Berengaria

Richard I—the world’s greatest kidnapping….?

Dec 20, 2023

anniversaries, battles, buildings, religion, sources

Anjou, Austria, Berengaria, Blondel, Corfu, Crusades, Durnstein Castle, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Emperor Henry VI, excommunication, Fontevraud Abbey, Henry III. kidnapping, hostages, John, Leopold of Austria, Phillip Augustus, Pope, Richard I, Saladin, Torquay, Torre Abbey, William Brewer, William Stubbs

What links Richard I with Torquay? Well, it seems that when the king was captured and ransomed in Austria, one of those sent to negotiate for him was a certain very unpopular William Brewer, who was local to Torquay, a major landholder, administrator and judge in England during the reigns of Richard I, King John…
Eleanor of Aquitaine, the “mother-in-law from hell”….?

Apr 1, 2022

anniversaries, battles, buildings, genealogy, religion

Anne of Bohemia, Berengaria, Crusades, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Fontevraud Abbey, Henry II, Isabella of Angouleme, John, l’Epau Abbey, le Mans, miscarriage, Navarre, Richard I, Richard II, royal marriages, royal tombs, sexuality, taxes

There are two King Richards of England whose marriages are always called into question: Richard I and Berengaria of Navarre, and Richard II and Anne of Bohemia. Richard II’s sexuality is cited as the reason he and Anne had no children. Either he was sexless…or his interests went to the male of the species. Therefore…
Berengaria of Navarre

Dec 23, 2020

anniversaries, archaeology, buildings, genealogy, religion, Science

Berengaria, consorts, France, French Revolution, l’Epau Abbey, le Mans, mtDNA, Navarre, Richard I, Robert S.P. Fripp, royal tombs, Third Crusade

Kingfinding (or consortfinding) is back, this time in France. The lady in question, however, was from Navarre and became queen to Richard I. Although he wasn’t in England much during his reign, due to his crusading activities, she did accompany him part of the way on occasion. Here is a Guardian article, located by Robert…
THE THREE HUNDRED YEARS WAR – Part 1: the Devil’s brood

Sep 16, 2020

anniversaries, battles, religion

Angevin Empire, Aquitaine, Aragon, Arthur of Brittany, Barons’ War, Berengaria, Brittany, Capetians, Cathars, Crusades, Edward I, Eleanor of Aquitaine, excommunication, France, Frederick VI, Gascony, Geoffrey Plantagenet, Henry I, Henry II, Henry III, Henry the Young King, Henry V, Holy Roman Empire, John, Louis VII, Magna Carta, Matilda, Napoleon, Norman conquest, Normandy, Phillip I, Phillip II, Plantagenets, Richard I, Stephen, Thomas Becket, Three Hundred Years’ War, Treaty of Bretigny, Treaty of Paris, Treaty of Troyes, William I, William II, William Marshall, William the Lion

Preface I conceived this article as a defence of King Henry V against the accusation that he was a war criminal. It became apparent, however, that my research was drawing me away from Henry’s campaigns towards a broader study of the origin and causes of the Hundred Years War. Soon, I was reading material going…
Joan Plantagenet Queen of Sicily

Feb 13, 2019

anniversaries, buildings, genealogy

Anjou, Berengaria, Commenus, Crusades, Cyprus, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Fontevrault, Henry II, Holy Land, Italy, Joan Plantagenet, Les Casses, Messina, Palermo Cathedral, Plantagenets, Poitiers, Raymond VI of Toulouse, Richard I, Roen, Saladin, Sicily, Tancred, Toulouse, Winchester

Being a Sicilian living in the UK, I am fond of both countries’ history. I have often wondered if there was a link between these two islands and I soon found one: Joan Plantagenet Queen of Sicily. The story of this woman is so interesting and compelling especially because Joan was a very strong and…

Berengaria

Richard I—the world’s greatest kidnapping….?

Eleanor of Aquitaine, the “mother-in-law from hell”….?

Berengaria of Navarre

THE THREE HUNDRED YEARS WAR – Part 1: the Devil’s brood

Joan Plantagenet Queen of Sicily