Cat's Historical Doodles

Françoise was born on 27 November 1635. Her father was the Huguenot Constant d’Aubigné, who was incarcerated for conspiring against Cardinal Richelieu; her mother, Jeanne de Cardilhac, was the daughter of Constant’s jailer. Jeanne had her daughter baptised in her own Catholic faith. In 1639, Françoise’s father was released from prison, and went with his family to the island of Martinique. Jeanne was a strict mother and gave her children a Protestant education. Constant returned to France, leaving behind his wife and children; Jeanne was forever trying to be “mother and father” to her children. In 1647, she returned to France to join her husband. Within months of the return, Constant died, and Françoise went to the care of Madame de Villette, her father’s sister. The de Villettes were wealthy and took good care of Françoise, but they were ardent Protestants and continued to school Françoise in their beliefs. When this became known, an order was issued that Françoise had to be edu...

Rani Lakshmibai was born Manikarnika “Manu” Tambe on 19 November 1828, in the town of Banaras. She was daughter of Moropant Tambe and Bhagirathi Sapre. Her mother died when she was four years old; her father worked for a court Peshwa (prime minister) of Bithoor district who brought up Manikarnika like his own daughter. She was educated at home and was a very independent child; her studies included shooting, horsemanship, fencing and mallakhamba. Manikarnika was married to the Maharaja of Jhansi, Raja Gangadhar Rao Newalkar, in May 1842. She adopted the name Lakshmibai in honour of the Hindu goddess Lakshmi. Lakhsmibai gave birth to a boy, Damodar Rao, in 1851; he died aged just four months. The Maharaja adopted a child, named Anand Rao, who was renamed Damodar Rao, on the day before the Maharaja died. The adoption was in the presence of the British political officer who was given a letter from the Maharaja instructing that the child be treated with respect and that the governmen...

Mary was born on 18 February 1516 at the Palace of Placentia, in Greenwich. She was the only child of King Henry VIII and his first wife, Catherine of Aragon , to survive infancy. Mary was a precocious child. In July 1520, when she was barely 4 and a half years old, she entertained a visiting French delegation with a performance on the virginals. By the age of 9, Mary could read and write Latin. She studied French, Spanish, music, dance, and perhaps Greek. Mary had, like both of her parents, a very fair complexion, pale blue eyes and red or reddish-go lden hair. In 1525, Henry sent Mary to the border of Wales to preside over the Council of Wales and the Marches. She was given her own court and many of the royal prerogatives reserved for the Prince of Wales. Some called her the Princess of Wales, but she was never invested with the title. Mary spent three years in the Welsh Marches and returned in mid-1528. Throughout her childhood, Henry negotiated potential future marriages...

Anne was born on 3 April 1461, in Brabant. She was the eldest surviving daughter of Louis XI of France and his wife, Charlotte of Savoy. She had two siblings: Charles and Jeanne. Initially, Anne was betrothed to Nicholas, Duke of Lorraine. She was created Viscountess of Thouars in 1468 (Anne was just 7!) in anticipation of the marriage, but Nicholas broke the engagement to pursue Marie, Duchess of Burgundy. Nicholas died unexpectedly in 1473 and Anne ended up marrying Peter of Bourbon on 3 November of that year; she took up rule of the Beaujolais at that time. Anne was just 12 years old. During the minority of Anne’s brother, Charles VIII of France, she and her husband held the regency of France between1483 and 1491. Anne’s regency overcame many difficulties, like the unrest among the magnates who suffered under Louis XI’s oppression. Together, Peter and Anne managed to maintain the royal authority and the unity of the Kingdom against the Orléans party. Concessions were made,...

Maria Christina was born on 10 November 1574, in Graz. She was the daughter of Archduke Charles II of Austria and Maria Anna of Bavaria. On 7 February 1595, a formal petition of marriage was made to Maria Christina on behalf of Sigismund Báthory, the ruling Prince of Transylvania. The marriage contract was negotiated, and, on 15 June, Maria Christina and her mother began the journey to Transylvania. In Kachau, Maria Christina fell ill with a fever, which delayed the journey. The formal marriage took place in Weissenburg on 6 August 1595. Soon after, Maria Christina finally arrived in Transylvania. This marriage was regarded as a major political gain as Sigismund (formerly a vassal of the Ottoman Empire) now formed close ties with the Holy Roman Empire. Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor, appointed Sigismund Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, and secured the possession of Transylvania if the couple remained childless. However, this union was completely unhappy – after a disastrous w...

Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna was born on 2 November 1755 at the Hofburg Palace, in Vienna. She was the youngest daughter of Empress Maria Theresa, and her husband Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor. Maria Antonia was raised together with her three-year old sister, Maria Carolina, with whom she had a lifelong close relationship. Despite the private tutoring she received, the results of Maria Antonia’s schooling were less than satisfactory. At the age of ten, she could not write correctly in German, French and Italian, and conversations with her were stilted. She was, however, a good musician. She played the harp, the harpsichord and the flute, and she had a beautiful singing voice. Following the Seven Years’ War and the Diplomatic Revolution of 1756, Maria Theresa decided to end hostilities with King Louis XV of France. They sealed their alliance with a marriage: on 7 February 1770, Louis XV requested the hand of Maria Antonia for his eldest son and heir, Louis-Auguste. Upon her a...