Cat's Historical Doodles

Marie Amélie Louise Hélène (Portuguese: Maria Amélia Luísa Helena) was born on 28 September 1865. She was the eldest daughter of Prince Philippe, Count of Paris, and his wife, Princess Marie Isabelle d'Orléans. She spent most of her childhood in England, where she was born due to the exile of her family was subjected to when Napoleon III took the throne in 1848. They returned to France in after the fall of the Empire in 1871. There, she received the exquisite education fit for a princess. On 22 May 1886, Amélie married Carlos, Prince Royal of Portugal. He was the eldest son of King Luís of Portugal and his wife, Maria Pia of Savoy and, at the time, the heir apparent to the Portuguese throne. The bride was almost 21 years old and the groom was 23. At first, the marriage wasn't popular and Queen Maria Pia had preferred other brides: Archduchess Marie Valerie of Austria, Princess Mathilde of Saxony, Princess Viktoria of Prussia or Princess Victoria of Wales. However, Amél...

Anna Feodora Auguste Charlotte Wilhelmine, better known as Feodora, was born on 7 December 1807, in Amorbach, Bavaria. She was the only daughter of Emich Carl, Prince of Leiningen and his wife, Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. Emich Carl died in 1817, when Feodora was just 7. On 29 May 1818, Victoria remarried, this time to Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn. The following year, the whole household moved to the United Kingdom, because the now Duchess was pregnant and the new potential heir should be born on British soil. Feodora and her younger half-sister, the future Queen Victoria , enjoyed a very close relationship and Victoria was devoted to her elder sister. Despite this, Feodora was eager to live their home at Kensington Palace permanency, as her only happy time was driving out with Victoria and her governess , the Baroness Louise Lehzen, when she could speak and look as she liked without her mother's control. In early 1828, Feodora married Ernst ...

Barbara was born on 30 April 1539, in Vienna. She was daughter of Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor, and his wife, Anna of Bohemia and Hungary. In 1547, Barbara and her sisters Magdalena, Margareta, Helena and Johanna moved to Innsbruck, where they received a deeply religious education. Even though Barbara was considered plain, she received several proposals for her hand, due to her connection to the Austrian and Spanish courts. The chosen one was Alfonso II, Duke of Ferrara, and in 1565, their marriage was celebrated with much splendour. Barbara and Alfonso had a happy marriage, but they remained childless. In 1570 and 1571, after an earthquake, the Duchess of Ferrara decided to use her own income to support young girls without parents. She was also responsible for the foundation of the Conservatore delle Orfane di Santa Barbara , which was very much appreciated by the population of Ferrara. Barbara, deeply religious, was in constant touch with the Jesuits but, at the same ti...

Duarte was born on 31 October 1391, in Viseu, Portugal. He was son of King João I of Portugal and his wife, Philippa of Lancaster . Duarte was the oldest member of the so-called Illustrious Generation of accomplished royal children who contributed immensely to the development of Portuguese civilisation during the 15th century. In 1428, Duarte married Eleanor of Aragon, daughter of King Ferdinand I of Aragon. They would have nine children: João, Filipa, Afonso, Maria, Fernando, Leonor , Duarte, Catarina and Joana. Before he became King, Duarte followed his father in the affairs of the Kingdom. He was knighted in 1415, after the Portuguese conquest of the city of Ceuta, in North Africa. In 1433, João I died of the plague and Duarte succeeded him. As King, Duarte showed interest in building consensus. During his short reign, he called the Portuguese Cortes (the national assembly) no less than five times! He also followed his father's politics concerning the exploration of ...

Elizabeth was born on 7 September 1533, in Greenwich. She was the only daughter of King Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn . When she was born, Elizabeth was the heir presumptive to the throne of England because her older half-sister, Mary , had lost her position as heir when Henry annulled his marriage to her mother, Catherine of Aragon . Elizabeth was just two years and eight months old when her mother was executed on 19 May 1536. With the annulment of her parents' marriage, Elizabeth was declared illegitimate and deprived of her place in the royal succession. Eleven days after Anne Boleyn's death, Henry married again, this time with Jane Seymour . Jane died shortly after, in 1537, giving birth to a son, Edward. Elizabeth spoke four languages: French, Flemish, Italian and Spanish. By 1544, she could also write English, Latin and Italian, and by the time her formal education ended, in 1550, Elizabeth was one of the most educated women of her generation. Hen...

Catherine was born in the year of 1512, probably in August. She was the eldest child of Sir Thomas Parr and his wife, Maud Green. She had a younger brother, William, and a younger sister, Anne. Sir Thomas was a close companion to King Henry VIII, and Maud was a close friend and attendant of Queen Catherine of Aragon . The Queen was Catherine's godmother and she was probably named after her. Catherine's father died when she was young, and she grew up close to her mother. She received a standard education for women at the time, but developed a passion for learning throughout her life. She spoke fluent French, Latin, and Italian, and began learning Spanish when she became Queen. H er first marriage happened in 1529, when she was 17. She married Sir Edward Burgh, becoming known as Lady Burgh. Sir Edward was in his twenties, but his health may have not been the best. He died in 1533 and Catherine was widowed for the first time. Catherine's second marriage happened in ...

Eleanor (Portuguese: Leonor) was born on 18 September 1434, in Torres Vedras, Portugal. She was one of the nine children of King Duarte of Portugal and his wife, Eleanor of Aragon. Her two older sisters died when they were young, leaving Eleanor as the eldest surviving daughter. The King died five days after Eleanor's fourth birthday and her brother Afonso succeeded him as Afonso V, with their mother as regent. In 1440, Eleanor's mother was forced to go into exile in Castile because she lost litigation against her brother-in-law Pedro, Duke of Coimbra, for the regency of the young King. Eleanor's marriage was likely suggested by her aunt, Isabella of Portugal, Duchess of Burgundy. Arrangements were made and Eleanor's portrait was painted. She received proposals from Louis, Dauphin of France and Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor. Eleanor chose Frederick herself because the match with him would give her the title of Empress. Eleanor and Frederick met for the fir...