So... I'm wandering through the children's non-fiction in the lovely bookstore, Frugal Muse, and what do I find? A small pink and blue book that is titled, The History of England by Jane Austen.

Jane Austen!

So, I had to buy it and found it was a hilarious, satarical account of the English monarchs, Henry 4th - Charles 1st. Miss Austen composed this ( Read more... )

For_Nottingham is a medieval and fandom rpg, and is history_haven's newest affiliate. The setting for our game is 1193 England and its based around the BBC show Robin Hood, though we have a MUCH stronger emphasis on historical accuracy than the show. Most of our players are fic writers who have a keen and active interest in medieval history, and research is ( Read more... )

The Prioress

There was a Nun, a pleasant Prioress.
This lady smile was coy, I must confess.
And she was known as Madame Eglentyne.

She liked to chant the services divine;
But then, in truth, she sang straight through her nose!
And as a court-bred dame she liked to pose:
She spoke fair French, but with an accent queer,
For Paris she had never come anear.

( Read more... )

I must shape my own coat according to my cloth, but it shall not be after the fashion of this world but fit for me.

-Arbella Stuart, lady of LennoxThe niece of Mary, Queen of Scots and cousin to Queen Elizabeth I, Arbella Stuart was once considered a likely heir to the throne of England, once Elizabeth's mortality came to pass. Kept isolated and ( Read more... )

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 Much suspected by me,
Nothing proved can be,
Quoth ELIZABETH prisoner.

- Carved upon a window with a diamond's edge at Woodstock Manor.Queen Elizabeth I has been noted for her precocious intelligence, her brilliant oration skills, and her superior speech writing abilities; but did you know that this queen was also a poet ( Read more... )

Souling, souling, for cakes we go,
One for Peter, two for Paul,
Three for Him who made us all.
If you haven't got a cake, an apple will do,
If you haven't got an apple, give a pear or two.
If you haven't got a pear, then God bless you.

- Middle Age trick-or-treat rhyme
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After recently watching 'The Other Boleyn Girl', I've started becoming curious on the subject of Henry VIII charging Anne with witchcraft. We all know it was just an excuse to kill her and that all of Henry's charges were trumped-up *clears throat at a certain book reference* but what was his supposed proof?

Well here's a paragraph from here which ( Read more... )

Well, I just recently discovered a very interesting fact. Ed's name is obviously derived from Edward, but not just any Edward. Indeed, Ed the Hyena's name comes directly from Edward II of England, fourth son of Edward I of England. Ed wasn't neccessarily based on this historical figure's characterization very heavily, but the screenwriters somehwat ( Read more... )

Remember those innocent, sweet songs you'd sing when you were a child? How your parents would rock you to sleep with them and how your nursery teachers would make you sing them?

Shocking fact: they aren't as innocent as they seem. Many of these nursery rhymes had deeper, secet meanings that children should preferably never find out about.

Those ( Read more... )