Remember the ladies and include the men.
“And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn” ~Luke 2:7 Traveling with a pregnant women can be scary. Imagine Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem. Perhaps they traveled in a caravan for some parts of the journey, … Read more
Naturally, Mary was surprised by angel Gabriel’s visit.. Even after the angel assured her she was highly favored and she was blessed among women, she was still frightened. “Fear not,” said the Gabriel, “for thou hast found favor with God. And behold, thou shalt conceive a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. And he … Read more
Elisabeth and her husband, Zacharias, were good people. They were in their golden years and had been faithful to the Lord, and, yet, nothing could fully prepare them for the news from the angel, Gabriel. Zacharias was probably the most shocked. While doing his priestly duties in the temple, Gabriel appeared to him privately. Understandably, … Read more
I wrote how impressed I was with how Philippa Langley headed the operation to find Richard III’s grave. Richard III. A very complex man. Shakespeare brought us the image of a murderous hunchback with a withered arm which caused the king to be maligned. Is there a “maligned queen” in history? Hollywood and sensational biographers … Read more
Anne Greene thought she was going to die. She hadn’t gotten a fair trial. She protested that she had not killed her baby. Despite the medical proof the baby had indeed been a stillborn, Anne was condemned to hang. Sir Thomas Read, whose grandson impregnated the maid, took special measures and his influence … Read more
Game Face I love it when the “just there” players in reality TV shows make it to the end—and win. Their opponents hadn’t realized they were making moves the whole way. One “just there” historical player is Catherine of Braganza. She played one of the best games in the history of queens vs. mistresses. It’s easy … Read more
The Bible’s Jael and French Revolution’s Charlotte Corday committing murder has to gone down with some of the most controversial moves in history. It’s hard to say if they did the right thing . To understand why they did what they did, we need to look at the overall picture. Jael Barak wanted Deborah to go … Read more
Marie-Therese did not like to think of the time she spent in the cell and would not like to be remembered for being a prisoner in it for so long. Hopefully, she wouldn’t mind being regarded as an example on how to deal with loneliness and painful circumstances. In an earlier article, I wrote about her aunt … Read more
Laurel Ulrich was perplexed that she couldn’t find much information about Puritan women. As a graduate student at the University of New Hampshire, she was writing a seminar and then an article on early American women. She wanted to let people know that there were other women instead of just the witches. In her article, … Read more
French Revolution. What comes to mind? Madam Guillotine, Marie Antoinette, and sink me–The Scarlet Pimpernel. The 1982 film adaption of the book made me laugh so hard. I was also in awe. Did such heroes exist? There were those who smuggled nobles into other countries. The films shows that Marie Antoinette and Louis’s son survived … Read more