A Short Biography on Some of Europes Most Loved and Hated Monarchs – Pt 4 Queen Mary I
A Short Biography on Some of Europes Most Loved and Hated Monarchs - Pt 4 Queen Mary I
Queen Mary I of England was born in 1516 to Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon and was the first British monarch to rule in her own right. Mary was pronounced queen in 1553 and ruled for five years after the death of Edward VI. Mary was well educated and learned to speak Latin, Spanish, French and Italian. She was also taught Greek, science and music.1547 saw the death of her father and her half brother Edward VI crowned king. Edward was England's first Protestant monarch; his Parliament's Act of Uniformity prescribed Protestant rites for church services. Mary, wanting to keep her Roman Catholic faith, asked to be allowed to worship in private in her own chapel. Upon being ordered to discontinue this practice, Mary appealed to her cousin, the Emperor Charles V. Charles subsequently threatened to declare war against England if Mary's religious rights were infringed. Mary was never bothered again and was left to worship in private.Edward died in 1553 whilst Mary was staying at Framlingham Castle in Suffolk. He had no wish for the Crown to go to either Mary or her half sister Elizabeth, so had them both excluded from the line of succession in his will.One of Mary's first acts after came to power, was to bring the Catholic faith back to England by initially scrapping the religious proclamations of her half brother, Edward VI. Mary replaced the proclamations with the old English laws. Heresy against the church was now punishable by death. The reintroduction of this act earned Mary the nickname, "Bloody Mary". During her short, five-year reign, Queen Mary I had more than 300 subjects burnt at the stake for the act of heresy. The most notable of these was the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer.In 1555, in an effort to produce a male heir, Mary married prince Philip II of Spain. This did not go down well with the people, as many viewed Spain as an enemy of England. Twice during her rule, Mary thought she was pregnant with child, displaying all the symptoms. Alas, this was not so as her symptoms were a sign of a false pregnancy. Mary had convinced herself that she was pregnant and the body reacted accordingly.Following the advice of her husband, Mary allied herself with Spain during the war against France. The subsequent consequences of her actions were that England lost her only and last remaining foothold in the country ? Calais. Sadly, in 1558, Philip II left her and went back to Spain to claim the Spanish throne.Queen Mary I, childless and without a husband was forced to recognize her sister, Elizabeth, an Anglican Protestant, as the next ruler of England. Although Mary tried to persuade her sister to convert and accept the Roman Catholic faith, Elizabeth refused and went on to become Queen Elizabeth I.England suffered under the leadership of Mary: the economy was in ruin, religious dissent reached its pinnacle and England lost her last foothold in Europe. Jane Austen wrote about Mary: "This woman had the good luck of being advanced to the throne of England, in spite of the superior pretensions, Merit and Beauty of her Cousins Mary Queen of Scotland and Jane Grey. Nor can I pity the Kingdom for the misfortunes they experienced during her reign, since they fully deserved them..."Mary died at the age of forty-two of influenza, uterine cancer or ovarian cancer at St. James's Palace on 17 November 1558 and is buried in Westminster Abbey beside Elizabeth. The Latin inscription on their tomb translates to "Partners both in Throne and grave, here rest we two sisters, Elizabeth and Mary, in the hope of one resurrection".I hope you have enjoyed reading about Queen Mary I.In my next article will learn about the life of Charles II of England.Until then,Best wishes and have a great dayStuart Bazgawww.guide-to-castles-of-europe.comA Guide to Castles of Europe was born from childhood dreams and aspirations. It is my hope to educate and stimulate you into exploring these castles for yourselves.
A Short Biography on Some of Europes Most Loved and Hated Monarchs – Pt 1 Vlad Tepes (Dracula)
A Short Biography on Some of Europes Most Loved and Hated Monarchs - Pt 1 Vlad Tepes (Dracula)
Vlad Tepes or Dracula was born in 1431, in the fortress of Sighisoara, Romania. His father was the military governor of Transylvania and a member of the Order of the Dragon. The order was created in 1387 by the Holy Roman Emperor and his second wife, Barbara Cilli.In the winter of 1436-1437, Vlad(Dracul) became prince of Wallachia and took up residence at the palace of Tirgoviste, the princely capital. In 1442, he and his younger brother Radu were taken hostage by the Turkish Sultan Murad II. Dracul was held in Turkey until 1448, while his brother Radu decided to stay there until 1462.At 17 years old, Vlad, supported by troops lent to him by pasha Mustafa Hassan, tried to seize the Wallachian throne but was defeated by Vladislav II (who had earlier assassinated his father and oldest brother ) after two months or armed conflict. Vlad had to wait until 1456, when he was able to seek retribution against his father's assassin.Vlad's first act of vengeance was aimed at the boyars of Tirgoviste for the killing of his father and older brother Mircea. Around Easter of 1459, Vlad had all the boyar families arrested and impaled the elder members on stakes while forcing the others to march from the capital to the town of Poenari. He then ordered them to build him a fortress on the ruins of an older outpost overlooking the Arges River. Many nobles died in the construction of this castle, the ruins of which can still be seen today.Vlad became known for his brutal punishment techniques; often ordering people to be skinned, decapitated, blinded, roasted, hacked, buried alive, stabbed and blinded to name a few. He also liked to cut off his victim noses, ears and sexual organs. But his favourite form of torture was impalement on stakes, hence the surname "Tepes" which means "The Impaler" in the Romanian language. It was this form of punishment that he used against Transylvanian merchants who ignored his trade laws.There are many tales about the psyche of Vlad Tepes. He was known throughout the country for his fierce adherence to honesty and order. Almost any crime, from lying and stealing to killing, could be punished by impalement. Being so confident in the efficiency of his law, Dracula placed a golden cup on display in the central square of Tirgoviste. The cup could be used by thirsty travellers, but had to remain on the square. It was never stolen and remained entirely untouched throughout Vlad's reign. He looked upon the poor, vagrants and beggars as thieves. Consequently, he invited all the poor and sick of Wallachia to his court in Tirgoviste for a magnificent feast. After his guests had eaten and drunk their fill, Dracula ordered the hall boarded up and set on fire. There were no survivors.At the beginning of 1462, Vlad launched a campaign against the Turks along the Danube River which was very successful, managing several victories. In retaliation for these losses, the Sultan decided to launch a full-scale invasion of Wallachia with an army three times larger than Dracula's. Vlad was forced to withdraw towards Tirgoviste, burning villages and poisoning wells along the way.These acts were designed to hinder the Turkish army in their search for food and water. When the Sultan's armies finally reached the capital city, exhausted and hungry, they were confronted by a horrific sight: thousands of stakes held the bodies of some 20,000 Turkish captives, which came to be known as "Forest of the Impaled." The scene which was laid out before them had an immediate effect; the Sultan hungry and worn out retreated. The Sultan Mehmed left the next phase of the battle to Vlad's younger brother Radu who pursued his brother and wife to Poenari castle on the Arges River.Dracula's wife, in order to escape Turkish capture, committed suicide by hurling herself from the upper walls, her body falling down the cliff face into the river below.Vlad managed to escape the siege and made his way to hungry with the help of local peasants. Upon his arrival the Hungarian king Matthias arrested Dracula and imprisoned him at the Hungarian capital of Visegrad.In 1475, Vlad Tepes again became prince of Wallachia where he enjoyed a very short third reign. He was assassinated towards the end of 1476.I hope you have enjoyed reading about Vlad Tepes or as he was better known-Dracula.In my next article will learn about the life of(Mad)King George III.Unitl then,Best wishes and have a great dayStuart BazgaGuide to Castles of EuropeA Guide to Castles of Europe was born from childhood dreams and aspirations. It is my hope to educate and stimulate you into exploring these castles for yourselves.
A Short Biography on Some of Europes Most Loved and Hated Monarchs – Pt 3 King Ludwig II
A Short Biography on Some of Europes Most Loved and Hated Monarchs - Pt 3 King Ludwig II
King Ludwig II of Bavaria, named after his grandfather, was born in Nymphenburg Castle outside Munich on August 25, 1845 and was the eldest son of King Maximillian II and Queen Marie. As a boy, Ludwig's favourite time of the year were the summer holidays spent at the Royal Castle Hohenschwangau which his father restored between 1832 and 1836.In 1858, at the age of thirteen, Ludwig was introduced to Wagner's opera - Lohengrin, the story of which centres around the heroic medieval Swan-knight Lohengrin, by his governess. The young Ludwig instantly fell in love with its concept and it was the begining of a life long love with all of Wagner's works. It was not long before he was acquiring and reading every book written by Wagner. On February 2nd, 1861, Ludwig attended his first Wagner opera - Lohengrin, the Knight of the Swan which left a lasting impression on the young Prince.In March of 1864, his father died at the age of 53 and Ludwig, at the age of eighteen, became King Ludwig II. With in days of coming to the throne a young and impressionable King ordered his officials to seek out Wagner and bring him back to Munich, taking it upon himself to become Wagner's patron. He settled his debts, and set him up comfortably in an Italianate-style villa.Munich society began to grow weary of Wagner's arrogance and were also increasingly jealous of his hold over their young King. Eighteen months after his arrival, Wagner left Munich for Switzerland and Ludwig fled to Hohenschwangau. The one person that brought joy into his life had been taken from him.In 1866 war broke out between Austria and Prussia in what became known as the Seven Weeks War. Because of her strong links with Austria, Bavaria was drawn into the conflict on the Austrian side. In a secret treaty King Ludwig II placed the Bavarian army at the disposal of the Prussian General Staff.Ludwig was to marry in August of 1867 but he was unhappy with the relationship so changed the date to October 12th, which incidentally was the date that both his grandfather and father married. Ludwig was very unsettled at the prospect of marrying and as such voiced his apprehension to his Court Secretary, confessing that he would rather drown himself than marry. He wrote to Wagner "Oh, if only I could be carried on a magic carpet to you . . . at dear, peaceful Tribschen (Lucerne, Switzerland.) - Even for an hour or two.In November, King Ludwig II broke of his engagement fleeing to his beloved Alps. He wrote to Wagner from Hohenschwangau on 21 November, 1867; "I write these lines sitting in my cosy gothic bow-window, by the light of my lonely lamp, while outside the blizzard rages. It is so peaceful here; this silence is stimulating, whereas in the clamour of the world I feel absolutely miserable. "Thank God I am alone at last. My mother is far away, as is my former bride, who would have made me unspeakably unhappy. Before me stands a bust of the one, true Friend whom I shall love until death. . . If only I had the opportunity to die for you."It was at this point that Ludwig began to plan and build his castles. The task of being king was becoming a heavy burden. He had at the age of only 20, sent thousands of his countrymen to fight in the Seven Weeks War. Two years after his failed romance, Ludwig again had to send his countries men into battle. This time it was against the French in what became the Franco-Prussian War. From then on Ludwig withdrew into himself and into a world of make-believe. The plans for both Neuschwanstein and Linderhof originated from this time in his life (1869).Ludwig was a changed person. He went from a slender youth to a huge man in just a few years, spending all his time in the mountains at Hohenschwangau and Linderhof as well as his small mock-Gothic castle at Berg, beside Lake Starnberg. He refused any contact with his ministerial staff and sought only the companionship of the mountain people. The only time King Ludwig II ventured out of the mountains and into Munich was at the annual investiture and banquet given in the Residenz for the Knights of the Order of St. George, Bavaria's highest Order of Chivalry which Ludwig was the Grand Master.Shortly after Prussia's victory in the Franco-Prussian War, Bismark sought Ludwig's approval for Bavaria to enter a unified German Empire with Prussia as leader. After several days, Ludwig succumbed and wrote a letter inviting Wilhelm II to become Emperor of a united Germany. King Ludwig II handed over his beloved Bavaria, becoming a lonely figurehead in a constitutional monarchy. Life had dealt Ludwig blow after blow and it was these events that were the root of his seclusion and alleged "madness". With his world falling apart around him King Ludwig II withdrew from it into a world of his own making.I hope you have enjoyed reading about King Ludwig II.In my next article will learn about the life of Queen Mary I of England or as she was nicknamed "Bloody Mary".Until then,Best wishes and have a great dayStuart BazgaA Guide to Castles of EuropeA Guide to Castles of Europe was born from childhood dreams and aspirations. It is my hope to educate and stimulate you into exploring these castles for yourselves.