Cat's Historical Doodles

Philippa (Portuguese: Filipa) was born on 31 March 1360, in Leicester. She was the oldest child of John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster and his wife, Blanche of Lancaster. Philippa spent her infancy moving around the properties owned by her family with her mother and her wet-nurse, Maud. She was raised and educated with alongside her two siblings, Elizabeth and Henry. Blanche of Lancaster died of plague in 1369 and, in 1371, her father remarried: the chosen wife was Infanta Constance of Castile. In 1394, Constance died and John of Gaunt remarried yet again, this time to his mistress, Katherine Swynford (Katherine had been Philippa's governess). This affair and eventual marriage was considered scandalous. Katherine Swynford seems to have been well liked by Philippa and her siblings; she played an important role in Philippa's education. Katherine was related to Geoffrey Chaucer, since her sister (also called Philippa) was his wife. John of Gaunt became Chaucer's pat...

Mary was born on 18 March 1496, in London. She was the fourth child of King Henry VII of England and his wife, Queen Elizabeth of York . Aged six, Mary was given her own household, complete with gentlewomen to wait on her, a schoolmaster, and a physician. She was taught French, Latin, music, dancing and embroidery. As children, Mary and her brother, Henry (future Henry VIII of England), shared a close friendship and Henry would go on to name his first surviving child, the future Mary I , in her honour. Mary was known in her youth as one of the most beautiful princesses in Europe; Erasmus said of her that nature never formed anything more beautiful . In 1506, during a visit from Philip I of Castile, Mary was called to entertain the guests. She dance, played the lute and clavichord. In September of that year, Philip died and, on 21 December 1507, Mary was betrothed to his son Charles, later Holy Roman Emperor. The betrothal was called off in 1513. Instead, Cardinal Wolsey...

Anastasia Mikhailovna was born on 28 July 1860, at the Peterhof Palace, St Petersbourg. She was the second of the seven children of Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolaevich of Russia and his wife, Grand Duchess Olga Feodorovna (née Cecilie of Baden). Known in the family as Stassie , Anastasia was the only girl among the seven children of the couple. She was an object of devotion: she was her father's favourite and she was spoiled by her six brothers. Mikhail was always occupied with his militaristic and governmental activities; Olga was a strict disciplinarian who showed little affection and raised the children with an iron fist. She was raised separately from the boys, only joining them on Sundays, when they were allowed to take a walk together. Anastasia grew up to be very independent, intelligent and strong-willed, with a happy and warm personality. Tall and slim, she had dark hair and green eyes, Her education was centred in languages and she could speak French, German and English,...

Maria of Aragon was born on 29 June 1482, in Córdoba. She was the third surviving daughter of Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon. She had three older siblings (Isabella, John and Joanna ) and a younger sister ( Catherine ). As an Infanta of Spain, her hand in marriage was very important in European politics. Her parents entertained the idea of marrying her off to King James IV of Scotland (this happened at the same time when her younger sister Catherine's marriage to Arthur, Prince of Wales, was being planned). Ferdinand and Isabella thought that if Maria was Queen of Scotland, then the two sisters could keep the peace between their husbands. These plans, however, came to nothing. Her elder sister Isabella, Princess of Asturias, was the first wife of King Manuel I of Portugal, but her death in 1498 created a necessity for Manuel to remarry. Maria was set to become the next bride of the Portuguese King, reaffirming the dynastic links with the Spanish royal hous...

Anna Petrovna was born on 27 January 1708, in Moscow. She was the elder daughter of Emperor Peter I of Russia and Empress Catherine I of Russia. Anna was born out of wedlock, although her parents were married in 1712 and she was later legitimised. However, her early illegitimacy would pose challenges when time came for her to marry. Anna grew up in the houses of her aunt (on her father's side), Natalia, and Prince Alexander Menshikov. Although born illegitimate, Anna and her younger sister, Elizabeth, were awarded the titles of Princess ( tsarevna ) on 6 March 1711, and Crown Princess ( tsesarevna ) on 23 December 1721. Peter had planned to marry his daughters to foreign princes in order to gain allies for the Russian Empire. Anna and Elizabeth were educated with this in mind, learning literature, writing, embroidery, dancing, and etiquette. Anna would grow to become an intelligent and well-read girl who spoke four languages: French, German, Italian and Swedish. Foreign visi...