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Amy Bailey as Queen Cynethryth in the TV series Vikings. 		Source: The HISTORY Channel

Queen Cynethryth of Mercia: Victim of a Medieval Smear Campaign?

The Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia was unique because the queens of Mercia left enough of an impact on their world as to be worthy of remembrance. History has not been so kind, however, to some of...
A female ghost (Public Domain) and Stirling Castle

Female Phantoms of Stirling Castle: Ghostly Encounters with a Handmaiden and Her Queen

Approaching Stirling Castle in the day time is rather daunting. Filled with the scent of ancient dust, damp stone, and dew-covered grass, the palace exudes magic from the moment one steps inside its...
Portrait of Anne of Cleves by court artist Hans Holbein the Younger. Source: Public domain

Court Artist Tried to Warn Henry VIII Not to Marry Anne of Cleves

The German aristocrat Anne of Cleves was the fourth of Henry VIII’s six wives , marrying the king on January 6, 1540. Before Anne ever set foot on English soil, Henry dispatched his court artist, the...
The visit of the Queen of Sheba to King Solomon.

Solomon and Sheba: Were a Famous Pharaoh and Queen the Real Protagonists in this Love Story?

The story of Solomon and Sheba is well known as one of love. But it is only when we learn their true identities that we see how much affection and adoration Solomon had for his favorite Queen. He...
Lost Anglo-Saxon Monastery of Controversial Queen Found

Lost Anglo-Saxon Monastery of Controversial Queen Found

Archaeologists from the University of Reading have been performing excavations on the grounds of the Holy Trinity Church in Cookham, a small village on the River Thames in England. They have been...
King Cassander and his army on the left about to arrest Olympias (mother of Alexander the Great) on the right, in a painting by Jean-Joseph Taillasson (1745-1809). Cassander, it is said, executed this extremely powerful and much-loved woman, who fought valiantly for her family until the end.             Source: Jean-Joseph Taillasson / Public domain

Tomb of Olympias, Alexander The Great’s Mother, Found!

The lost tomb of Olympias, the mother of Alexander the Great, has finally been discovered. Recent excavations in the Tomb of Korinos in northern Greece have resulted in what amounts to a massive...
How Queen Artemisia I Won the Admiration of the King of Persia

How Queen Artemisia I Won the Admiration of the King of Persia

Few women’s names have survived within the annals of ancient history with the mythic resonance of Queen Artemisia I, the warrior queen of Caria. She lived during an era that often, at best, made mere...
Aine: A Radiant Celtic Goddess of Love, Summer, and Sovereignty

Aine: Radiant Celtic Goddess of Love, Summer, and Sovereignty

Aine is often remembered as a Celtic goddess of love. But she was also a deity of wealth, sovereignty, and the summer. Her sensitive and joyful personality brought her many followers in the Celtic...
Boudicca, the Celtic Queen, (www.emilyhare.co.uk)

Boudicca: The Celtic Queen Who Unleashed Fury on the Romans

We British are used to women commanders in war; I am descended from mighty men! But I am not fighting for my kingdom and wealth now. I am fighting as an ordinary person for my lost freedom, my...
Catherine of Aragon: The Spanish Queen of England

Catherine of Aragon: The Spanish Queen of England

Catherine of Aragon was the first wife of the infamous King Henry VIII. Known for her failure to produce a male heir, she was the mother of Mary, later Queen Mary I of England. Catherine would spend...
Aethelthryth: The Extraordinary Medieval Virgin Queen and Saint

Aethelthryth: The Extraordinary Medieval Virgin Queen and Saint

It’s a name most people have never heard of and even fewer can pronounce, but St Aethelthryth of Ely is one of England’s most fascinating saints whose name has survived throughout the centuries and...
Female Ruler Sporting Rare Diadem Unearthed at Bronze Age Palace

Female Ruler Sporting Rare Diadem Unearthed at Bronze Age Palace

Archaeologists from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona have discovered Western Europe’s first Bronze Age palace in Murcia, Spain. The site also holds a unique burial including a probable female...
Killer Queens: 5 of Ancient History’s Most Outstanding Female Rulers

Killer Queens: 5 of Ancient History’s Most Outstanding Female Rulers

True leadership knows no gender and despite societal condemnation or restrictions of the gods, powerful women have risen to the challenge and stepped up to take the reins of governance firmly in...
Recreating The Faces Of Two Scythian Empire Rulers With High Tech

Recreating The Faces Of Two Scythian Empire Rulers With High Tech

High technology has brought back a pair of super wealthy ancient nomadic Scythian Empire nobles discovered in a gold laden tomb in East Siberia. Described as a “Scythian King and Queen,” their...
Jezebel

Jezebel: Slander of The Queen of Israel, Virgin of Baal, Princess of Tyre

Jezebel - even to this day, the name of the wife of King Ahab is synonymous with wickedness and promiscuity. She was the most depraved of women, a murderess, an adulteress and worst of all an...
Mad Monarchs & Outrageous Emperors: 7 Crazy Rulers of the Ancient World

Mad Monarchs & Outrageous Emperors: 7 Crazy Rulers of the Ancient World

Our understanding and treatment of mental illness has come a long way over the centuries – and it’s just as well! In medieval times, people suffering a bout of ‘melancholia’ or those deemed ‘mad’...
Raised Celtic Settlement May Be Aftermath of Boudica’s Rebellion

Raised Celtic Settlement May Be Aftermath of Boudica’s Rebellion

An Iron Age village that was deliberately destroyed in England might have been torched in response to Queen Boudicca´s legendary rebellion against invading Roman conquerors. Constructed with wattle-...
Ching Shih – from Prostitute to Infamous Female Pirate Lord

Ching Shih – From Prostitute to Infamous Female Pirate

Ching Shih (or Zheng Shi) was a Chinese prostitute who became a powerful female pirate, controlling the infamous Red Flag Fleet. The fleet grew under her command, with expanding reserves of loot, and...
Goddess of the Seven Stars: The Rebirth of Sobekneferu

Goddess of the Seven Stars: The Rebirth of Sobekneferu

In 2017 cinema audiences were treated to the latest reboot of the classic movie franchise surrounding the resurrection of an ancient Egypt mummy. Titled, inevitably, The Mummy, and starring Tom...
Pharaoh Hatshepsut

Hatshepsut: The Queen Who became Pharaoh

Hatshepsut was the longest reigning female pharaoh. Under her reign, Egypt prospered. Known as “The Woman Who Was King,” the Egyptian economy flourished during her time as pharaoh. She directed the...
‘Anne Boleyn in the Tower’ by Édouard Cibot. (Public Domain)

What Happened to Anne Boleyn’s Heart?

Anne Boleyn is arguably one of the most famous women of the Tudor period. She was the second, and most notorious, wife of Henry VIII (whether she deserves her reputation, though, is a matter of...
In the face of all the odds, the lives of Empress Nur Jahan and Queen Elizabeth I continue to inspire generations of women, as their strength turned them into feminist icons ahead of their time. Source: Left - Public domain. Right - Public domain.

Empress Nur Jahan and Queen Elizabeth I: Female Icons Ahead of Their Time

Our world has numerous examples of kings who have left a significant impact upon the lives of their people. As the saying goes, “behind every powerful man is an extraordinary woman.” Queen Elizabeth...
Sultan Razia never gave up her rightful place as heir. One Friday, dressed in red, the color of protest, she visited Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque to appeal to her people for justice. Source: kharchenkoirina / Adobe Stock

Sultan Razia: The First and Only Female Royal of Delhi

On the eve of October 1240, two armies faced one another ready for battle. This was a last-ditch effort by Sultan Razia to recapture her throne which had been usurped by her brother. Razia was the...
Catherine of Valois being presented to King Henry V of England at the Treaty of Troyes in 1420. Original print at the Rijksmuseum. Source: Rijksmuseum / CC0

Catherine of Valois: Political Pawn, Dowager Queen and Life in the Shadows

Catherine of Valois was a French princess who lived during the 15 th century. Catherine is an important female figure in medieval English history, being the wife of one English king, and the mother...

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