The Royal Ghosts of History

[royalghostsofhistory]

Anne of Bohemia

Anne of Bohemia was born to Charles IV, the Holy Roman Emperor, and his fourth wife, Elizabeth of Pomerania. She was the first daughter of Elizabeth, however she had three older half-sisters from her father's previous marriages. Anne had four younger brothers, two of them did not live long, and a younger sister. She also had four half-brothers, though only Wenceslaus (the future Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia) from Charles' third marriage survived past infancy, and three half-sisters. She had been born on the May 11, 1366 in Prague, in the Kingdom of Bohemia. She was mainly brought up at Prague Castle, and was fluent in several languages.

When Anne was eleven or twelve, her father, Charles, died and her brother Wenceslaus became King Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia. It was her brother who negotiated the marriage between Anne and King Richard II of England. Anne brought no dowry to England but Richard gave 20,000 florins (about £4,000,000 in today's value) in payment to Wenceslaus IV. She arrived in England in December 1381 after having been delayed by storms, and her ships were smashed to pieces as soon as she disembarked.

Anne and Richard were married in Westminster Abbey on January 20, 1382, and her coronation followed on January 22. It is said that their marriage, though arranged and at the young ages of fifteen, the two were in love and devoted to one another.

Anne ordered the Gospels in English to help her learn the language. She was credited with introducing the high-peaked horn headdress and the side-saddle to England. It is said she had little interest in politics.

Anne fell ill at Sheen Manor and died of the plague on June 7, 1394. Richard was so grief-stricken that he demolished Sheen Manor. She was only 28 years old. In the twelve years of her marriage to Richard, their union remained childness. She was known as "Good Queen Anne". She is buried in Westminster Abbey beside her husband.

[royalghostsofhistory]

Boudicca

Queen Boudicca is considered to be a British heroine and a symbol of the struggle for justice and independence. She was a queen of the ancient Iceni tribe, and she led a failed uprising in 60 or 61 CE. Her name literally translates to "Victorious Woman", and it is sometimes spelled Boudica, Boudicca, Boadicea, and Boudicea, and sometimes as Buddug in Welsh.

Not much of Boudicca's early life is known, but it is believed she was not of the Iceni tribe and rather of royal descent. We don't even know when she was born, though it is estimated she was born between 25 and 30 CE. The historian, Cassius Dio, wrote "In stature, she was very tall, in appearance most terrifying, in the glance of her eye most fierce, and her voice was harsh; a great mass of the tawniest hair fell to her hips; around her neck was a large golden necklace; and she wore a tunic of fivers colours over which a thick mantle was fastened with a brooch. This was her invariable attire." However, this was written more than a century after her death and wasn't translated into English until 1925, so it may not be accurate.

She may have married King Prasutagus of the Iceni tribe somewhere between the years of 43-45 CE. The Iceni was a Celtic tribe that inhabited what is now Norfolk in England, a parts of the neighbouring counties of Cambridgeshire, Suffolk and Lincolnshire. Her husband may have been one of the eleven kings who surrended to Claudius following the Roman conquest in 43. He was considered an ally of Rome and his tribe was allowed to remain independent to some degree, though disarmed.

Upon Pasutagus' death in 60 or 61 CE, he made his two daughters and the Roman Emperor, Nero, his heirs. The Romans ignored this will and absorbed the kingdom into the province of Brittania. It was Tacitus who detailed the Romans and their pillaging and ransacking, as well as the cruel treatment of Boudicca and her daughters. According to Tacitus, Boudicca was flogged and her daughters, possibly twelve years old, were raped.

Shortly after, Boudicca seemed to become the leading figure in a rebellion against the Romans, possibly because she wanted revenge for the humiliation she and her daughters had suffered. The first move was at Camulodunum (modern Colchester) where the queen captured the Roman forces. As the Roman governor, Seutonius, who was leading a military capaign in Wales, heard about the revolt, he left a garrison on the island of Mona and made his way to deal with Boudicca. He made it to Londinium (Roman London) before Boudicca but he was outnumbered and decided to abandon the town, which was burned down by the rebels after torturing and killing everyone who had remained. The Queen and her army proceeded onto Verulamium (modern St. Albans) and won another victory.

Suetonius regrouped his forces, amassing an army of 10,000 men at an unidentified location. They stood in a defile (a narrow pass or gorge between mountains or hills) and used this terrain to their advantage, apparently throwing javelins at the Britons. Though the Roman army was heavily outnumbered, Boudicca's army was defeated.

While Boudicca survived the battle initially, it is said she poisoned herself or that she fell ill. With Boudicca's defeat, the Roman's secured control over Britain.

In film a TV, Boudicca has been portrayed four times.

Boadicea (1927), a British silent film starring Phyllis Neilson-Terry.

Warrior Queen (1978), a British television series starring Sian Phillips.

Boudica (2003), a British television film starring Alex Kingston.

Boudica (2023), a British drama film starring Olga Kurylenko.

[royalghostsofhistory]

Crowns

noun. a circular ornamental headdress worn by a monarch as a symbol of authority, usually made of or decorated with precious metals and jewels.

Line by line, from top left to right: William the Conqueror, Richard I, King John, Edward I, Richard II, Henry V, Elizabeth I, a Scottish crown, James I, Charles I, James II, George I, George III, the Imperial State, Crown, St Edward's Crown.

image credit