Cat's Historical Doodles

Jane was born circa 1508, probably at Wulfhall, in Wiltshire. She was the daughter of Sir John Seymour and Margery Wentworth. Jane was not as highly educated as the two first wives of King Henry VIII, Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn . She could read and write a little but was much more proficient at needlework and household management, considered much more important for women. She became a maid-of-honour in 1532 to Queen Catherine but may have served her as early as 1527. Jane went on to serve Queen Anne as lady-in-waiting. The first report of the King’s interest in Jane was in February 1536, three months before Anne Boleyn’s execution. Jane was highly praised for her gentle and peaceful nature. She was referred to as gentle a lady as I ever knew by John Russell, and was nicknamed the Pacific by the Imperial Ambassador, Eustace Chapuys, for her peace-making efforts. Chapuys described her as of middling stature and very pale; he also said she was not of much beauty. H...

João Francisco António José Bento Bernardo was born on 22 October 1689, in Lisbon. He was son of King Pedro II of Portugal and his wife, Queen Maria Sophia . João had a stimulating upbringing surrounded by Europe’s most brilliant minds. The political policies of King Pedro II made the Portuguese court wealthy, the economy stable and the military strong. This made a richly varied and interesting childhood possible for the young Infante. As a child, he was under the tutelage and influence of the Jesuits, and learned military education, politics, astronomy, nautical studies, mathematics and history. J ust over a month before João’s 10th birthday, his mother died aged just 33. This caused João to retreat from court and become depressed. The former Queen of England, his aunt Catherine , returned to Portugal to help João and take control of his education. She remained his tutor and female role model until her death in 1705. The death of his sister, Teresa Maria, in February 1704 gr...

Richard was born on 2 October 1452, at Fotheringhay Castle; he was the twelfth of thirteen children of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, and his wife Cecily Neville. Richard was born at the beginning of what is called the Wars of the Roses, a period of three or four decades of political instability and open civil war in the second half of the 15th century. It opposed Richard's father and his supporters (the Yorkists) and King Henry VI, Queen Margaret of Anjou and their supporters (the Lancastrians). When his father and elder brother Edmund were killed at the battle of Wakefield, Richard (aged 8) and his brother George were sent to the Low Countries. They returned to England after the defeat of the Lancastrians at the battle of Towton. In June 1461, their eldest brother was crowned King Edward IV of England. Richard received the title of Duke of Gloucester and was made a Knight of the Garter and Knight of the Bath. Richard spent several years of his childhood at...