One of the empire's that I've always found super interesting is the Byzantine Empire and I've always been aware that I haven't covered it enough on this blog so I decided now would be as good a time as any, especially as today is the anniversary of the death of Empress Theodora Porphyrogenita (980-1056) who… Continue reading The Sister Empresses

When we left Joanna at the end of part 1, things were not, to put it nicely, going swimmingly down in Naples. In fact things were bordering on pretty damn catastrophic, what with threats of civil war, meddling mothers in laws, questionable scheming cousins eager to take the crown off her very pretty head, a… Continue reading Joanna of Naples // The Notorious Queen Part II

Yesterday in 1498 Cesare Borgia became the first person in history to resign his prestige position as cardinal; that very same day Louis XII of France named his Duke of Valentinois. This coincided with a betrothal between him and Charlotte of Albret whose brother Jean/John was married to Catherine the Queen of Navarre and thus… Continue reading MISTRESS OF GOD