Cat's Historical Doodles

Alix Viktoria Helene Luise Beatrix was born on 6 June 1872 in Darmstadt; she was the sixth child and fourth daughter of Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine and his first wife, Princess Alice of the United Kingdom. As an infant, she was very pretty, with delicate features and long dark lashes. Her mother gave her the nickname of Sunny , due to her cheerful disposition, a practice later picked up by her husband. Out of her siblings, she was closest to Princess Marie ( May ), who was 2 years younger. Both of them enjoyed a happy childhood and were doted on by their elder siblings and mother, who adored her two younger daughters. In November 1878, diphtheria swept through the Grand Ducal House of Hesse. Alix, her three sisters, her brother Ernst ( Ernie ) and her father fell ill. Alix's mother Alice tended to the children herself, rather than abandon them to the doctors. Alice herself soon fell ill and died on 14th December 1878. Alix, Victoria, Irene and Ernst survived th...

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,...

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...

Alfred Lothar Wegener was born in Berlin on 1 November 1880, as the youngest of five children. His father, Richard Wegener, was a theologian and teacher of classical languages. Alfred attended school at the Köllnisches Gymnasium in Berlin, graduating as the best of his class. He went on to study physics, meteorology and astronomy in Berlin, Heidelberg and Innsbruck. He obtained a doctorate in astronomy in 1905 at Friedrich Wilhelm University in Berlin. Alfred had always maintained a strong interest in the developing fields of meteorology and climatology and decided to focus his studies on these subjects. In 1906, Alfred participated in the first of his four Greenland expeditions; he later regarded this experience as a decisive turning point in his life. It was during this expedition that he constructed the first meteorological station in Greenland, where he launched kites and balloons to take meteorological measurements in the Artic climatic zone. After his return in 1908 an...

Anna Feodora Auguste Charlotte Wilhelmine, better known as Feodora, was born on 7 December 1807, in Amorbach, Bavaria. She was the only daughter of Emich Carl, Prince of Leiningen and his wife, Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. Emich Carl died in 1817, when Feodora was just 7. On 29 May 1818, Victoria remarried, this time to Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn. The following year, the whole household moved to the United Kingdom, because the now Duchess was pregnant and the new potential heir should be born on British soil. Feodora and her younger half-sister, the future Queen Victoria , enjoyed a very close relationship and Victoria was devoted to her elder sister. Despite this, Feodora was eager to live their home at Kensington Palace permanency, as her only happy time was driving out with Victoria and her governess , the Baroness Louise Lehzen, when she could speak and look as she liked without her mother's control. In early 1828, Feodora married Ernst ...