Cat's Historical Doodles

Afonso Henriques, nicknamed "the Conqueror", was probably born on 25 July 1109, in the County of Portucale. He was the son of Henry of Burgundy and his wife Teresa, daughter of Afonso VI of León and Castile. Traditionally, it is believed he was born in Guimarães, where he lived until 1128. After his father's death, his mother ruled the county alone. In an effort to pursue a larger share in the Leonese inheritance, Teresa joined forces with Fernão Pérez de Trava, a Galician count. In 1120, Afonso (under the direction of the Archbishop of Braga) took a different political position to that of his mother and they both left the county. In 1122, Afonso armed himself knight in the Cathedral of Zamora. When peace was re-established, Afonso returned home. In 1128, the armies of Teresa of León and Fernão Pérez de Trava confronted the army of Afonso Henriques in the Battle of São Mamede. Afonso came out victorious: he exiled his mother and took control of the government of...

The ex-libris of Porto, Portugal, was projected by Nicolau Nasoni. This is one of the most notable examples of the late baroque style in Portugal and it's classified as a National Monument since 1910.

Darejan Dadiani, also known as Darya, was born on 20 July 1738. She was a daughter of Katsia-Giorgi Dadiani, a younger son of Bezhan Dadiani, Prince of Mingrelia (Western Georgia). When she was 12 years old, Heraclius (then reigning in Kakheti) chose her as his third wife, one year after the death of his second wife. The wedding was lavishly celebrated at the court of the groom's father, Teimuraz II, King of Kartli, in Tbilisi. In 1762, Heraclius of Kakheti succeeded his father as King of Kartli, thus uniting both eastern Georgian kingdoms in one state. Between 1753 and 1782, Darejan had 23 children! She desired to secure the right of succession for her offspring against her husband's eldest living son of his second marriage, George, so she became involved in Georgian politics. During the last years of Heraclius' life, she became more involved and influential. In 1791, Darejan persuaded her husband to overturn the principle of primogeniture in favour of fraternal ...

Mary was born circa 1499, probably at Blickling Hall, the seat of the Boleyn family. She was daughter of courtier Thomas Boleyn, 1st Earl of Wiltshire, and his wife, Lady Elizabeth Howard. Mary was brought up by a French governess in Hever Castle, in Kent, with her siblings, George and Anne . In 1514, Mary was sent abroad when her father secured her a place as a maid-of-honour to the King's sister, Mary Tudor , who was going to Paris to marry King Louis XII of France. When Queen Mary left France after she was widowed, Mary stayed in the French court. During her time in France, Mary is supposed to have had several affairs, including with the King himself. Some historians believe that these claims are exaggerated. Mary returned to England in 1519, where she was appointed a maid-of-honour to Queen Catherine of Aragon . She was married to William Carey, an influential and rich courtier, on 4 February 1520. At some point, Mary became King Henry VIII's mistress. It is rumour...

Anne (German: Anna) was born on 22 September 1515, in Düsseldorf. She was the second daughter of John III, Duke of Jülich jure uxoris , Cleves, Berg jure uxoris , and his wife, Maria, Duchess of Jülich-Berg. Her father was influenced by Erasmus and followed a path within the Reformation: Anne grew up a Lutheran. In 1527, at the age of 11, Anne was betrothed to Francis, the son and heir of the Duke of Lorraine. However, Francis was only 10, therefore the betrothal was considered unofficial and was cancelled in 1535. In October 1939, a marriage treaty overseen by Thomas Cromwell was signed between Cleves and England and one of the Duke's sisters was to become Henry VIII’s fourth wife. Hans Holbein the Younger was sent to Duren to paint portraits of Anne and her sister, Amalia. Anne was the chosen sister: she was of middling beauty and had a very assured and resolute face; she was fair haired, with a high forehead, heavy lidded eyes and pointed chin. Henry VIII met private...

Stephanie Josepha Friederike Wilhelmine Antonia (Portuguese: Estefânia Josefa Frederica Guilhermina Antónia) was born in Sigmaringen on 15 July 1837. She was the eldest daughter of Karl Anton, Prince of Hohenzollern, and his wife, Princess Josephine of Baden. On 29 April 1858, Stephanie married by proxy to King Pedro V of Portugal . She arrived in Portugal on 17 May 1858 and, on the following day, she married the King in Lisbon, becoming Queen consort of Portugal. They spent their honeymoon in Sintra. In an effort to impress his new wife, Pedro had her rooms at Palácio das Necessidades lavishly decorated. He had ordered furniture, chandeliers, carpets and fabrics from Paris. Stephanie wrote home that the Portuguese understood luxury better than dignity. She missed home and didn't particularly enjoy Lisbon; however, she was very fond of Sintra and Mafra. Stephanie and her husband were very charitable. Together, they founded several hospitals and charity institutions, ...

Friederike Luise Charlotte Wilhelmine, better known as Charlotte, was born a princess of Prussia on 13 July 1798. She was the eldest surviving daughter of Frederick William III of Prussia and his wife, Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Her childhood was marked by the Napoleonic wars and the death of her mother when she was just 12. On February 1814, Grand Duke Nicholas Pavlovich, the future Tsar of Russia, and his brother. Grand Duke Michael Pavlovich visited Berlin. Arrangements were made by the two families for Nicholas to marry Charlotte and strengthen the alliance between Prussia and Russia. On a second visit, Nicholas fell in love with Charlotte; the feeling was mutual. She wrote: I like him and am sure of being happy with him . By the end of this visit, they were engaged. On 9 June 1817, Princess Charlotte travelled to Russia. When she arrived in Saint Petersburg, she converted to Russian Orthodoxy, and took the Russian name of Alexandra Feodorovna. On her 19th birthday, ...

Maria Manuela was born in Coimbra, Portugal, on 15 October 1527. She was the second child of King João III and his wife, Catherine of Austria . Maria Manuela married Philip, Prince of Asturias (the future Philip II of Spain and I of Portugal) at the age of 16, in 1543. This union added to the dynastic relations of both houses of Avis and Austria, which would result in the union of the crowns of Portugal and Spain in 1580. Two years later, Maria Manuela was pregnant. She gave birth to Infante Carlos on 8 July 1545, her only child. The baby was born with problems due to the inbreeding of the family (he had only four great-grandparents instead of the usual eight!). The birth was very complicated and Maria died only four days later. Maria Manuela's short life came to an end on 12 July 1545, at the age of 17. Maria Manuela of Portugal Antonis Mor (16th century)

Doña María Eugenia Ignacia Augustina (French: Eugénie) was born on 5 May 1826, in Spain. She was the daughter of Don Cipriano de Palafox y Portocarrero and his wife, María Manuela Enriqueta Kirkpatrick of Closbourn y de Grevigné. Eugénie grew up and was formally educated in Paris and briefly attended a boarding school in Bristol to learn English. In 1839, after the death of her father, she returned to Madrid. In Spain, Eugénie grew up into a headstrong and physically daring young woman, devoted to horseback riding and a range of other sports. She was very interested in politics, and became devoted to the Bonapartist cause, under the influence of Eleanore Gordon, a former mistress of Louis Napoléon. S he met Louis Napoléon after he became president during the Second Republic. Her beauty attracted him and he tried to seduce her. What is the road to your heart? , he asked. She simply answered Through the chapel, Sire . After he became Emperor, he announced their engagement and, o...

Elizabeth (Hungarian: Erzsébet) was born on 7 July 1207, in the Kingdom of Hungary; she was daughter of King Andrew II of Hungary and his wife, Gertrude of Merania.  Elizabeth was brought to the court of Thuringia to be betrothed to Louis IV, Landgrave of Thuringia a future union which would reinforce political alliances between the families. In 1221, at the age of fourteen, Elizabeth married Louis; the same year he was enthroned as Landgrave, and the marriage appears to have been happy. After her marriage, she continued her charitable practises, which included spinning wool for clothing that would be given to the poor. Elizabeth's life changed on 11 September 1227, when Louis died of a fever. Elizabeth is reported to have said He is dead. He is dead. It is to me as if the whole world died today . Following her husband's death, Elizabeth made solemn vows to Konrad von Marburg (priest and inquisitor) similar to those of a nun. These included celibacy and complete obed...

Pedro III of Portugal was born on 5 July 1717, in Lisbon. He was the son of King João V and his wife, Queen Maria Anna of Austria. Pedro married his niece, Maria , in 1760, at which time she was the heiress presumptive to the throne. According to the custom, he would become King of Portugal and the Algarves in the right of his wife (jure uxoris). Pedro made no attempts to participate in government affairs; he would rather spend his time hunting or in religious exercises, the last one earning him the nickname of Sexton. He was moderately friendly towards the Jesuits who had been banished from Portugal and its oversees empire in 1759, largely at the behest of the Marquis of Pombal. Pedro died on 25 May 1786, in Lisbon, at the age of 69. Pedro III of Portugal Miguel António do Amaral (c.1773)

Elizabeth of Aragon (Portuguese: Isabel) was born on 1271 in Zaragoza, Kingdom of Aragon. She was the daughter of Infante Peter of Aragon (later King Peter III) and his wife, Constance of Sicily. She showed early enthusiasm for her faith and religious fervour was common in her family (her great-aunt Elizabeth of Hungary was a saint!). She said the full Divine Office daily, fasted and attended choral masses twice a day. In 1281, when Elizabeth was 10, a marriage was arranged for her; the chosen husband was King Dinis of Portugal . However, the wedding was not celebrated until 1288, when Elizabeth was 17 and Dinis 26. The now Queen of Portugal quietly pursued the religious practices of her youth and was devoted to the sick and the poor. Elizabeth had an active interest in Portuguese politics and was conciliator in the negotiations concerning the Treaty of Alcañices, signed by her husband and King Sancho IV of Castile in 1297. Dinis and Elizabeth would have two children: Cons...