Some 19th-century historians described her as the modern Messalina; others as a female Caligula. Meanwhile, Ida Laura Pfeiffer, an explorer and travel writer who traveled around the world twice in the mid-19th century, said of her that she was one of the proudest and cruelest women on the face of the Earth, and her entire […]
Queens
Posted inAncient Greece
Agathocleia, the Greek Queen Who Ruled Northern India
Women were relegated to secondary roles in Ancient Greece, which is why most queenly names belong to mythology: Jocasta, Leda, Pelops, Gorgophone, Aglaea… A few historical ones could be added, but they ruled only as consorts, such as Stratonice of Cappadocia, Philistis, Nereis of Epirus, or Stratonice of Pergamum. However, during the Hellenistic Period, things […]
Posted inAntiquity
Mariamne, King Herod’s Wife whom he Kept in Honey for Seven Years after Ordering her Death
It’s possible that the name Mariamne might sound more familiar to literature enthusiasts than to history buffs, as this character was immortalized by writers such as Boccaccio (De mulieribus claris), Calderón de la Barca (The Greater Monster of Jealousy), or Voltaire (Mariamne), among others. She was an Asmonean princess whose extraordinary beauty captivated Herod the […]
Posted inMiddle Ages
When Peter I of Portugal ordered the exhumation of his deceased wife to crown her queen
One of the most attractive places in Portugal is the Monastery of Alcobaça. Its interest is multiple: religious, artistic-monumental, cultural and, of course, historical, which is why it is part of the World Heritage by UNESCO since 1989 and is considered one of the Seven Wonders of that country. Apart from its Gothic beauty – […]
