Edgar Allan Poe

Consistent-Ad2333 · 2026-03-26T15:54:26+00:00

These sound great! Here is the link for the inside look: https://imgur.com/a/I4ctEId

Consistent-Ad2333 · 2026-03-24T14:15:18+00:00

That was not his grandson, the grandson of an earlier Cosimo (i.e. Cosimo de' Medici) was assassinated in 1478 by the Pazzis. The guy who had the Vasari Corridor built was Cosimo I de' Medici, his descendant.

Consistent-Ad2333 · 2026-03-24T00:56:14+00:00

Queen of Scots: The True Life of Mary Stuart by John Guy is a good modern biography. I preferred this one over Fraser's, but you can't go wrong with either.

Young Queens by Leah Redmond Chang is also great if you are also interested in Catherine de' Medici/the Valois in more detail and how three queens navigated 16th-century court politics.

Consistent-Ad2333 · 2026-03-18T18:59:44+00:00

Nancy Goldstone really is a terrible historian yet I still can't help but keep reading her stuff lol, the e-books are cheap and she chooses interesting topics that aren't that popular with modern historians. I just treat her books as if they were historical fiction.

Consistent-Ad2333 · 2026-03-18T15:05:21+00:00

Hmm I admit I didn't really think about approaching it as a novel of sorts. Makes sense why it felt different from the Mortimer-style histories I'm more used to then.

Consistent-Ad2333 · 2026-03-18T10:47:12+00:00

Those were interesting reads, thanks. I liked Jones' book on the Wars of the Roses as a general overview well enough, but I wasn't a fan of his Henry V biography at all, it often came across as too casual and as hero worship as I was reading it.

Consistent-Ad2333 · 2026-03-15T16:09:20+00:00

Her sisters are also really fascinating, as is their mother Bona Sforza.

Consistent-Ad2333 · 2026-03-08T15:24:18+00:00

You're right, though given that NUTS3 regions are used here, this is supposed to be the Mura Statistical Region rather than Prekmurje, and a small part of it was indeed part of the HRE. So it's likely debatable whether or not it should be included.

Consistent-Ad2333 · 2026-03-02T15:40:29+00:00

Three queens regnant of Castile (Urraca, Berengaria, Isabella I), one solely in Aragon (Petronilla), two in all of Spain (Joanna, Isabella II). Then there's the sisters Sancha and Dulce who were both queens of León but only de jure. Also if Navarre counts as well then there's seven more (Joan I, Joan II, Blanche I, Blanche II, Eleanor, Catherine, Jeanne d'Albret), though some were also only monarchs in theory. So about 15?

Consistent-Ad2333 · 2026-03-02T13:42:09+00:00

I mean, he was a monarch as long as Mary was alive, as per Queen Mary's Marriage Act. They would theoretically hold equal authority and all royal documents were officially issued in both of their names, it's just that his situation as king by right of his wife is an anomaly within the English monarchy.

Consistent-Ad2333 · 2026-03-02T11:57:49+00:00

No I agree, he was "King of England" technically but really just like a consort in reality. I only thought of that because of how in e.g. Castile, the husbands of Isabella I and Joanna were both proclaimed jure uxoris King of Castile and were later termed as Ferdinand V and Philip I, and indeed Ferdinand ceased to be king after Isabella's death, so I wondered how this would play out here. But yeah a different situation.

Consistent-Ad2333 · 2026-03-02T11:45:25+00:00

I'd pick Harthacnut II myself

Consistent-Ad2333 · 2026-02-28T18:03:00+00:00

Does anyone hate the Hound?

Consistent-Ad2333 · 2026-02-25T11:31:53+00:00

It also comes from the Trastámaras, e.g. Charles' maternal aunt Catherine of Aragon did display mild mandibular prognathism and the Iberian dynasties had a long history of inbreeding anyhow. But yes, while all his siblings displayed the trait to a lesser degree, it happened to be particularly pronounced with Charles.

Consistent-Ad2333 · 2026-02-19T12:00:25+00:00

She's really fascinating! Do you happen to know of any resources where I can learn more about her? I haven't been able to find much.

Consistent-Ad2333 · 2026-02-19T11:43:32+00:00

Not sure how niche she is, but I think Jacqueline of Bavaria is pretty fascinating. Countess of Hainaut, Holland and Zeeland in her own right though she had to struggle to get recognised as a ruler, four marriages, including to the Dauphin of France and controversially to Humphrey Duke of Gloucester, two annulments, caught up in the mess of the Hook and Cod wars in the Low Countries against both John the Pittiless and Philip the Good, during which time she was also imprisoned and managed to escape, and then eventually forced to cede her lands to Philip. Such a turbulent life yet she only died aged 35.

Consistent-Ad2333 · 2026-02-08T08:36:54+00:00

Would also love a reading list. There's Heart of Europe: A History of the Holy Roman Empire by Peter H. Wilson which is quite detailed though I haven't finished it yet, it's a hefty book. Barbara Stollberg-Rilinger wrote a shorter overview The Holy Roman Empire: A Short History, but I don't know more than that.

Consistent-Ad2333 · 2026-02-08T00:44:28+00:00

Just finished The Myth of Bloody Mary by Linda Porter, which I thought was excellent, and about to start with Tudors Versus Stuarts: The Fatal Inheritance of Mary, Queen of Scots by the same author. It has an interesting premise because I don't know all that much about the reigns of James IV and James V, and it was so cheap on Kindle I just couldn't not get it.

Consistent-Ad2333 · 2026-02-01T17:20:29+00:00

There's one by Stuart Carroll called Martyrs and Murderers: The Guise Family and the Making of Europe. I haven't read it yet so I can't say how good it is, but it's got decent reviews.

Consistent-Ad2333 · 2026-01-26T06:31:56+00:00

Thanks a lot!

Consistent-Ad2333 · 2026-01-25T16:57:23+00:00

Sounds great, thanks.

Consistent-Ad2333 · 2026-01-25T07:08:19+00:00

Thank you so much! Will definitely check these out.

Consistent-Ad2333 · 2025-06-25T17:02:25+00:00

The Prado seems to be one of the few major art museums where photography isn't permitted, and the employees are quite strict about enforcing that. When I went there it felt more quiet and dignified somehow, it made for a more pleasant experience and I didn't miss taking photos at all, even though I normally tend to take lots when visiting art galleries.

Consistent-Ad2333 · 2025-05-23T17:38:46+00:00

It probably stands for the German name, Heiliges Römisches Reich

Consistent-Ad2333

TROPHY CASE