The Great Fire of London was one of the great catastrophes to hit the reign of Charles II. Following the horrendous Great Plague of 1665, the only silver lining in this conflagration is that it seems to have eradicated the plague. Great! But we don’t really know how many people died, as the records don’t seem to take… Read on
In an interview with Charles II, I would ask the following: Were you frightened that the same fate that befell your father would eventually happen to you? Once and for all, were you, or were you not, married to Lucy Walter? If not, why do you believe there was such intense speculation surrounding your relationship with her? Where… Read on
Hello everyone! This is just a heads up. My guest post entitled, The Stuart Curse: The Tragic Lives of a 17th-Century Dynasty is on the English Historical Fiction Authors page now. I hope you enjoy it.
On Monday the 15th of July, I went to Tower Hill where I spoke about the life of James Scott, Duke of Monmouth. I will now include photos and excerpts I used from contemporary sources. It was a beautiful day to remember a beautiful man. It was a very hot and sunny, and I bought two bouquets of… Read on
My article, “The Allure of the Royal Mistress” is now available on The Huffington Post. Below, I have images of the women I mention in the article: 1) Aspasia, mistress of Pericles: 2) Queen Cleopatra of Egypt: 3) Diane de Poitiers: 4) Anne Boleyn: 5) Nell Gwynn: 6) Barbara Palmer (Villiers): 7) Madame de Montespan: 8) Madame de… Read on
I recently went to the amazing “In Fine Style: The Art of Tudor & Stuart Fashion” in the Queen’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace. I had just finished tours at Kensington Palace and then took the Number 9 bus (a Routemaster) from Palace Gate to Green Park and then walked across the beautiful Green Park towards Buckingham Palace. I… Read on
The 313th anniversary of the death of the major seventeenth-century Restoration dramatist and first Poet Laureate, John Dryden, occurred recently on the 1st of May (1700). I felt quite bad about neglecting such an event, so here’s my little homage to Dryden’s work: King David, from “Absalom and Achitophel”: In pious times, ere priestcraft did begin, Before polygamy… 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