We're talking about some interesting tidbits I stumbled across with gifts exchanged between Bloody Mary and Elizabeth Tudor on the HHHistory blog. Here's a preview of the article.    Mary and Elizabeth Tudor are a fascinating pair of sisters. Same father, but rival mothers and seventeen years apart, it is surprising how affectionate the two were throughout most of their lives. One of the main ways that the sisters expressed their affection was through gifts exchanged. We can learn a lot about their situation and relationship from each of these.  Mary, as the elder sister, often sent Elizabeth spending money and cloth for making clothes since King Henry often neglected attention to such details. She also gave Elizabeth many pieces of jewelry, some of these pieces can be found in museums today. Her gift giving became so much of a custom, that when the relationship between Mary and Elizabeth turned hostile, Mary’s councilors told her she should send Eliza...

Why Did Queen Elizabeth I Never Marry? Elizabeth I Darnley Portrait This a question has fascinated people since Elizabeth the Great was alive. Considered one of the greatest monarchs in English history, an intelligent and pleasing woman, deemed a beauty during her time with a knack for fascinating men, it is a true curiosity. She had at least half a dozen men fall in love with her and had many offers of marriage from English poets to monarchs from allied countries, so a lack of suitors was certainly not the culprit. Why then did this woman choose to rule alone during a time when that was unthinkable? Elizabeth intentionally left a lot of ambiguity on this subject, never admitting a hard answer, but there are three main theories.  Read the entire article on HHHistory.com here. 

In case you haven't heard, 12 Sisters Who Changed History is now available on Amazon & Smashwords! To celebrate, we're giving away a $10 Amazon gift card as well as a paperback version of the book. You can enter to win using the rafflecopter form below . Giveaway ends August 8th. a Rafflecopter giveaway About the Book: The remarkable lives of twelve sisters who changed the course of history. Historians paint pictures of amazing men and women who influenced the world, but seldom do we hear about sister duos that forever altered the course of history. Whether fighting together—or against each other—these twelve women set armies to flight, guarded homelands from invasion, transformed countries and religious systems, and begat nations. From mythical Athena and Artemis, to the English thrones of Mary & Elizabeth Tudor, the influence these women left behind is taken for granted. Join us on an inspirational journey through time as we explore the extraordinary ...

Last month we began with the elder half-sister, Mary Tudor. If you missed that post you can find it here: http://www.hhhistory.com/2017/06/sisters-that-changed-history-mary.html Elizabeth I as Princess (Public Domain) Elizabeth Tudor was the first and only child of Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn on September 7, 1533. The political uproar surrounding her birth and the marriage of her parents made her a celebrity before she was even born, especially when the physician and astrologer predictions failed and she was a daughter rather than the longed for son . This was especially a problem for Elizabeth’s mother since King Henry was willing to do almost anything to secure a male heir.   A comment by Venetian ambassador Giovanni Michiel intimates that Elizabeth looked much like her father, and for this reason, he favored her, despite her not being the anticipated prince. He claims this was the reason she was exalted above her half-sister and giv...