Dateline Virginia, March 1661/2: A husband and wife with their two servants get lashes for striking the High Sheriff. It’s one symptom of a dysfunctional family. Continue reading
Petty Crime Family in Early Virginia
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Author Archives: James M. Arlandson
How to Punish a Servant for Slander in Virginia
Dateline Virginia: Tuesday, August 3, 1619. The earliest colonists, borrowing their customs and laws from England, did not mess around with insubordination from the lower classes. Continue reading
Hardship in First Twelve Years in Virginia Colony
It is startling what they had to go through. How did the churches fare?
How Bad Were Things in 1623/24 Virginia?
Dateline: Virginia, 1623/24: This is a letter written by the Governor, Council, and Assembly of Burgesses to King James I, to reply to Capt. Nathaniel Butler’s “Unmasking of Virginia.” How did the churches fare?
Trouble in First Twelve Years of Virginia Colony
Dateline: 1623/4, Virginia: 29 Anglican Virginians signed this document. The earliest settlers on the American shores suffered greatly in the first twelve years. What follows is their entire firsthand account of their deadly ordeal. How did the churches fair? Continue reading
Philadelphia Quakers Set Up Public School
Dateline: Philadelphia: 26 Jan. 1684 and 12 Feb 1698: They actually enacted laws to set up the public school of Philadelphia, with money. Girls could attend, and poor children could go for gratis. But was the school subsidized by tax payers?
A Brawl in Streets of Colonial Philadelphia
Dateline: 1704: A brawl broke out in the streets of Philadelphia on the night of 1 Nov 1704. Here is the account from the Minutes of the Provincial Council. By now, a few people of church denominations other than Quakers moved into the city. Where’s the City of Brotherly Love? Continue reading
Does Colonial Philadelphia Drown in Illegal Trade, Piracy and Vice?
Dateline: Philadelphia, 10 Feb 1698. Or at least that’s what a letter from England claimed. How would the Philadelphia Council reply?
The Richardsons: Dysfunctional Quaker Family
Dateline: 1683 to 1700, Pennsylvania and West Jersey. The head of household served in the highest level of government of the Province of Pennsylvania, but his own really bad behavior brought him down.
The Rape of Elizabeth Henbury
Dateline: Philadelphia, 1700. What she do? Marry her “rapist”? Did she love him and claim rape to marry him? Or did she want to save his life by marriage to him?
Redemption of Councilman Luke Watson in Philadelphia
Dateline: Philadelphia, 1686-1688: What happened when Luke Watson had an affair with his brother-in-law’s unnamed servant girl?
Was She the First Murderess in New World America?
The Richardsons, even though one of them served in the highest level of Pennsylvania’s Provincial Government, were very dysfunctional. These records go from 1688 to 1689 in Philadelphia, but the murder happened in Kent County, (West) New Jersey.
Thief Peter Stewart Is Caught in Philadelphia
Dateline: Philadelphia, 1688: Peter Stewart was a yeoman who was accused of stealing a lot of money and other valuables from John Wickham. But Wickham was no angel, either. This short post reveals what daily life was like at our founding—or at least the daily life of some people.
Was William Weaver The Father or Not?
Dateline: Chester County, Philadelphia, 1689: What did the court conclude about widow Anne Richards’ two children who were born out of wedlock?
The Sad Case of Susannah Willard in Colonial Philadelphia
Dateline: Chester Co. PA, 1688-90: She was used by a certain John Bradshaw and then mistreated by her father-in-law in a sexual way. How would the Quakers handle this case?
Lashes For Contempt of Government in Colonial Philadelphia
Dateline: Chester County, PA, 1683: Our earliest (Christian) Founders had to decide on how they would punish people—free or indentured—who showed contempt for the government and its authority. In the following case, they decided on a standard punishment for the times.
One Troubled Indentured Servant in Colonial Philadelphia
Dateline: Chester County, Pennsylvania, 1685-88: Samuel Rowland was most likely an indentured servant, and the court records show him either in trouble or more often the cause of it. Life wasn’t paradise in a growing and early Quaker community in Pennsylvania.
Indentured Servants, Indians, and Rum in Colonial Philadelphia
Dateline: Philadelphia, 1684-85: This time the combination and interaction turned out bad.
Is This the First All-Female Jury in New-World America?
Dateline: Chester County, outside Philadelphia, in 1689: I don’t know, but it looks like it’s the first one in the Quaker community.
Ann Baynton, Abandoned Wife, in Colonial Philadelphia
Dateline: Philadelphia, 1698: Peter Baynton abandoned his wife and went back to England, where he got married. He’s now looking to get more of his estate in Philadelphia and bring it back into his possession.
Breta Johnson, Wife of Executed Murderer in Colonial Philadelphia
Dateline: 1693 to 1694, Philadelphia. The earliest Americans, even peaceful Quakers, supported the death penalty—that’s for sure.
What Was Daily Life Like in Colonial Philadelphia?
Dateline: Philadelphia: 1683 to 1689: We look at the records of a devout Christian and carpenter. Church history is more than just famous preachers and theologians. It encompasses everyone who calls on the name of the Lord.
Daily life in Colonial and Early Republic America
Dateline: Pennsylvania: 1755-1814. Church history is more than just famous preachers and theologians. It encompasses everyone who calls on the name of the Lord. This family inspires me. Would I be this courageous to fight in a war and be a pioneer into new territory?
Positive Lessons from Indentured Servants in Colonial America
Church history goes wider than the famous theologians and preachers and political reactions. It embraces the common people.
Barnett the Slave: His Documented Life
He was born in 1778 and died after 1828. He attended a biracial church. These primary, old, handwritten documents say he lived a remarkable life and deserves our honor. Church history is more than just famous people.
Slaves and Owners Attend Same Pre-Civil War Church
Dateline: Edgefield County, South Carolina, 1810-1847. This is a list of church members who attended Bethany Baptist Church. Both slaves and owners went to the same Christian community. Blacks and whites attended church together.
My Ancestors Owned Slaves
After my mother died in 1994, I found her mother’s handwritten family history. It pointed me to the right states, counties and dates for her grandparents, who lived before and after the Civil War (1861-1865)–the Great Divide.
Wilbourn Slaves
I’m interested in history, no matter where it leads. Call it church history, since these people claimed Christianity. This post goes from 1790-1850
Slaves of Wilbourn-Related Family Lines
These families feed into the Wilbourn lines and go from 1703 to 1854. But this post goes wider than just family history. It is now about American church history, since everyone in this post claimed Christianity. A few were church wardens.
Word Study on Faith and Faithfulness
Faith, faithful and believing come from the same Greek word group. Let’s learn about them together in simple English.
Protestant Work Ethic, Capitalism, and America’s Founding
It is what made this country great. Max Weber’s thesis recently got a significant boost in the Philippines. Look at the evidence in this post.
Top Ten Reasons Why Islam Is Not the Religion of Peace
The evidence is clear from the Quran itself and Muhammad’s life.
1. Either Jesus or Muhammad: Their Natures and Roles
It may seem strange to sweet Westerners and others to contrast the two, but the evidence says you cannot have both in an unholy marriage. We must face those facts. They are different–even opposites–in so many ways.
1-B. Table of Muhammad’s Titles
The references and the totals that are based on them are close approximations. It goes with Part One in the series: Either Jesus or Muhammad.
2. Either Jesus or Muhammad: Were Both Sinless?
Lovely and tolerant Westerners and others may not like to see the stark differences between the Quran and New Testament, but these well-intentioned people must do this, anyway. They cannot have both mixed together. And what is the answer to that question?
3. Either Jesus or Muhammad: Living in Freedom or Dead Laws
God loves people, but sometimes their beliefs are short-sighted. They think all religions are the same. They are not. People have to choose between Jesus or Muhammad, without mixture. Here are differences that impact our practical living.
4. Either Jesus or Muhammad: Does Islam Improve on Christianity?
Does Muhammad fulfill and complete the mission and ministry of Jesus? The Quran answers with an emphatic yes. It is a serious challenge. No mixture here. Choose one or the other, but not both. Continue reading
5. Either Jesus or Muhammad: How They Confronted Satan
This post may be the most surprising one in the series that contrasts Jesus with Muhammad. Here the differences are once again so huge that you cannot have both mixed together.
6. Either Jesus or Muhammad: Their Views on Wealth
Both Jesus and Muhammad said that we should give to the poor (and so do most world religions). But beyond this basic generosity, they had very different attitudes and policies on money. Let’s not pretend those differences don’t exist. They do.
7. Either Jesus or Muhammad: Their Reactions to Insults
Sleepy, sweet Westerners and others must understand the differences. Here are more differences which produce all sorts of repercussions today. The differences are so massive that they are incompatible.
8. Either Jesus or Muhammad: Their Views on Violence
I love tolerance, and so do you. But the intolerance that leads to violence comes from one side only. Why is that? Two sample verses in the New Testament and the Quran are analyzed here. Either / Or. Not both.
9. Either Jesus or Muhammad: Significance of Their Deaths
As noted throughout this series, the differences are huge–too big to wed together in an unholy mixture. You must choose one or the other, not both.
10. Either Jesus or Muhammad: Bible Prophecy
There is a meme going around that Muhammad is in the Hebrew Bible (old Testament). But the reference is obscure and out of context. In contrast, the New Testament authors were careful to note numerous prophecies that Jesus fulfills. The differences are huge and unbridgeable. Choose one or the other, but not both together.
1 Introduction to a Series on Islamic Sharia Law
This article is Part 1 in the sharia series.
2 What Is Sharia?
This articles gives the basics. Let’s define what it is before we critique it. This article is Part 2 in the sharia series.
3 Mosque and State in Early Islam
They are impossible to separate. This article is Part 3 in the sharia series.
4 Jihad and Qital in the Quran, Traditions, and Classical Law
Jihad means struggle, sometimes personal, other times military. Qital means only military war and appears more often in the Quran than does jihad. This article is Part 4 in the series on sharia.
5 Slavery in the Quran, Traditions, and Classical Sharia Law
There are some positive verses in the Quran about the treatment and even release of slaves, but there are also some negative ones. This article is Part 5 in the sharia series.
6 No Freedom of Religion in Early Islam
Simply stated, there is none. This article is Part 6 in the sharia series.
7 No Free Speech in the Quran, Traditions, and Sharia Law
There is no free speech about religion in Islam, and barely any in political Islam. This is Part 7 in the sharia series.
8 Women’s Status and Roles in Early Islam
The Quran has some positive verses about womankind, in the abstract. But it also has some negative things to say on a practical and legal level. This is Part 8 in the sharia series.
9 Domestic Violence in Early Islam
Does the Quran really give permission to husbands to hit their wives, or is that just “Islamophobic” slander? This is Part 9 in the sharia series.
10 Divorce and Remarriage in Early Islam
It is easy for a man to divorce his wife in Islam. All he needs to do is repeat something three times. And then the divorce is final, binding, and legal. No sharia judge would overturn it. This is Part 10 in the sharia series.
11 Marriage to Prepubescent Girls in Early Islam
Though it is difficult for Western intellectuals to believe, the Quran and early Islam assumes this was done, though it doesn’t command the practice. However, some Muslims today take this assumption and run with it. This is Part 11 in the sharia series.
12 Polygamy in the Quran, Traditions, and Classical Sharia Law
In June 2015, the Supreme Court said it is constitutional that marriage should include two men or two women. How can society and lawmakers, logically or constitutionally, prevent other nonconformists like polygamists their chance at redefining marriage? What are the pitfalls of polygamy? This is Part 12 in the sharia series.
13 Veils in the Quran, Traditions, and Classical Sharia Law
Should we tolerate veils or headscarves, except during official business like taking a photo for an ID? Where does this custom come from? Is donning it Quranic or merely cultural? This article is Part 13 in the sharia series.
14 Adultery and Fornication in Early Islam
We’re talking here about how they’re punished. Let’s look at what we’re facing in the West.
15 Homosexuality in Early Islam
We discuss how the act and even lifestyle get punished. Clarity about what the West is facing is paramount.
16 Thirty Shariah Laws
This is part 16 in an 18-part series on sharia. Each of the thirty points is linked to original Islamic sources like the Quran or to articles that explain these sources. These points prove that these laws are bad for all societies and need to be scrapped in the modern world.
17 How to Judge Sharia
Sharia is intended to judge us. How about turning the tables to judge it? This is Part 17 in the sharia series.
18 Why Sharia Is Incompatible with American Values
Note that the title says sharia. Islam, as a religion, has first amendment protection in this country, though Islam itself is oppressive and misguided. It is time to think about why you (rightly) react viscerally against it.
Muhammad’s Dead Poets Society
Assassinating satirical poets: The historical facts are laid out point by point, victim by victim.
Islamic Martyrdom: The Economy of Death in the Quran
Where does the doctrine of martyrdom come from?
The Law of Retaliation in the Quran and Early Islam
Islam takes the law of retaliation literally. Not even the Old Testament does that.
Thieves, Give Muhammad a Hand!
The tragic sound of one hand clapping in Islam. The punishment of hand amputation in the Quran is still being applied today for major theft. The Bible is contrasted with the Quran on theft.
Islam’s Punishments for Drinking and Gambling
Islam imposes corporal punishment on drinkers and gamblers. Is this the best policy to help them?
Crucifixion and Mutilation in the Quran
As a punishment for mischief, broadly interpreted, throughout the land, the Quran orders crucifixion and alternate hand-and-foot mutilation. Real law, real life, real bad.
A Brief History of War in Earliest Islam
We’re talking about history when the Islamic prophet was still alive. It’s all there in the Quran. After reading this post, you’ll understand why there’s so much violence coming out of the Islamic world.
A Brief History of War in the Earliest Caliphates
During his lifetime, Muhammad set the genetic code, and the first four caliphs followed his example.
Allah’s Kosher Apes and Pigs
Islamic fanatics shriek that Allah turned certain Jews into apes and pigs. Where does this harsh polemics come from? Do they get it from the hadith (Muhammad’s sayings and deeds outside of the Quran)? From later traditions? From thin air?
Is the Bible More Violent Than the Quran?
Many believe that it is, or if it is not more violent than it is equally so. Is that true?
Are Christianity and Islam Equally Violent?
Many on the left seem to think so. True?
Outline of Shintoism
This post on the Japanese religion gives the basics. Good for a quick review. At the end of this post, please see a Christian reaction.
Outline of Confucianism
Great review for students and other learners. Please see a Christian reaction at the end of this post.
Outline of Buddhism
This sweeping overview is great review for students and interested learners. A Christian reaction or response to Buddhism appears at the end of this post.
Outline of Taoism
Taoism / Daoism: Great review for students and other learners. Please see a Christian reaction at the end of the post.
Outline of Hinduism
This post is a good review of the basics. Please see a Christian reaction at the bottom of the post.
Outline of Sikhism
Good for a quick review. A Christian reaction is at the bottom of this post.
Outline of Christianity
If you ever wanted to see the teaching and history of this religion in a sweeping overview, here is the post that tries to do it.
Outline of Islam
Do you want to understand this religion in a broad sweep? Here it is. A Christian reaction is placed at the end.
Outline of Judaism
This is a summary and overview of the religion over time: key concepts, figures, and events.
Outline of Zoroastrianism
A post for your review. Please see the Christian reaction and reply at the end of the post.
Timeline of the Vietnam War
Mao Zedong: The “communist must grasp the truth: Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun” (1938). Nikita Khrushchev: “Every year humanity takes a step towards communism” (July 1956). This post is about the brave souls who fought against evil, tyrannical communism and for liberty. Lots of details here.
Outline of John Hick’s Evil and God of Love
This short post covers the gist of his main points. He tries to provide an answer to this thorny question. Great for students in Phil. 101 and other interested readers.
Outline of Sartre’s “Existentialism and Humanism”
This post outlines his essay “Existentialism and Humanism” or “Existentialism is humanism.” Good for students in Phil. 101 and other interested readers.
Nietzsche’s Madman and the Death of God
This post is an excerpt of the most famous passage in Friedrich Nietzsche’s writings It is very soul-shaking and powerful. What does life look like without God? Are you brave enough to find out?
Outline of James Rachels’s Moral Objectivism
Are moral values relative, or are there some that are objective–true for all places and times?
Outline of William Paley’s Watchmaker and Design Argument
Does the universe exhibit design, like a watch? Does a design imply a designer?
Outline of Hume’s Argument against Design
This is Hume’s anti-teleological argument. Teleology means the study of “purpose or goal in nature. Is nature designed He says no design. Is there a reply to him?
Outline of Hume’s Theory of Knowledge
This is an outline of his main points. A Table of main points at the end. Post is great for students in Phil. 101 and other interested readers.
Outline of Descartes’s Meditations I and II
This outline covers only the first two Meditations, but they are important for Phil. 101..
Outline of John Locke’s Theory of Knowledge
This post summarizes in outline form Locke’s main points. Great review for Phil 101
Outline of William James’s Will to Believe
How much evidence do we need before we decide? Will we always dawdle and delay before stepping out in faith?
Outline of Clifford’s Ethics of Belief
When should we believe? On how much evidence? Great review for students in Phil. 101 and other interested readers.
Outline of Gilbert Ryle’s Category Mistake
This short post summarizes his main points. Good for a quick review for students in Phil. 101 and other readers.
Outline of John Stuart Mill’s Ethics
This post covers the main points of his version of utilitarianism. Good review for students in Phil. 101 and other interested readers.
Outline of Kant’s Ethics
This post covers, in an outline, the main ideas in his Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals. Good for students in Phil. 101 and other interested readers who need a review.
Outline of Aristotle’s Virtue Ethics
Do you want to be happy? Aristotle tells you how! This post covers portions of Books I and II of Nicomachean Ethics.
Outline of Plato’s View of Justice and the Soul
Plato is a soul man! This post summarizes and outlines book 1 of the Republic. Good review for students in Phil. 101 and other interested readers.
Plato the Soul Man
This short post presents his basic arguments for the existence of the soul. Good for a quick review.
Outline of Socrates’s “Apology”
In the old days, “apology” meant “defense.” This post is an outline of Socrates’s Apology of himself.
What Is Postmodernism?
It’s where we live nowadays, and we’re not going back. We got to examine it.
The Skeptical Sneering Age
Let’s face it. For much of the Twentieth Century and into the current one, we’ve been living in the Sneering Age among intellectuals. Or it could be called the Age of Contempt or the Age of Hyper-skepticism.
Three Cures for the Skeptical Sneering Age!
This topic may seem obscure and irrelevant to your life, but think again. How can you read the Bible and its historical background, for example, if you let hyper-skeptics kick sand in your face during your devotionals and personal study? This article provides three ways for you to be confident.
Elizabeth I, Part 8: Summary and Death
On 28 Apr 1603 her body was put in a coffin and was taken to Westminster Abbey on an open chariot drawn by four horses hung with black velvet. Her coffin was covered in purple velvet, firmly sealed.
Elizabeth I, Part 7: Her Male Favorites
Sorry, but it has to be asked, with all due respect. Did she really remain the ‘Virgin’ Queen? Discussion of the men in her life. Specialist historians offer their opinion.
Elizabeth I, Part 6: Personal Life
From her coronation on 15 Jan 1559 to her death on 24 Mar 1603, she ruled for forty-four years. This post skims the surface of the main personal events and lifestyle preferences in those years. Her motto was semper eadem or “Always one and the same.” Did she live up to it?
Elizabeth I, Part 5: Reformation and International Policies
Under her reign, Spain launched five armadas against England. Sir Walter Raleigh sponsored the English colony of Roanoke, North Carolina, by 1585, but it did not last long. Sir Francis Drake was the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe. And of course Shakespeare wrote many of his plays. Virginia was named after her, since she never married.
Elizabeth I, Part 4: Mary Queen of Scots
Did Elizabeth have to sign Mary’s execution warrant? A tense time when Catholics were hatching assassination plots against Elizabeth. A brief biography of Mary included.
Elizabeth I, Part 3: The Coronation
This short post covers the coronation itself.
Elizabeth, Part 2: Sibling Rivalry with Queen Mary
Now things get very complicated! Includes a side-by-side comparison.
Elizabeth, Part 1: Early Years
Her older half-sister, Queen Mary, imprisoned her in the Tower of London. She asked if the scaffold was still up, where Lady Jane Grey, the Queen of Nine Days, was beheaded. Terrifying for her.
Mary I: England’s Catholic Queen
Born on 18 Feb 1516, crowned on 1 Oct 1553, married on 25 July 1554, dying 17 Nov 1558, she was the first female monarch who ruled over all of England. She acquired the epithet “Bloody Mary.” The number of her executions she ordered in her brief reign is included here.
Jane Grey, Queen of Nine Days
She was young and easily manipulated. Tragic.
Edward VI: the Boy King
Born on 12 Oct 1537, crowned on 19 Feb 1547, and dying on 6 July 1553, son of Henry VIII and his third wife Jane Seymour, Edward lived only fifteen years and eight months. He never ruled in his own right, but his godfather Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, did push through religious reforms with the boy-king’s approval.
Henry VIII, Part 5: Personal Life, Death, and Conclusions
He was born on 28 June 1491 at Greenwich Palace. He succeeded to the throne on 21 Apr 1509, after the death of his father Henry VII. He was crowned 23 June 1509. He died at two o’clock in the morning, on 28 Jan 1547 at Whitehall, London. He was buried in St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle. His tomb was opened and his body was examined in 1813 …. Includes basic facts on his wives and children
Henry VIII, Part 4: International Policies
These policies seek to kick Rome’s influence out of England and ensure his grab for church property. How did Rome, France, the Holy Roman Empire, and Spain react?
Henry VIII, Part 3: Reformation and National Policies
He dragged England towards the Reformation–or at least towards diminished papal authority in his realm. The names and classes of those whom he executed are listed.
Henry VIII, Part 2: Marriages after His Divorce
After he divorced Queen Catherine of Aragon, his personal life and even the whole nation took unexpected turns. Includes basic facts about his wives after the divorce.
Henry VIII, Part 1: Early Life and Divorce from Catherine of Aragon
This area has national, ecclesiastical, and international repercussions, but these areas are still influenced by Henry’s personal desire for a divorce with popular Queen Catherine. Includes basic facts about her and Henry’s children.
Henry VII: First Tudor King
He was a Lancastrian who was born in 1457; ascended the throne on 22 Aug 1485 with the death of Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth; crowned on 30 Oct 1485; and died in 1509. He supposedly ended the War of the Roses, but not domestic rebellions launched by the Yorkists. He was the father of in/famous Henry VIII.
Richard III, King of England
This article is divided in two parts: (1) the basic facts about his life (2) and a discussion of his (possible) involvement in the death of his two nephews, the Princes in the Tower.
Edward V: Prince in the Tower
This article is a quick, uncluttered review of the basic facts. He succeeded to the throne when his father King Edward IV died in 1483, but he was never crowned. He reigned—not ruled—for only 77 days, until his uncle Richard usurped the throne.
Edward IV King of England
This post is quick review of basic facts.
Henry VI King of England
Succeeding his father at nine months young in 1422, and growing up extra-pious, Henry was a Lancastrian who was not fit for the hard-hitting politics of fifteenth-century kingship. He suffered from bouts of mental illness. He died (was killed) in 1471.
Henry V King of England
Henry (b. 1386) was the eldest son of Henry IV. Crowned in 1413, how would Henry V govern and fight as the second Lancastrian king, by the time he died young in 1422?
Henry IV King of England
Born in 1367, Henry forced Richard II to abdicate in 1399 and then was crowned shortly afterwards. He was the first Lancastrian king. He died in 1413.
Richard II: The Weak King
Born 6 Jan 1367, in Bordeaux, France (baptized 9 Jan 1367 in Bordeaux Cathedral), he succeeded to the throne on 21 June 1377 and was crowned 16 July. He was forced to abdicate on 30 Nov 1399. He died 14 Feb 1400 at Pontefract Castle, Yorkshire. He asserted his royal power beyond his abilities.
Edward III: Better Than Most
Born in 1312, crowned 1327, and dying in 1377, Edward III was king of England for fifty years. He was highly regarded by the people of his times and for centuries after.
Edward II: A King of Bad Judgment
Born on 25 April 1284, he was the first heir in English history to be given the title Prince of Wales. He succeeded 7 July 1307 and was crowned 25 February 1308. He was deposed 24 January 1327—the first king to be so since the Conquest in 1066—and died or was murdered on 21 September.
Eleanor of Castile: Interesting Facts and Stories
Born in about 1241 in Castile, Spain, she married Edward I of England in 1254. He became king in 1272 and was crowned in 1274. She died in 1294 after giving birth. She had fourteen to sixteen children, after all.
Edward I: Interesting Facts and Stories
He lived from 1239 to 1307. He married Eleanor of Castile. Included is the opening of Edward’s tomb in 1774.
Eleanor of Provence: Interesting Facts and Stories
Born probably in 1223 in Provence, southern France, she married English king Henry III on 14 Jan 1236 and was crowned queen on 20 Jan 1236. After living an exciting life in support of her husband against the baronage and in her support of her own rule, and that of her son Edward I, she died on 24 June 1291.
Henry III: Interesting Facts and Stories
Son of King John, born in 1207, crowned in 1216 in a rush after his father died (and again in 1220), and dying in 1272, he was super-devout, developing his veneration of Saint and King Edward the Confessor. Did his extra-piety get in the way of an effective kingship? The birth of Parliament happened on his watch.
King John: Interesting Facts and Stories
Throughout English history, there is only one King John because no king after him took his name. Why would that be?
King Richard I, Lion-Heart: Interesting Facts and Stories
Born in 1157 and ruling from 1189 to 1199, he is called Lion-heart because of his prowess in battle, during the Third Crusade.
Eleanor of Aquitaine: Interesting Facts and Stories
Living eighty years, she was the wife of the King of France when she was thirteen, then at twenty-eight wife of the King of England, and mother of three English kings. She lived from 1124 to 1204, eighty years.
Henry II Plantagenet: Interesting Facts and Stories
He lived from 1133 to 1189 and began his kingship in 1154. This post also looks into his grandfather Henry I, his uncle King Stephen, and Henry II’s wife Eleanor of Aquitaine.
Empress Matilda and Three Henrys
Great by birth, greater by marriage, greatest in her offspring, she lived from 1102 to 1167 and was the daughter of Henry I and mother of Henry II. She fought King Stephen for her son Henry. She was indomitable, as seen particularly in her two Great Escapes.
King Stephen: Interesting Facts and Stories
He was born in about 1092, hastily crowned king of England in 1135 and died in 1154. His reign was so tenuous that he was challenged from every side. Of his reign it was said that it seemed Christ and his saints slept. A real-life game of thrones.
King Henry I: Interesting Facts and Stories
Born about 1068-69, he was the fourth son of William the Conqueror. He was not expected to become the King of the English, but he did at his coronation on 5 Aug 1100. How did that happen? He died on 1 Dec 1135. Basic family facts are included..
King William II, Rufus: Interesting Facts and Stories
Rufus means “red,” which indicates his complexion. This nickname distinguishes him from his father William I, the Conqueror. He ruled from 1087-1100. The most widely known fact about Rufus is his death under suspicious circumstances, while he was hunting. Accident or murder?
Matilda: Wife and Queen of William the Conqueror
Born probably at the end of 1031, married Duke William of Normandy in 1049-50, and dying in 1083, she was duchess of Normandy and queen of England and wielded her power with class and dignity.
William the Conqueror: Interesting Facts and Stories
This “illegitimate son,” the duke of Normandy, forever changed the course of English history. .
Robert I, Duke of Normandy
He was the father of William the Conqueror and ruled over Normandy from 1027 to 1035. Continue reading
Richard II, Duke of Normandy
He was the grandfather of William the Conqueror and as duke ruled Normandy from 996 to 1026. Richard’s son Richard III (the Conqueror’s uncle) is included in this post since he ruled only from 1026 to 1027, about twelve months.
Richard I, Norman Marquis and Count
He was William the Conqueror’s great-grandfather and ruled over a developing Normandy or Northmen for fifty-one years, from 945 to his death in 996.
Rolf or Rollo the Viking
Born in latter half of the 800s and died around 928, he was the Viking leader who became the count of Rouen, capital of Normandy. Some say he was the duke of the Normans. He was the first in the House of Normandy and the great-great-great-grandfather of William the Conqueror.
Charles IV, the Handsome, King of France
The last and fourteenth king of the Capetian dynasty, he was nicknamed the Fair or Handsome because supposedly he was just that (le Bel in older French). He was born in 1294 and reigned from 1322 to 1328. His first wife was accused of adultery. Would she survive?
Philip V, the Tall, King of France
He was the thirteenth Capetian king, reigning only from 1316 to 1322. He was nicknamed the Tall or the Long because … well … he was tall. His wife was accused of concealing adultery. Would she survive?
Dr. Jim's Essential Bible Teaching 