Let the Summer reading start...

It is funny how we keep blogs, facebook statuses, tweets, and picture grams to document our lives as if what we do everyday is super important. Sometimes I wish historical figures could have foreseen their importance in the future and documented their lives even one half of what we do. It would have been so nice to actually knows the thoughts and emotions of the people whose lives have influenced me throughout my life. I guess historical fiction will have to do until some casket or chest is discovered with all of the diaries or letters of my favorite historical people.

Recommended Historical Diaries/Narratives (fiction):

Ancient Egypt:

Camelot  (Queen Guinevere, Lancelot, and Arthur):

 

About Tudor England: 

 For CHILDREN:
Scholastic's The Royal Diaries
(These books were my first interaction with historical women . I have read Elizabeth I: Red Rose of the House of Tudor, Cleopatra VII: Daughter of the Nile, and Isabel: Jewel of Castilla )

Let the war rage on...

The War of Roses that is! Civil war and destruction separated the Yorks, Lancasters, and Plantagenets; the ruling royal families of England in the 15th century. As a Game of Thrones fan (of course, I had to mention it in this post), you can tell that a lot of the civil war and strife in the imaginary land of Westeros was inspired by the families of this actual period in time. Essentially one guy, Henry, had the crown, Edward-this distant cousin wanted it and took it through defeat in battle by getting help from an influential Earl of Warwick who captured Henry- peace semi-remained for a while. Peace remained until Edward fell for and secretely married, much to the annoyance of other royals at court, Elizabeth Woodville. This pissed off the Earl of Warwick who tried to supplant Edward with his younger brother, more battles followed. Edward won and ruled longer, had daughters and sons, then died. Nobody ever liked the Woodville family when Edward was alive but she was queen so they had tolerated it as best they could. But the king is dead, so long live the new king. King Richard III that is, another brother of the late king Edward. What about the kids Edward sired with Elizabeth Woodville? Meh! To the tower...literally (the lost princes of the tower were those kids). So how was this war ended and who won? Why is it called the Wars of the Roses? (their family sigils were red and white roses respectively, so figuratively the roses were battling each other).

The Wars of the Roses ended with the women behind it. Elizabeth Woodville after loosing her sons in the tower, looked to her oldest daughter as the rightful heir of Edward's throne. But a woman being queen in her own right? That is preposterous, haha! Did you hear that joke Elizabeth Tudor, Victoria, Elizabeth II, Daenerys Targaryen (hehe, Game of Thrones again)? So what is a devastated mother to do to secure her daughter's place on the throne- marry her off, of course. Enter Margaret Beaufort and her only son, Henry Tudor, who has a very tiny claim to the throne. So Richard III is dethroned and literally killed off in the Battle of Bosworth. Henry Tudor marries Elizabeth of York (Elizabeth Woodville's oldest daughter) and from these two roses branches the Tudor Dynasty which springs forth peace and prosperity. With peace, there is time again for art and music, and thus the English Renaissance brings forth a new spring (not to mention Henry VIII, his six wives, the Reformation, Shakespeare, and the Golden Age of Elizabeth I).

What I really wanted to say in this post, is that I love that the epicness and awesomeness (those are real words, I promise) of Game of Thrones and The Tudors as period dramas because they were/are big hits, and that makes other studios make more period dramas. This is a history nerd's biggest dream! I even heard they are making a series on Mary, Queen of Scots (another descendant of the Tudors) but it might be on CW so it's not looking to be more than teenage angst in pretty dresses. What looks really promising this summer (August) is Starz's The White Queen, based on the Philippa Gregory historical fiction novel on the women of the Wars of the Roses (Elizabeth Woodville, Anne Neville, and Margaret Beaufort). As much as I dislike the inauthentic history presented by Gregory as a fiction writer, it is hard to ignore an awesome period piece with wonderful costumes.  Check out the trailer below:

Let the month of May continue...

It is May 14. Every year around this time, I feel very compelled and emotional by the events that transpired 477 years ago on May 19. For the first time in English history a queen was executed, beheaded for treason and unceremoniously buried in a chest box in an unmarked grave. Anne Boleyn, the second wife, and crowned consort of Henry VIII was charged with adultery, treason, and incest against her beloved husband Henry Tudor, the eighth of his name. Was any of it true? Or did Henry simply want to erase his past with a woman he once passionately adored to marry wife number three in the hopes of a son?

The love story of Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII is one of the most perplexing, attractive, and enigmatic stories in history. Was it love? Was it lust? Was it ambition? Hollywood always likes to pick one of those reasons and exaggerate it to the extent that PG13 ratings will allow it. This is perhaps why the series "The Tudors" was one of my favorite Tudor England representations on film. Yeah, it was inaccurate. Yeah, it was a bunch of pretty costumes and unnecessary nudity at times. But it was deep, complex, and ironic in its usage of imagery, poetry, and symbolism. The character development of Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII was my favorite. Two young people with dreams and hopes for a better England, starting as confidantes, lovers, and friends with things in common, become the bitterest enemies and strangers. Historically, I think this was a fair picture of Anne and Henry because it was documented that they were close friends and they had many things in common (music, poetry, theology, literature, hunting, and politics). Henry waited for her for seven years before consummating the relationship and finally marrying her to be his queen. He had her, this descendant of noble merchants and dukes, crowned as queen with the ancient crown of British history.  He abandoned his faith in the Pope, his friends, and his country's well being for her love. And this was perhaps their doom from the start. To love is good enough, but to love while hurting others tarnishes that love and the black stain simply grows with every argument, with every resentment, with every longing for what was promised and failed to be given. Henry wanted a son. Anne bore a daughter. It simply was not good enough. Henry never heard the Beatles play "Love is all you Need!".

What especially saddens me about May and Anne's execution is her manner of disposal. She was once the beloved lady of the monarch, a woman who could do no wrong, and suddenly slanders and truly heinous accusations were thrown at her. Not only was Anne the woman killed, but her name was marred and disdained for the years to come. It was this stain on her name which would affect her only legacy, her 2 year old daughter Elizabeth. Elizabeth grew up to be queen, yes! Elizabeth ruled and led with brilliancy and cunning, yes! But Elizabeth lost so much, gave up so much, and never experienced the many joys of being a woman. Elizabeth never grew up with a mother. Elizabeth never married. Elizabeth never bore her own children. With Elizabeth died the Tudor dynasty and the whole point of what Henry was trying to establish by marrying six different times.

Sadly, Elizabeth grew up with a ghost, a faded memory of a laugh, of long black hair touching her cheek, of a sparkling eye looking over her clothing, but was any of it real? Did Elizabeth know that her mother was innocent? Did she perhaps think of her at times when things became difficult? Did she blame her like others did and maybe even believed in her treason? History is so uncertain, it is all conjecture. The only real proof anyone has of Elizabeth's love for Anne is the locket ring with Elizabeth's image and that of another woman with dark hair, dark eyes, and a french styled hood which was commonly attributed to Anne Boleyn and popular in the 1530s. To commemorate and honor these women, I present my video tribute to Anne Boleyn's fall, Elizabeth's rise, and the very different but interwoven lives they led.

(My youtube name used to be historygirl23 hence the logo on the bottom and this was a fanvideo I created for them last year) Enjoy!

Song: Christina Perri "The Lonely"
Films: The Tudors, Elizabeth, Elizabeth: Golden Age

http://youtu.be/4sCrU-0t2Nc

Let the Games Begin...

 The Game of Thrones that is!

 If you ever need to watch something that reflects various eras from history that involve civil war, courtly intrigue, battles, family problems, incest, love stories, and overall epicness, then HBO's Game of Thrones is it. Based on the incredibly awesome and as yet incomplete book series A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin, this fiery and jaw dropping series does great justice to the books. It is rare to be able to say that a show or movie is just as good/close enough to not make fans get the pitch forks and burning torches, but this show can take that honor.

Currently in its third season, Game of Thrones is titled after the first book and follows the many twists and turns of the noble houses of the seven kingdoms known as Westeros. The kingdom has a legendary history that involves the Targaryen bloodline, the ancient and now mostly dead rulers of the land who had the most powerful claim to the throne and right to rule: fire breathing dragons. When the series starts, however, dragons are dead, there remain only two Targaryens in exile, and the land is ruled by House Baratheon in the form of the loud, drunk, and indifferent King Robert. King Robert is married to the cold hearted but beautiful Cersei Lannister, the daughter of the richest man in all the seven kingdoms. Tywin Lannister is a man who was trusted by the Targaryens and who betrayed them fatally in order to make his daughter queen and his grandchildren the heirs to the land. We also have the Starks of Winterfell, the northern house that believes in honor and family above all things. The Starks however have their house motto "Winter is Coming" because in this land, Winter can last over a year, even ten, and Summer is about to end. Children of ten have yet to see a winter and when the cold winds rise, the darkness will cover the land. With darkness, the histories talk about monsters and the dead walking again. But none of this seasonal change matters to the lords and ladies of the land because all everyone cares about is who is closest to the iron throne (the spiky, sword welded throne of the ruler of Westeros) and who wins the game of thrones.

What is the most powerful and memorable thing about this book series and the show is the display of female empowerment, the different character stories and narratives, and the really harsh ends of some of the main characters. There are currently five books out 1) A Game of Thrones 2) A Clash of Kings 3) A Storm of Swords 4) A Feast for Crows 5) A Dance of Dragons. This book series and the show itself are my recommendations for the week. Beware, however, these are stories with adult and mature content which is gratuitously presented at times in classic HBO style.