Anne Boleyn’s Early Years at the Court in the Burgundian Netherlands

This article explores the impact of Anne Boleyn’s early years spent at the glittering and refined court of Margaret of Austria, Dowager Duchess of Savoy, in the Burgundian Netherlands. Thomas Boleyn, Anne’s father, was well regarded by Margaret, the regent of the Low Countries, and he managed to place Anne...

Eleanor of Austria: a daughter of illustrious parents, a marriage pawn

It is not enough to have illustrious parents and lineages to be happy.  The life of a queen, a princess, or a royal descendant did not belong to her: from her birth, a royal girl was a valuable commodity in the European marriage market, especially if her parents were the...

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...