Louis XII of France: a king by accident with dreams of Italian conquests

King Louis XII of France was born on the 27th of June 1462 at Château de Blois.  The son of Duke Charles d'Orléans, and Mary of Cleves, Louis XII  succeeded his father only at the age of 3.  King Louis XI appointed the chief councilors and servitors of the young...

The visit of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V to England in 1522

On the 26th of May 1522, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V arrived at the English city-port of Dover.  Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, Archbishop of York, as well as his entourage of approximately 300 Englishmen, specially selected for this occasion in advance, greeted the Habsburg emperor.  At the time of the emperor’s...

Princess Mary Tudor: biding her time after marrying Louis XII

On the 13th of August 1514, Princess Mary Tudor was married to King Louis XII of France by proxy at Greenwich Palace.  A young and beautiful maid became the wife of an ailing and old monarch!  Mary was eighteen, while Louis was fifty-two!  However, the age difference did not matter...

Birth of Princess Mary Tudor, the future Queen Mary I of England

Princess Mary Tudor, the only surviving daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, was born in the early hours of 18th February 1516, at Greenwich Palace. Mary was Catherine’s fifth pregnancy, after four previous unsuccessful pregnancies which had resulted in the birth of a stillborn daughter and three short-lived or...