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...

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...

Continuing the series on Sisters That Changed History, we explore Tud or Era England on the HHHistory Blog.    Mary and Anne Boleyn were born during treacherous and changing times. Although these two sisters weren’t as close as the others we’ve been covering, their influence on history is just as strong. Mary seems to have been the elder of the two, both children of Thomas Boleyn, the first Earl of Wiltshire and his wife, Lady Elizabeth Howard. Probably only two or three years older, Mary was brought up with Anne and their brother George in Kent, England. Their French governess prepared them for their later occupations as maids to a French queen. Their education consisted of basic principles of math, history, etc. but also included family genealogy, hunting, singing, and skills in running a house. Read the full post HERE.