Cat's Historical Doodles

Isabel was born on 5 September 1451, at Warwick Castle, the seat of the Earls of Warwick. She was the elder daughter of Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick (aka Kingmaker), and his wife Anne de Beauchamp. Isabel had a younger sister, Anne, who would become Queen of England as Richard III ’s wife. In 1469, when Isabel was 17, her ambitious father betrothed her to George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence and heir presumptive to the throne of England; he was the brother of King Edward IV and the future Richard III. King Edward opposed the marriage because it would bring the already powerful Earl of Warwick too close to the throne. However, George and Isabel did get married in secret, in a ceremony in Calais on 11 July 1469. Following the marriage, George joined forces with Warwick and changed sides in the Wars of the Roses: he allied with the Lancastrians (led by Margaret of Anjou ) against his own brother and the Yorkists. When Isabel’s sister Anne married Edward of Westminst...

Maria Francisca Isabel Josefa Antónia Gertrudes Rita Joana was born on 17 December 1734 at the Ribeira Palace, in Lisbon. She was daughter of King José of Portugal (not yet king) and his wife, Mariana Victoria of Spain. On the day of her birth, her grandfather, King João V of Portugal , created her Princess of Beira. When her father succeeded to the throne in 1750, Maria (aged 16) became his heiress presumptive and was given the traditional titles of Princess of Brazil and Duchess of Braganza. Maria grew up in a time when her father’s government was dominated completely by the Marquis of Pombal. He took control of the government after the terrible Lisbon earthquake of 1 November 1755, in which around 100000 people lost their lives. After the earthquake, King José was often uncomfortable at the thought of staying in enclosed spaces, and later suffered from claustrophobia. He then had a palace built away from the city centre, which became known as Real Barraca de Ajuda (Royal ...

Anne (Danish: Anna) was born on 12 December 1574 at the castle of Skanderborg. She was the daughter of King Frederik II of Denmark and his wife, Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow. Her birth came as a blow to her father, who was desperately hoping for a son. Sophie would eventually give birth to a boy, the future Christian IV. Anne and her older sister, Elizabeth, were sent to Güstrow to be raised by their maternal grandparents, the Duke and Duchess of Mecklenburg. Güstrow provided Anne with a frugal and stable life during her childhood. Christian was also sent to Güstrow to be brought up but, in 1579, he returned to Denmark with Anne and Elizabeth. Anne enjoyed a close, happy family upbringing in Denmark. Suitors from all over Europe sought the hands of Anne and Elizabeth in marriage, including King James VI of Scotland, who favoured Denmark as a reformed Kingdom. Queen Sophie was a diligent a matchmaker Sophie and, in July 1589, the agreement for a marriage with the King of Sco...

Nefertiti, Egyptian for the beautiful one has come , was born c. 1370 BC. Nefertiti’s parentage is not known with certainty, but one often cited theory is that she was the daughter of Ay, later to be pharaoh. However, this hypothesis is likely wrong since Ay and his wife Tey are never called the father and mother of Nefertiti, and Tey’s only connection with her was that she was the nurse of the great queen Nefertiti. Nefertiti’s scenes in the tombs of the nobles of Amarna mention the queen’s sister who is named Mutbenret (previously read as Mutnodjmet). The exact dates when Nefertiti married Akhenaten and became the King’s Great Royal Wife are uncertain. Their six known daughters were: Meritaten, Meketaten, Ankhesenpaaten, Neferneferuaten Tasherit, Neferneferure and Setepenre. Nefertiti had many titles including Hereditary Princess; Great of Praises; Lady of Grace; Sweet of Love; Lady of the Two Lands; Main King’s Wife, his beloved; Great King’s Wife, his beloved; Lady of ...

Margaret (German: Margarete; French: Marguerite; Dutch: Margaretha; Spanish: Margarita) was born on 10 January 1480. She was the second child on Maximilian of Austria and Mary of Burgundy, co-sovereigns of the Low Countries. She was named after her step-grandmother, Margaret of York. In 1482, Margaret’s mother died and her older brother, Philip the Handsome (aged 3), succeeded her as sovereign of the Low Countries, with his father Maximilian as regent. In 1482, King Louis XI of France signed the Treaty of Arras, where her father promised to give Margaret’s hand in marriage to Louis’ son Charles. The engagement took place in 1487. Margaret was transferred to the guardianship of Louis XI, who died soon after. She was educated at the French court and prepared for her future role as Queen of France. She was raised as a fille de France , under the supervision of her fiancé’s sister and regent, Anne .  Margaret developed a genuine affection for Charles. However, in the autumn ...