Cat's Historical Doodles

Tamar (Georgian: თამარი, Tamari) was born circa 1160 to George III, King of Georgia, and his wife, Burdukhan of Alania. The name Tamar is of Hebrew origin and, like other biblical names, was favoured by the Georgian Bagrationi dynasty because of their claim to be descended from David, the second King of Israel. Tamar's youth coincided with a major upheaval in Georgia. In 1177, her father was confronted by a rebellious faction of nobles. The intention was to dethrone George III in favour of the King's nephew, Demna, who was considered by many to be a legitimate royal heir of his murdered father, David V. Demna's cause was just a pretext for the nobles to, led by the pretender's father-in-law Ivane Orbeli, to weaken the crown. George III managed to crush the revolt and embarked on a repression campaign on the defiant aristocratic clans. Ivane Orbeli was put to death and the surviving family was driven out of Georgia. Demna was castrated and blinded on his uncle'...

Margaret (French: Marguerite) was born during the spring of 1221, in Forcalquier. She was the eldest daughter of Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Provence, and Beatrice of Savoy. She had three younger sisters, who would all become queens like her: Eleanor (Queen of England), Sanchia (Queen of Germany) and Beatrice (Queen of Sicily). Margaret has a especially close relationship with Eleanor, and they remained friends until they grew old. In 1233, Blanche of Castile sent one of her knights to Provence to meet Margaret, whose grace and beauty was famous. Margaret and her father entertained the knight well, and soon Blanche and Ramon Berenguer were negotiating a marriage contract between Margaret and Louis IX of France, Blanche's son. Margaret was escorted to Lyon by her parents, where the marriage treaty was signed. From there, she was escorted to her wedding ceremony, in Sens. On 27 May 1234, Margaret became the wife of Louis IX and Queen of France; she was just 13. The marriage...

Dinis was born on 9 October 1261, in Lisbon. He was the eldest son of King Afonso III by his second wife, Beatrice of Castile. Not much is known about his childhood. In 1279, Afonso III died and Dinis succeeded him to the throne. In 1281, the now King of Portugal married Elizabeth of Aragon (future saint); she was just 10 years old. In 1290, Dinis began to pursue the systematic centralisation of royal power: he imposed judicial reforms, instituted the Portuguese language as the official language of the court and created Portugal's first university. His politics encouraged economical development and he advanced the interests of the Portuguese merchants. In fact, he set up a fund called Bolsa de Comércio, the first form of marine insurance in Europe. Dinis also encouraged the discovery and exploitation of sulphur, silver, tin and iron mines. During his reign, Lisbon became one of Europe's centres of culture and learning. At the new university, lectures in the arts, ...

Isabella (French: Isabelle) was born in 1295 in France, and was daughter of Philip IV of France and his wife, Joan I of Navarre. She was notable at her time for her beauty, diplomatic skills and intelligence. At the age of 12, she was sent to England to marry Edward II and become Queen of England; when she arrived, England was going through a period of conflict between the King and the baronial factions. In the early years of her reign, Isabella supported Edward and the patronage of Piers Galveston, his favourite, while bolstering her own authority and power. After the death of Galveston, Edward turned to a new favourite, Hugh Despenser the Younger, and together they attempted to take revenge on the barons for the death of his favourite - resulting in the Despenser War. At this point, Edward and Isabella's marriage was at a breaking point (she couldn't stand Despenser) and she travelled to France under the guise of a diplomatic mission. While in France, Isabella began...

Elizabeth (Hungarian: Erzsébet) was born on 7 July 1207, in the Kingdom of Hungary; she was daughter of King Andrew II of Hungary and his wife, Gertrude of Merania.  Elizabeth was brought to the court of Thuringia to be betrothed to Louis IV, Landgrave of Thuringia a future union which would reinforce political alliances between the families. In 1221, at the age of fourteen, Elizabeth married Louis; the same year he was enthroned as Landgrave, and the marriage appears to have been happy. After her marriage, she continued her charitable practises, which included spinning wool for clothing that would be given to the poor. Elizabeth's life changed on 11 September 1227, when Louis died of a fever. Elizabeth is reported to have said He is dead. He is dead. It is to me as if the whole world died today . Following her husband's death, Elizabeth made solemn vows to Konrad von Marburg (priest and inquisitor) similar to those of a nun. These included celibacy and complete obed...

Elizabeth of Aragon (Portuguese: Isabel) was born on 1271 in Zaragoza, Kingdom of Aragon. She was the daughter of Infante Peter of Aragon (later King Peter III) and his wife, Constance of Sicily. She showed early enthusiasm for her faith and religious fervour was common in her family (her great-aunt Elizabeth of Hungary was a saint!). She said the full Divine Office daily, fasted and attended choral masses twice a day. In 1281, when Elizabeth was 10, a marriage was arranged for her; the chosen husband was King Dinis of Portugal . However, the wedding was not celebrated until 1288, when Elizabeth was 17 and Dinis 26. The now Queen of Portugal quietly pursued the religious practices of her youth and was devoted to the sick and the poor. Elizabeth had an active interest in Portuguese politics and was conciliator in the negotiations concerning the Treaty of Alcañices, signed by her husband and King Sancho IV of Castile in 1297. Dinis and Elizabeth would have two children: Cons...