Discover the remarkable life of Catherine de Medici… Few women in history have inspired such contradictory reactions as Catherine de Medici. To her admirers, she was a brilliant stateswoman and a steadying force in an era of great religious conflict. To her enemies, she was something far darker: a scheming foreigner, an Italian serpent coiled […]
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Discover the remarkable life of Empress Dowager Cixi… Empress Dowager Cixi, who first rose to prominence as a royal consort, connived and schemed her way to the very pinnacle of power in China. From the shadows of the Forbidden City’s inner chambers, she emerged as the empire’s de facto ruler, wielding authority few women in
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Discover the remarkable life of Edward I of England… Britain may have had more than its fair share of kings, but King Edward I is most certainly one for the record books. Edward I was a foundational figure in every sense. It was Edward who conquered Wales and incorporated it into England. It was Edward
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Discover the remarkable life of Alfred the Great… In the winter of 878, the Great Heathen Army swept across Anglo-Saxon England. Kingdom after kingdom had fallen to the Viking onslaught—Northumbria, East Anglia, Mercia—all crushed beneath the boots of Norse warriors. Now only Wessex remained, and its young king had been driven from his throne, forced
Discover the remarkable life of Catherine Parr… For many, she was simply the last of King Henry VIII’s many wives, but Catherine Parr was much more than that. She had a unique and incredible history all of her own. Catherine was a dynamic figure who survived more than her fair share of hardship. Even before
Discover the remarkable life of Princess Diana… Princess Diana had a whirlwind of a life, or in the words of Sir Elton John, she “lived her life like a candle in the wind.” After her marriage to Prince Charles, she became not just a princess but a global icon. Diana could draw crowds by the
Discover the remarkable life of Charles V… One of the most powerful men who ever lived was a Holy Roman Emperor and controlled vast swathes of the planet. Quite a bit has been written over the centuries about Charles V, but even so, historical texts do not always reveal the complex personality that this man
Discover the remarkable life of King Philip II… As the heir to the Spanish Empire of his father Charles V, Philip II came into this world with some rather big shoes to fill. Eventually, Philip would prove himself in his own right even though he turned out to be a much different ruler than his
Discover the remarkable life of King Richard III in just an hour… Richard III has gone down in history as one of the most hated and vilified British monarchs of all time. His two-year-long reign as king of England ended in 1485 when he was defeated at the Battle of Bosworth by Henry Tudor, making
Discover the remarkable life of King Henry VII in less than an hour… Henry VII was not destined to be the well-known (or perhaps better described as infamous) king that his son was after him, but his place in history remains important. With his victory over Richard III in 1485, Henry brought England out of
