Catherine Benincasa was proclaimed a saint years after her slow self-inflicted death by starvation.
St. Catherine of Siena: Saint of Starvation
Lucy Hay, Countess of Carlisle: Courtier, Muse, Revolutionary, Spy
Lucy Hay was the great-great-grandniece of Anne Boleyn, the inspiration for Milady de Winter from The Three Musketeers, and a completely badass lady spy.
Lettice Knollys, Countess of Essex and Leicester: The Boleyn Descendant
Lettice Knollys was a cousin of Queen Elizabeth I whose secret marriage caused a rift between the two women that lasted until both of their deaths.
How “historically accurate” is sexual violence anyway?
George R.R. Martin has defended the use of sexual violence in his Song of Ice and Fire books, and the show Game of Thrones, as being “historically accurate.” But is it?
There’s something about Mary, Queen of Scots
Curious about the historical woman who inspired the upcoming Saoirse Ronan/Margot Robbie film? Here’s the scoop on the ongoing appeal of this doomed Queen's story.
Queen Elizabeth I: Part Two: Gloriana
Queen Elizabeth I found a way to command respect as monarch in a time of widespread misogyny by skilfully portraying herself as more goddess than woman.
Queen Elizabeth I: Part One: Redheaded Stepchild
How circumstance, luck, and fate wound up giving England one of the country's greatest monarchs in the form of an unusually resilient young redheaded woman.
Queen Mary I: Part Two: The Reign of Bloody Mary
Queen Mary I broke new ground as the first officially recognized female monarch of England. But her short reign is best remembered for bloodshed, tragedy, and her personal problems.
Queen Mary I: Part One: Her Mother’s Daughter
Before she was Bloody Mary, she was Queen Mary. And before that, she was Lady Mary. Before that she was Princess Mary, a young girl who had yet to learn just how terrible her father was.
Kathryn Parr: Professional Widow
Kathryn Parr lived through the lives and deaths of Henry VIII's previous five wives, which is likely how she learned to survive him.