The Reformation Incited French Wars of Religion

For more than half a century, 1534 to 1598, France was engaged in wars of religion between Catholics and Huguenots. In this short 10-minute documentary, History Matters explains: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmcMVOKa2Os Recommended reading: The French Wars of Religion, 1562-1629 by Mack P. Holt. - Pretty much THE go to book about the French Wars of Religion. You …

Sir Thomas More, Man of Conscience and Principle, Rebelled Against King Henry VIII’s Ban on Catholicism

In the 1950s and 1960s, A Man for All Seasons, a play and movie, helped to diminish anti-Catholic bias in American society by telling the story of Sir Thomas More (1478 – 1535), an English lawyer, social philosopher, author, statesman, and noted Renaissance humanist who also served as English King Henry VIII's chancellor. He is …

Medici, Italian Renaissance’s Banking Family, Produced Four Popes and Two Queens of France

Traditional accounts of the Italian Renaissance portray the Borjias as corrupt and evil religious leaders, and the Medici as heroic financiers and philanthropists of stunningly beautiful art and architecture as well as fair-minded popes. I've already pointed out the reasons that popular portrayals of the Borjias, particularly the popular TV series, exaggerate their deviance. Two …

‘Bloody Mary’: Catholic Daughter of Catherine of Aragon and Henry VIII, Was A Religious Fanatic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqLcxzv2_-o Mary I  (1516-1558) was Queen of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death. Her executions of Protestants caused her opponents to give her the sobriquet “Bloody Mary.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=942&v=tV89qCXpVco&feature=emb_logo Among The Most Evil Woman in World History: "She was the only child of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon who …

Anne Boleyn Was Lied About, Executed on False Charges, But Mothered England’s Most Powerful Queen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7-1lXLdNAI Anne Boleyn (1501-1536) was the second wife of Henry VIII who became queen in her own right. She served only three years, then became the first queen in English history to be executed -- beheaded by Thomas Cromwell (who was later himself beheaded as a traitor and a heretic). Anne was the second of …

Queen Elizabeth I Kept A Fractious England Together By Marshaling Absolute Power and Defeating the Spanish Empire

Elizabeth I (1533-1603), queen of England from 1558 to 1603, was one strong woman, who by force of will and strength kept England together. She was probably the most shining and successful example of a benevolent monarch from the Age of Absolutism. She was certainly better than her father King Henry VIII (1491-1547), who one historian compared …