history

  • The beautiful love story of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York (Oh wait, no).

    WARNING: LONG POST – Reading time: 5 minutes if you read fast 😀 I often hear people say that the marriage between Elizabeth of York and Henry VII was, despite being political, also a love match. Apparently, he was deeply attached to his wife, respected her, and when she died, he spent a fortune on

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  • When Love Transcends Time

    When Love Transcends Time

    The landscape of love stories that have shaped history is vast, immense even, but few are as poignant and intense as that of Abelard and Héloïse. Theirs was a forbidden, painful, and contested love, yet one that left an indelible mark on literature and Western thought. But who were Abelard and Héloïse?Peter Abelard was one

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  • Today, as yesterday, sans remevyr.

    It was around 9 p.m. when Elizabeth died. After giving birth to her daughter Katherine, she endured almost two weeks of agony, excruciating pain, fever, and relentless hemorrhages led her to her death on February 11, 1503. February 11 was also her birthday. She had just turned 37. Elizabeth was the eldest daughter of King

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  • Is time circular?

    Is time circular?

    We are accustomed to thinking of history as a sequence of events unfolding progressively. However, if we closely examine the past, recurring patterns emerge—events that repeat with unsettling precision, leaving us with one fundamental question: could time be circular? Various civilizations have believed in the cyclical nature of time. In ancient India, the concept of

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  • 12 years ago, Richard III returned to the world “beyond any reasonable doubt.”

    It was February 4, 2013. 11:00 was fast approaching, and there was a palpable buzz at the University of Leicester. In that room, there were journalists, historians, enthusiasts, scientists… everyone, absolutely everyone, ready to bear witness. Let’s go back six months. On August 25, 2012, beneath the cold concrete of a private parking lot in

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  • 12 anni fa Riccardo III tornava al mondo “oltre ogni ragionevole dubbio”

    Era il 4 febbraio 2013. Le 11:00 stavano per arrivare e all’Università di Leicester c’era un fermento palpabile. In quella sala erano presenti giornalisti, storici, appassionati, scienziati… tutti, proprio tutti, pronti a testimoniarlo. Torniamo indietro di sei mesi. IL 25 Agosto 2012, sotto il freddo cemento di un parcheggio privato a Leicester, veniva rinvenuto uno

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  • History is not chaste, and neither are we.

    If I said the word “godemiché” what would come to mind? Wait, let’s take a step back. In ancient Greece and ancient Rome, sexual satisfaction was considered a fundamental aspect of life. Even then, objects designed exclusively for female pleasure existed, often with purposes that were not even too subtly voyeuristic. In short, pleasure was

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  • Postpartum in the Middle Ages

    The Middle Ages, as we know, were a time when having many children was considered almost an obligation (let’s put it that way!). Because of this, the mortality rate for women due to pregnancy and childbirth was extremely high, around 50%. In other words, you either survived or died; there was no middle ground. Today,

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  • What if…?

    What if…?

    Tonight, I couldn’t sleep (a strange occurrence, really, since I can usually sleep anytime, anywhere!). As my mind wandered between one thought and the next, it inevitably returned to one of my obsessions: the “What ifs” of history. If you’re not familiar with the term, let me explain briefly: “What ifs” are hypothetical scenarios that

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  • E se…?

    E se…?

    Stanotte non riuscivo a dormire (strano, davvero, perché io dormo sempre e ovunque!) così, tra un pensiero e l’altro, la mia mente è tornata a una delle mie ossessioni: i “What if” della storia. Se non li conoscete, ve lo spiego brevemente: i “What if” (“E se…” in italiano) sono scenari ipotetici che esplorano cosa

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