history have sought to emulate. She was the most powerful of King Wuding’s three queens whom he married during his lifetime.[1] She played the role of a loyal wife and a caring mother. She proved to be so loyal that King Wuding trusted her enough to lead and command troops on the battlefield.[2] She fought in many victorious battles. In one battle, she commanded 13,000 troops (the largest recorded army in Shang history) to victory against the Qiang, a neighbouring kingdom.[3] Thus, Queen Fu Hao is the first recorded female general in Chinese history.[4] She is also the only woman who had both the rights of royal sacrifice and military command in ancient China.[5] Queen Fu Hao also played the role of a priestess conducting many religious rituals.[6] She was a vassal lord and an administrator.[7] She was also worshipped as a goddess shortly after her death.[8] Thus, Queen Fu Hao was one of the most powerful women in the Shang dynasty.

Fu Hao was born around 1040 B.C.E., in the late Shang dynasty period.[9] The Shang dynasty was the second oldest dynasty in Chinese history and was the era with the earliest form of Chinese writing.[10] In Fu Hao’s youth, she received military training and was educated in the most advanced arts of war.[11] This knowledge would one day prepare her to lead battles alongside her husband, King Wuding.

King Wuding of Shang’s strategy of expanding his territory was having a woman from each nearby tribe enter his harem.[12] He had a total of 64 women in his harem, and one of these girls was Fu Hao.[13] Fu Hao quickly became his favourite. King Wuding made her his Queen after she gave birth to Xiao Yi, who was made heir apparent.[14] Archaeological evidence from several inscriptions of oracle bones made by King Wuding refer to Fu Hao as Queen.[15] Other inscriptions of oracle bones referring to her consist of prayers for childbearing and, more surprising, military success.[16] These bones show that Queen Fu Hao played a major military role for King Wuding. Queen Fu Hao also performed religious ceremonies.[17] She was recorded to have made sacrificial offerings to the gods.[18] Artefacts of inscriptions on tortoise shells bear the words “Prepared by Fu Hao”[19]. The evidence proves that Queen Fu Hao was in charge of divination rites.[20] Thus, archaeological evidence shows that Fu Hao played political, religious, and military roles.

Queen Fu Hao was second in command under King Wuding in both battle and administration.[21] She fought in battles against many of the kingdoms that bordered their territory. She fought against the Jiang tribes and took many of them captive.[22] She also led victorious campaigns against the Tu, Bai, and Yi.[23] In these battles, famous Shang generals (Zhi and Hou Gou) reported to her. She even led the earliest recorded large ambush in Chinese history.[24] Against the most-feared Qiang army, she commanded 13,000 troops with the two famous generals following her direct orders.[25]  They ambushed and defeated the Qiang. This victory established her as a talented and prestigious general. To celebrate her victory, Queen Fu Hao took many of the Qiangs as captives.[26]  Due to her prestigious military career, her husband awarded her with a fiefdom to guard the border states.[27] The fact that King Wuding let Queen Fu Hao lead military campaigns against her powerful enemies prove to historians that he trusted and believed in her abilities as a general.[28]

It is speculated by historians that Queen Fu Hao died young due to a hunting accident.[29] Her only son, Xiao Yi, died sometime before her.[30] Yet, Queen Fu Hao’s story did not end with her death. Instead, she began to be worshipped as a goddess.[31] Fearing that Queen Fu Hao would be alone in the afterlife, King Wuding married her to Shang’s highest god, Di and to his ancestors (one of whom was his own father).[32] He frequently sought her blessing for future battles.[33]

One of the greatest modern Chinese archaeological excavations was the unearthing of her tomb in Anyang in 1976.[34] It is known to be the largest preserved tomb from the Shang dynasty era.[35] The items inside the tomb consisted of four bronze drinking vessels, bow and arrows, bronze dagger axes, 440 smaller bronze vessels, 700 pieces of jade, 560 hairpins, and several items of opal, ivory, and pieces of pottery.[36] The tomb also contained sixteen human corpses, which archaeologists found to be slaves forced to be buried alive with her to serve her in the afterlife.[37] While Queen Fu Hao lived a short life, she was a major historical figure in the Shang Dynasty era. Queen Fu Hao has been largely forgotten, but archaeologists are slowly putting pieces together to tell her remarkable story.

References:

Childs-Johnson, E. (2003). Fu Zi: The Shang Woman Warrior. The Fourth International

Conference on Chinese Paleography [ICCP].

Fu Hao-Queen and top general of King Wuding of Shang. (n.d.). Retrieved July 22, 2020 from

http://www.colorq.org/Articles/articl....

Peterson, B. B., & Guorong, W. (2015). Notable women of China: Shang Dynasty to the early

twentieth century (B. B. Peterson, Ed.; F. Hong, Trans.). London: Routledge.

Queen, Mother, General: 40th Anniversary of Excavating Shang Tomb of Fu Hao. (2016).

Retrieved July 22, 2020, from

http://en.capitalmuseum.org.cn/2017-1....

Woman General Fu Hao. (February 14, 2007). Retrieved July 22, 2020 from

https://web.archive.org/web/200702140...

en_in_history/1405.jsp.

[1] Childs-Johnson, p. 2

[2] Childs-Johnson, p. 8

[3] Childs-Johnson, p. 8

[4] “Queen, Mother, General: 40th Anniversary of Excavating Shang Tomb of Fu Hao”, para. 2

[5]“Queen, Mother, General: 40th Anniversary of Excavating Shang Tomb of Fu Hao”, para. 2

[6] “Fu Hao-Queen and top general of King Wuding of Shang”, para. 2

[7] Childs-Johnson, p. 2

[8] Childs-Johnson, p. 15

[9] Peterson and Guorong, Hong, trans., p. 13

[10]Peterson, p. 8

[11]Peterson and Guorong, Hong, trans., p. 15

[12]“Woman General Fu Hao”, para. 1

[13]“Woman General Fu Hao”, para. 1

[14]Childs-Johnson, p. 2

[15]Childs-Johnson, p. 4

[16]Peterson and Guorong, Hong, trans., pp. 13-14

[17]“Fu Hao-Queen and top general of King Wuding of Shang”, para. 2

[18]“Fu Hao-Queen and top general of King Wuding of Shang”, para. 2

[19]“Woman General Fu Hao”, para. 3

[20]“Woman General Fu Hao”, para. 3

[21] Childs-Johnson, p. 7

[22]“Fu Hao-Queen and top general of King Wuding of Shang”, para. 1

[23]“Fu Hao-Queen and top general of King Wuding of Shang”, para. 1

[24]Childs-Johnson, p. 8

[25]Childs-Johnson, p. 8

[26]Childs-Johnson, p. 8

[27]“Fu Hao-Queen and top general of King Wuding of Shang”, para. 1

[28]Peterson and Guorong, Hong, trans., p. 16

[29]Childs-Johnson, pp. 14-15

[30]Peterson and Guorong, Hong, trans., p. 16

[31]Childs-Johnson, p. 15

[32]Childs-Johnson, p. 15

[33]“Queen, Mother, General: 40th Anniversary of Excavating Shang Tomb of Fu Hao”, para. 3

[34]Peterson and Guorong, Hong, trans., p. 13

[35]Peterson and Guorong, Hong, trans., p. 13

[36]Peterson and Guorong, Hong, trans., p. 13

[37] Peterson and Guorong, Hong, trans., p. 13

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Eleanor of Arborea – Sardinia’s Queen and Heroine

In the Middle Ages, the Italian island of Sardinia was divided into four regions known as “judicates” or “giudicati”.  Each of these regions was ruled by a ruler known as a “judge”.  The judges were princes rather than administers of justice.  The four provinces of Sardinia were Torres (or Logudoro), Cagliari, Gallura, and Arborea.  During the 13th century, all of the judicates, save Arborea were dissolved.  The territories then fell under Pisan control, but some of Cagliari and Torres went to Arborea.  At the end of the 13th century, Arborea took up a quarter of Sardinia.  The ruling family of Arborea had a good relation with Pisa but sided with the Crown of Aragon, who invaded Sardinia between 1323 and 1326.  In 1326, the King of Aragon conquered Sardinia from Pisan control.  While about half of the island was now under Aragonese control, Arborea still took up a large portion of the island. 

Eleanor before her reign

Eleanor of Arborea was probably born at Molins de Rei, in Catalonia, between 1340 and 1347.  Her parents were Marianus IV of Arborea and Timbora de Roccamberti.  Eleanor’s mother held possessions in Catalonia.  At the time of Eleanor’s birth, her uncle Peter III ruled Arborea.  When he died childless in 1347, Eleanor’s father became the new Giudice of Arborea.  Marianus would see himself as an independent ruler of Arborea, but the King of Aragon saw him as a vassal, which created tensions between the two.       

Very little is known of Eleanor’s early years.  It was likely that she was well-educated.  Eleanor married Brancaleone Doria, from an influential family from the Republic of Genoa.  Marianus died in 1376 and was succeeded by his only son, Hugh III.  The first document mentioning Eleanor dates from 1382.  She is described as being married to Brancaleone Doria with one son, Frederick.  She would later have a second son, Marianus.  Brancaleone also had two older, illegitimate sons, from an earlier relationship.  In the document, Eleanor and Brancaleone ask the ruler of Genoa to settle in the city with their children.  Since Eleanor’s brother was the ruler of Arborea at the time, this probably meant that brother and sister were not on good terms.  That same year, Eleanor’s son, Fredrick, was betrothed to a daughter of the ruler of Genoa, but the marriage never happened. 

The “Queen” of Sardinia   

Eleanor’s brother, Hugh, was very unpopular with his Sardinian subjects.  In March 1383, Hugh and his daughter were killed in an uprising.  This left Eleanor as the only surviving member of her family.  Immediately, she left for Sardinia and seized power.  Brancaleone left for Barcelona to ask permission from King Peter IV of Aragon to establish their son as Prince of Arborea.  He acted as a vassal to the King, while Eleanor acted as an independent ruler.  She sent three ambassadors to Peter to let him know that she took power, and she was not asking for permission.  Peter granted Brancaleone the title “Count of Monteleone”.  He then wrote to Eleanor, addressing her as the “Countess of Monteleone” implying that she was his vassal.  Eleanor then wrote back to the King and signed as “Giudichessa of Arborea”, showing that she was an independent ruler. 

Eleanor’s young son Frederick was considered the Judge of Arborea under his mother’s tutelage.  Meanwhile, Brancaleone was kept hostage in Barcelona.  Frederick was also eventually captured and kept hostage by the King of Aragon.  Arborea was at war with Aragon for the next four years.  During that time, most of the island of Sardinia had fallen under Eleanor’s rule.  Eleanor had the full support of the Sardinians during this time.  Unfortunately, Frederick died in captivity in 1387, and Eleanor’s younger son, Marianus became the new Judge.  Brancaleone was freed at the beginning of 1390. 

Between 1392 and 1395, Eleanor worked on her most celebrated accomplishment.  She put together the “Carta de Logu” (Charter of Law), a body of laws that was in effect from April 1395 until 1827.  The Carta de Logu was ahead of its times; for most crimes, the penalty was a fine. The charter also included laws about protecting the rights of women. 

Like many nobles of the time, Eleanor enjoyed falconry.  She was the first in history to legislate protection for a certain species of bird – the falcon.  In the 19th century, a type of falcon was named the “Eleanora’s falcon” in honour of her. 

Eleanor united the entire island of Sardinia under her rule with the exception of the cities of Cagliari and Alghero, which remained under Aragonese rule.  She managed to successfully govern her island for about twenty years.  At the beginning of the 15th century, a plague devastated the island.  Eleanor died at an uncertain date – probably in 1403 or 1404, perhaps from the plague.  She was succeeded by her son, Marianus V.  The independent Sardinia started to decline after Eleanor’s death. 

Marianus died childless in 1407 and was succeeded by William II of Narbonne, grandson of Eleanor’s sister, Beatrice.  William was not successful in governing the island, and he sold it to King Alfonso V of Aragon in 1420, bringing about the end of the Judicate of Arborea.  Sardinia would remain under the control of Aragon, and then Spain, until 1720, when it came under the control of the Dukes of Savoy.  The Dukes would be titled as Kings of Sardinia, but they mainly resided on mainland Italy.  Therefore, Eleanor was one of Sardinia’s last local rulers.  To this day, Eleanor remains a symbol of Sardinian nationalism and independence and is the island’s most famous heroine.                        

Sources: 

Queens of Italy: Women in Power in Medieval Italy – Eleanor of Arborea

Corrias, Angela; “Eleanora d’Arborea, women, daughter, mother, ruler in medieval Sardinia” 

“Eleanor of Arborea” at canadaslim.wordpress.com 

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Albertine Agnes of Nassau – The first female regent of the Dutch Republic

Albertine Agnes of Nassau was born on 9 April 1634 in The Hague as the sixth child and fifth daughter of Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange and Amalia of Solms-Braunfels. Her elder brother was William II, Prince of Orange, who married Mary, Princess Royal and became the father of the King-Stadtholder William III. Her elder sister Louise Henriette married Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg.

Albertine grew up in The Hague, and from the age of nine, she was part of several marriage negotiations. The leading contender for her hand was her second cousin William Frederick, Prince of Nassau-Dietz, who was 21 years older than her. He had promised his mother on her deathbed to one day marry a Princess of Orange. However, her mother Amalia wanted to make sure there wasn’t anything better out there for her daughter, and so it took another nine years for the negotiations with William Frederick to be concluded. Amalia eventually reluctantly conceded and there is no record of how Albertine felt about the match. The rather large age difference and the fact that William Frederick was lower in rank could have caused tensions. Nevertheless, they were married on 2 May 1652 in Cleves.

Albertine Agnes with her three children (public domain)

Albertine gave birth to three children, of which two would survive to adulthood. Her first child was Amalia (born 25 November 1655), Henry Casimir (born 18 January 1657) and the shortlived Sophia Hedwig. Albertine and her husband were known to live largely separate lives though this was not unusual for the time. Her personal household consisted of 22 people. William Frederick was the stadtholder of Friesland, Groningen and Drenthe (in the north of the Netherlands) and he was often away, though Albertine preferred to remain in The Hague.

Albertine was widowed on 31 October 1664 when her husband died at the age of 51. Their only son was just seven years old at the time, and so, Albertine became his guardian and eventually acted as his regent – becoming the first woman to serve as regent in the Republic. When Henry Casimir was sent away for his education, Albertine often wrote to him and his tutors. In July 1666 she wrote, “It seems to me that Mr de Morel is sometimes not very satisfied with your behaviour. My nephew the Prince of Orange even and all the honest people of his court find that you do nothing; I hope you will apply yourself more from now on to what Mr de Morel says, being for your good and if you do not do it, it will be your total ruin.”1 She insisted that it was her duty as a mother to chastise him, in order to prepare him for his future role.

Albertine’s guardship lasted for 13 years until 1677 when Henry Casimir turned 20 years old. In 1683, Henry Casimir married his first cousin Henriëtte Amalia of Anhalt-Dessau – the daughter of Albertine’s sister Henriette Catherine of Nassau. They would go on to have nine children before Henry Casimir’s death in 1696. Albertine’s daughter Amalia remains a rather shadowy figure, and she would not marry until she was 34. She married Johann Wilhelm, Duke of Saxe-Eisenach and they had a single surviving son before her death just five years later.

And so it came to pass that Albertine survived all three of her children and her husband. She died just two months after her son, on 26 May 1696 in Leeuwarden. She was not only known for her regency, but also for several building projects such as Schloss Oranienstein and the Oranjewoud Palace, where she died, and her vast art collection. Albertine was buried in the Grote Kerk in Leeuwarden. Her great-great-granddaughter was Carolina of Orange-Nassau, making her an ancestress of Europe’s royal houses as well.2

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Diana, Princess of Wales musical to premiere on Netflix before Broadway debut

A musical based on the life of Diana, Princess of Wales, will premiere on Netflix before its Broadway debut.

The musical – simply called Diana – was set to open on 31 March but the production was shut down as a result of the Coronavirus. It will now open in May 2021, but you will be able to see it on Netflix first.

The musical will be filmed without an audience at the Longacre Theatre in New York with the original cast, including Jeanna de Waal as Diana.

“We speak for the entire company when we say that we couldn’t be more excited to finally be able to share our show with theatre lovers everywhere,” the producers said in a statement. “Though there is no substitute for the live theatre, we are honoured to be a part of the quality entertainment that Netflix provides its subscribers worldwide.”

Diana will now become the first-ever Broadway production to premiere on Netflix before its official stage debut. A date for its debut has yet to be confirmed.

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Frances Brandon – Daughter of the French Queen (Part two)

Read part one here.

Frances’s daughter Jane turned 15 years old in 1552 and was fast becoming known as one of the leading evangelical women in England. Her father hoped that she would marry King Edward VI, and he turned 14 later that year. That same year, Frances was seriously ill, and Henry was recalled from the court urgently. He wrote, “She has a constant burning ague and stopping of the spleen, it is to be feared death must follow.”1 It is unclear what ailed Frances, but she recovered. For the New Year, Frances gifted King Edward a purse of knit silver and gold containing £40 in half sovereigns. In return, she received three covered gilt bowls.2

By then, King Edward was already ill – he had a cough that he just could not shake off. His health continued to deteriorate over the coming months. He realised he was dying and set about writing his own will. His first major decision was to exclude both his half-sisters on the grounds of their illegitimacy. He too bypassed the line of Margaret Tudor as his father had done as its representative – Mary, Queen of Scots – was foreign-born. Her aunt, Margaret Douglas – from Margaret Tudor’s second marriage – was of questionable legitimacy and was married to a Scot. This left Frances as next in line. However, Edward too believed that a woman could not rule and so he left to the throne to Frances’ male heirs and then to any of her grandsons, followed by the sons of her niece Margaret. None of these male heirs existed. He did nominate whoever became the mother of the heir to act as governor. If no male heir was born during his lifetime, Frances would be appointed governor until one was born.

The next generation would need to be married off quickly. On 25 May 1553, Lady Jane married Lord Guildford Dudley, a younger son of John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland in a triple wedding with her sister Lady Katherine and Henry, Lord Herbert and Lord Guildford’s sister Lady Catherine and Lord Hastings. It soon became apparent that Edward could not wait out the birth of a male heir and he altered his will to include Lady Jane, bypassing Frances. This infuriated Frances’s husband Henry, who saw the power slip away. Frances was summoned to see the King, and he demanded that she submit to his decision to pass her over in favour of Jane.3

On 6 July 1553, the end came for the boy King. The following morning, the Mayor of London and City magistrates swore an oath of allegiance to Queen Jane. The next morning, Frances joined her daughter and Jane had to be convinced that she was truly Queen now. That Sunday, she officially received the news that Edward was dead and Frances and Henry knelt before their daughter. On 10 July, Jane took formal possession of the Tower, but a letter arrived from Princess Mary saying that she was Edward’s rightful heir. Frances burst into tears upon receiving the letter. In the end, Jane would reign for just a few days as Mary was triumphant against the odds.

On 29 July, Frances arrived at Beaulieu to meet her childhood friend, Mary, hoping to save her family. Frances pleaded with her that her family was just a victim of the Duke of Northumberland’s ambitions. Mary had wanted to grant Jane and her father a pardon, but she was convinced to only give a pardon to Henry and that Jane would remain in the Tower for now. Jane was tried for treason and convicted. On 22 August, the Duke of Northumberland was executed, but Mary remained determined that Jane’s life should be spared. Wyatt’s Rebellion the following February was the final nail in the coffin for Jane, Guildford and her father. Mary now had no choice but to execute them. Jane and Guildford were executed on 12 February 1554, followed by her father on 23 February 1554.

Frances realised that she could not save Jane or her husband, but she now focussed on saving the future of Katherine and Mary. Her lands were forfeited to the crown along with her husband’s wealth. Frances encouraged them to play Catholic for now and stay silent. By the following April, Frances had been re-granted several manors. In July, she was invited to join the Queen’s Privy Chamber, and Katherine and Mary joined their mother at court. Sometime in 1555, Frances remarried to her Master of the Horse, Adrian Stokes, and she mostly retired from court. Her health reportedly became worse during the early years of her new marriage, and she suffered a series of failed pregnancies. Her young daughter Mary went with her mother, but Katherine was often at court.

By October 1559, Frances felt that death was near. On 9 November, Frances drew up her will and made Adrian her executor. She died on either 20 or 21 November with her two daughters by her side. She had outlived Queen Mary who had died on 17 November 1558. She had been succeeded by Elizabeth, who agreed to take on the funeral expenses of her “beloved cousin.”4 The following December, Frances was buried at Westminster Abbey, and Adrian erected a monument to her, which still survives.

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