Cat's Historical Doodles

Elizabeth was born on 11 February 1466, at the Palace of Westminster, as the eldest child of King Edward IV of England and his wife, Elizabeth Woodville. At the age of 3, Elizabeth was briefly betrothed to George Neville (1st Duke of Bedford) in 1469. However, his father, John, supported the Earl of Warwick in rebellion against Edward IV and the engagement was called off. In 1475, Louis XI of France agreed to the marriage of Elizabeth (then aged 9) and his son, the future Charles VIII of France. At the age of 11, Elizabeth was named a Lady of the Garter. On 9 April 1483, Edward IV died unexpectedly and his son, Edward V, ascended to the throne. Her uncle Richard, Duke of Gloucester, was appointed Regent and Protector of his nephews. Elizabeth Woodville, unhappy about this, tried to deny Richard's right to be Lord Protector and keep power within her own family. Richard opted to isolate his nephews from the Woodvilles: he intercepted Edward V while he was travelling fro...

Joanna (Portuguese: Joana) was born on 6 February 1452, in Lisbon. She was the daughter of King Afonso V of Portugal and his wife, Isabel of Coimbra. After the death of her older brother, João, Joanna was recognised as heiress presumptive to the throne of Portugal. She received the title of Princess of Portugal (usually, the younger children of the monarch had the title of Infante or Infanta of Portugal). In 1455, however, a boy was born. The new prince João was now the heir and Joanna lost her title of Princess. Among the people, however, the now Infanta Joanna was still known as Princess Joanna. From a young age, the kind and charitable Joanna expressed a desire to become a nun but, because she was the second-in-line to the throne, her father did not allow it. She spent her time in various convents, but she never took the veil. In 1471, Afonso V led a military expedition to Tangier. While he was gone, Joanna served as Regent of the Kingdom. After vehemently refu...