An Interview with Justine Brown, author of The Private Life of James II, which was published by Pen & Sword History at the end of May 2024. Hello Justine, welcome to The Seventeenth Century Lady! Congratulations on the release of your book, The Private Life of James II (published May 2024 by Pen & Sword History). James II… Read on
That beauteous, intelligent, sensitive woman, Mary Stuart, who later became Queen Mary II of England, Scotland, and Ireland, was born on this day 30th of April, 1662. Her mother was Anne Hyde, a commoner who had become the Duchess of York upon marrying James, Duke of York, younger brother to Charles II. The birth took place at… Read on
Anne Hyde, daughter of the Earl of Clarendon and Frances Aylesbury, was born on this day 12 March, 1637. Some people think that our current Duchess of Cambridge, the lovely Catherine, is the first commoner to have married an heir to the throne. Au contraire, one of the first ones was this lady, Anne… We must go back… Read on
Famous for the sensual portraits known as “The Windsor Beauties,” Lely was the leading portrait painter of the Restoration. He died on this day 30th November, 1680. Lely, whose birth name was Pieter van der Faes, was born to Dutch parents in Germany, and he trained in art in Haarlem, back in the Dutch Republic. He made portraits… Read on