King François I of France: the Battle of Marignano of 1515

King François I of France ascended to the throne of his kingdom on the 1st of January 1515 after the death of Louis XII of France, his 1st cousin once removed.  At the age of only 20, François was young, strong, handsome, cultured, courageous, vainglorious, and somewhat arrogant.  He had...

Mary Boleyn: a possible mistress of two kings, but not a whore

Mary Boleyn, Anne Boleyn’s elder sister, died on the 19th of July 1543 in her early forties.  In her first marriage to William Carey, she had two children – Catherine and Henry Carey, who are considered by some historians King Henry VIII’s bastards, although it cannot be proved.  After Mary’s...

Royal eccentricity: the wrestling match of two kings

The history of wrestling stretches into ancient times.  It was first described in the Greek literature, including in Homer’s legendary literary works such as the Iliad and the Odyssey.  Greek wrestling was a popular form of martial art, and it was featured as a sport since the eighteenth Olympiad in...

The Italian Wars: the Truce of Nice of 1538

On this day in history, the 18th of June 1538, the Truce of Nice was signed, ending the Italian War of 1536–38 between King François I of France and Holy Roman Emperor Charles V.   The Italian Wars, which are often referred to as the Habsburg-Valois Wars, were a series of...

Anne Boleyn and King François I of France

My dear friends and readers! I’m pleased to inform you that I’m currently having a book tour, in which I’m visiting various blogs and discussing Anne Boleyn for my new book Between Two Kings. Today, my new article was published on Queenanneboleyn.com (you can find it here). Anne Boleyn and King...