The Royal Purple

Category: European Rulers

  • Catherine of Aragon on In Our Time

    Catherine of Aragon on In Our Time

    This week on the free/not in Britain version of In Our Time, they covered Catherine of Aragon. They always get a panel of experts to talk at length about their subject; this was no different. Recommended listening.

  • Clodia Pulcher

    Clodia Pulcher

    Please note that most of this comes from A Rome of One’s Own. Who the hell is Clodia Pulcher, you might be asking yourself. She is not a commonplace name. And I don’t know how much backstory to give you. In part, because I don’t know how to gauge what you know, dear reader. Forgive…

  • Louise of Savoy

    Louise of Savoy

    It’s easy to get frustrated when you try to learn more about women in power. They are so often only referenced in relation to men. Cleopatra only shows up in the historical record when she’s interacting with Julius Caesar or Marc Antony. My favorite Eleanor of Aquitaine book is just as much about Henry II…

  • Women, doing it for themselves

    Women, doing it for themselves

    Part eleven of our series on Maria Theresa. In our last post, Maria Theresa had put together an alliance with France, via Madame de Pompadour. Russia, ruled by Empress Elizabeth, was also cranky with Prussia and Frederick’s blatant sexism. So this chapter in our story begins with Austria and Russia signing a treaty. The trick is…

  • Becoming Allies with France

    Part ten of our series on Maria Theresa. Welcome to another installment of the Stately Quadrille! Prior to Maria Theresa becoming Empress of Austria and Frederick becoming King of Prussia, it was unthinkable that France and Austria would be allies. Frederick used this longstanding enmity to his advantage: he often brought France into his battles with…

  • Strengthening Austria

    Part nine of our series on Maria Theresa. Now that the wars of Austrian succession are complete, Maria Theresa’s main goal is to put her country on sound footing. She’d inherited a country without a lot of money and a military that wasn’t up to the job. Both of these made Austria weaker. Even when she…

  • Another round of the Stately Quadrille

    Part eight of our series on Maria Theresa. I’m pausing our story for a moment because I want to talk about the stately quadrille. Throughout the 18th century (so, the 1700s) the great powers of Europe kept making deals and alliances with each other, and then breaking them in favor of something more immediately beneficial. The…

  • More of the Wars of Austrian Succession

    Part seven of our series on Maria Theresa. Maria Theresa has gained a smidge of breathing room, having become Queen of Hungary. Now, she can get troops from them, to continue to try to secure her throne and strengthen Austria. But, before she gets a chance to ask for them, France starts massing troops in the…

  • Maria Theresa becomes Queen of Hungary

    Part six of our series on Maria Theresa. Now that we are back from learning about Frederick the Great and the piece of work he was… So, Maria Theresa has become ruler of Austria, she’s calmed down her people and gotten all of the major powers (except France) to either endorse her rule or at…