Cat's Historical Doodles

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...

Marie was born on 22 November 1515, at Bar-le-Duc, Lorraine; she was the eldest daughter of Claude of Lorraine, Duke of Guise, and his wife, Antoinette de Bourbon. When Marie was 5, she joined her grandmother Philippa of Guelders in the convent of the Poor Clares at Pont-à-Mousson. Her uncle Antoine, Duke of Lorraine, and her aunt Renée of Bourbon visited when Marie was about 14 years old. Impressed by her qualities and stature, they took her away and prepared her for life at the French court. In 1531, Marie made her first appearance there, at the marriage between Francis I of France and Eleanor of Austria. She established a friendship with the King's daughters, Madeleine and Margaret. On 4 August 1534, Marie became Duchess of Longueville when she married Louis II d'Orléans; she was 18 years old. Their union was happy but, unfortunately, brief. On 30 October 1535, Marie gave birth to her first son, Francis. On 9 June 1537, sadly, Louis died and left Marie a widow at ...

Mary was born on 8 December 1542, at Linlithgow Palace, Scotland. She was the daughter of King James V of Scotland and his French second wife, Marie of Guise . On 14 December, six days after her birth, Mary became Queen of Scotland after the death of her father. As Mary was an infant when she inherited the throne, Scotland was ruled by regents until she became an adult. The Protestant Earl of Arran became the regent until 1554, when Mary's mother managed to remove and succeed him. King Henry VIII of England took the opportunity of the regency to propose an union between the young Queen Mary and his own son, Edward. On 1 July 1543, when Mary was just 6 months old, the Treaty of Greenwich was signed: it promised that at the age of 10 Mary would marry Edward and move to England, where Henry VIII could oversee her upbringing. However, shortly before Mary's coronation (9 September 1543), Scottish merchants headed for France were arrested by Henry VIII, and their goods impound...

Margaret was born on 28 November 1489, in London. She was the oldest daughter of King Henry VII of England and Elizabeth of York . She was named after Margaret Beaufort , her paternal grandmother. Daughters were, of course, important political assets in a world where diplomacy and marriage were closely linked. So, before Margaret's 6th birthday, Henry VII planned a marriage between his daughter and James IV of Scotland as a way of ending the Scottish king's support for Perkin Warbeck (a pretender to the throne of England). On 24 January 1502, Scotland and England concluded the Treaty of Perpetual Peace, the first peace agreement between the two kingdoms in over 170 years. The marriage treaty was concluded that same day and was viewed as a guarantee of the new peace. Margaret's marriage was completed by proxy on 25 January 1503 and she was now regarded as Queen of Scots. Later in 1503, Margaret travelled to Scotland; she left Richmond Palace on the 27 June and cross...

Madeleine of Valois was born on 10 August 1520. She was the fifth child of King Francis I of France and his wife, Claude . She was a frail child and her father, fearing for her health, sent her to live in the warm Loire Valley. She was raised by her aunt, Marguerite of Navarre, until her father’s second marriage, when his second wife, Eleanor of Austria, took her into her household. Three years before Madeleine’s birth, the Franco-Scottish Treaty of Rouen was made to bolster the Auld Alliance after Scotland’s defeat at the battle of Flodden: in this treaty, it was included a marriage to a French Princess for the Scottish King. A marriage was planned between James V of Scotland and Madeleine. However, as Madeleine’s health was frail, another French bride was proposed: Mary of Bourbon. Mary was then contracted to marry the Scottish King and he travelled to France in 1536 to meet her, but smitten with the delicate Madeleine, he asked Francis I for her hand instead. Initially, Francis ...

Anne was born on 6 February 1665, during the reign of Charles II, her uncle. She was the fourth child of James, Duke of York and his first wife, Anne Hyde. Anne had seven siblings but only she and her sister Mary survived childhood. Anne and Mary grew up in their own establishment at Richmond and were raised as Protestants. In 1673, the Duke of York’s conversion to Catholicism became public and he married a Catholic princess, Mary of Modena. They didn't have any living children and Mary and Anne were second and third in the line of succession after their father. King Charles started to look for a suitor for Anne. An eligible prince was needed and Prince George of Denmark was chosen. Anne and George married on 28 July 1683. Though it was an arranged marriage, they were faithful and devoted to one another. In 1685, Charles died and Anne’s father became James II and VII. To everyone’s consternation, James started favouring Catholics. Anne shared everyone’s concern and conti...