The Tragedy of the Templars: the Rise and Fall of the Crusader States by Michael Haag

Following my historical fiction primer in my last post “The Land Beyond the Sea” about the Crusades of the late 12th century, I was ready to learn more about the actual city states and fate of Jerusalem after the momentous capture by Saladin’s forces in 1187. “The Tragedy of the … Continue reading

The Black Prince: England’s Greatest Medieval Warrior by Michael Jones

The Black Prince: he sounds like a super-villain guilty of oppression and vile deeds; or a shadowy figure of mystery lost in the mists of time; but in this case he was the very opposite of those things. What kind of man could earn a moniker as awesome as that … Continue reading

Queen Victoria’s Mysterious Daughter; A Biography of Princess Louise: by Lucinda Hawksley

Queen Victoria: the maternal dragon who gave name to the Victorian era had eight children and was none too fond of any particular one. In fact to one degree or another she managed to emotionally cripple each one well into adulthood. The child who may have given her the most … Continue reading

Empress of Fashion: A Life of Diana Vreeland by Amanda Mackenzie Stuart

Diana Vreeland: the original Dragon Lady, fashion trendsetter, jet-setting socialite and notorious eccentric. Once called ‘a beacon of fashion for the twentieth century’, Diana Vreeland set her own boundaries on life, and lived it to the full. Born in 1903, she was a curious creature who helmed Harper’s Bazaar for … Continue reading

Queen Isabella: Treachery, Adultery, and Murder in Medieval England: by Alison Weir

How can you not be interested in a Medieval Queen nicknamed ‘The She-Wolf of France’? Queen Isabella was a model citizen and dutiful wife – until she wasn’t. Queen Isabella amassed herself an army and deposed her husband, King Edward II, in the first successful invasion of English shores since … Continue reading

The Sisters Who Would Be Queen: by Leanda de Lisle

Few today remember teenage royal Jane Grey when talking about history: ‘the nine days queen’, who was deposed by Queen Mary and soon thereafter beheaded for presenting a Protestant threat to Mary’s Catholic throne. Many that do remember see her as a tragic victim of Queen Mary. Even fewer today … Continue reading

A Treasury of Royal Scandals: The Shocking True Stories of History’s Wickedest, Weirdest, Most Wanton Kings, Queens, Tsars, Popes and Emperors: by Michael Farquhar

“All I say is, kings is kings, and you got to make allowances.” -Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry FInn Continue reading