With the fall upon us, I personally can’t wait for the season of stews and roasts.  There’s plenty of that in A Thyme and Place. A book that I co-wrote with my best friend, Tricia Sandland Cohen. The book is organized by Medieval Feasts and features some holidays you may have heard of, and some you haven’t. For example, Pig Face Day is just under two weeks away, how better to celebrate that with Wee Matilda’s Pork Balls?!?

We’ve put together a video to tell the story behind the story. Our journey was difficult, but rewarding. Tricia and I are already working on book 2, so stay tuned!

 

You can purchase the book here: http://tinyurl.com/jr5zozs

If you follow my History Witch Facebook page, you’ll know that I recently went on a trip to Prague, Vienna, and Budapest. As a result, I’ve become incredibly intrigued with Hungarian Culture- Budapest certainly exceeded my expectations. I will be diving deep into the history of all three cities over the next month or so.

This is Beatrice of Naples, Queen Consort of Hungary and Bohemia (1457 – 1508) also known as Beatrix de Aragon.

In 1476 she married King Matthias of Hungary. This union created an alliance between Naples and Hungary which proved successful in the fight against the Ottomans. She was no wallflower- introducing Italian renaissance to the court as well as creating an academy and being instrumental in building the palace Visegrad.

Things turned a bit sour when Matthias appointed his illegitimate son as heir to the throne, but Matthias died shortly after. She was again, no slouch, and immediately went into survival mode- securing a power of position in the Hungarian court. She eventually married her second husband, Vladislaus II of Bohemia and Hungary in 1491. The nobles loved her- but the second marriage was ultimately challenged. Vladislaus did not exactly secure a divorce from his first wife. Being such a sweetie, Vlad told the court that he was forced to marry Beatrice against his will. They indeed deemed it illegal and Beatrice was forced to pay all the legal costs of the trial. She was forced to move back to Naples in 1501.

She died, childless in 1508.

 

Beatrice of Burgundy (1143-1184) was the second wife of Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor. She used her position to encourage literature and chivalric ideals and often accompanied her husband on various trips throughout their kingdom. She definitely had influence on the King. The two had eleven children:

Beatrice (1162-1174)

Frederick V, Duke of Swabia (1164-1170)

Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor (1165-1197)

Conrad (1167-1191)

Otto I, Count of Burgundy (1170-1200)

Conrad II, Duke of Swabia (1172-1196)

Renaud (died in infancy, 1173)

William (died in infancy, 1176)

Philip of Swabia (1177-1208)

Agnes (1181-1184)

But what I find the most interesting thing about this woman is poem written about her on her wedding day:

“Venus did not have this virgin’s beauty,

Minerva did not have her brilliant mind

And Juno did not have her wealth.

There never was another except God’s mother Mary

And Beatrice is so happy she excels her.”

Very excited to say that the new book is on the shelf at Barnes and Noble (Nationwide) and An Unlikely Story (Plainville, MA). My co-author, Tricia Sandland Cohen, and I couldn’t be any happier. The official release date is tomorrow, but we’re getting pictures from friends all over the country showing that it is currently available everywhere.

Here’s a photo of us beaming in the store. I’m on the left in Manchester, NH and Tricia is on the right in Pittsburgh, PA.

You can order your copy on Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

http://tinyurl.com/gtpcmbg

http://tinyurl.com/hngqg9o

 

Amalia of Oldenburg (1818-1875) was born a duchess and became Queen of Greece when she married King Otto in 1836. Otto was appointed King of the “new” Kingdom of Greece in 1833.

Upon her arrival, she was immediately loved by the Greeks for her beauty, grace, charm, and sense of fashion. When she began to get involved with politics, that warm welcome went sour. Topped with her inability to produce an heir- the Queen found herself the victim of some pretty harsh attacks. It didn’t help that she remained Protestant in a strictly Orthodox country.

After an uprising in 1862, the King and Queen were forced into Exile and spent their final days in Bavaria.

Interesting notes on Amalia:

• She was the first to introduce the Christmas Tree to Greece
• When she arrived in Greece, she had a special dress made to reflect the style of her new people. It became a legendary fashion choice and is a national costume known as the Amalia dress.
• There was an assassination attempt on the Queen in 1861, the man was sentenced to death but Amalia stepped in and pardoned him.
• She was determined to beautify Athens, and in 1836 commissioned the National Gardens of Athens.