the white queen
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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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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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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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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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Il Medioevo, si sa, era un’epoca in cui fare molti figli era considerato quasi un lavoro (diciamo così!), e proprio per questo la mortalità femminile legata a gravidanze e parti era altissima: circa il 50%. Insomma, o sopravvivevi o morivi, non c’erano vie di mezzo. Oggi voglio parlarvi del protocollo post-partum seguito all’epoca dei Tudor.…
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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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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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In the Middle Ages, kings and queens used perfumes both to distinguish themselves and for hygienic purposes. However, the fragrances of the time were generally simple, often derived from natural ingredients that were either locally sourced or imported from distant lands. There is historical evidence and references to the use of perfumes, essential oils, and…
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Nel Medioevo, re e regine utilizzavano profumi sia per distinguersi che per ragioni igieniche. Le fragranze dell’epoca, però, erano generalmente semplici, spesso ricavate da ingredienti naturali locali o importati da terre lontane. Esistono prove storiche e riferimenti all’uso di profumi, oli essenziali e acque aromatiche da parte della nobiltà medievale, anche se non con la…
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I have always found the concept of a motto fascinating, a short phrase that encapsulates everything a person represents and wants to convey to others. In royal families, every member had a motto, and often more than one, as these would change depending on the role they held. It was not uncommon, for example, for…
Beyond Death 