History Tea Time

Join me on my historic tour of Scotland, May 15th-21st. MARCH 25th is the LAST DAY TO BOOK: https://trovatrip.com/trip/europe/united-kingdom/united-kingdom-with-lindsay-holiday-may-2024 Today we assume that all the daughters of a monarch are called Princesses. But in the middle ages this wasn’t the case. The title Princess was not officially used in England for the daughter of the monarch until 16...

Join me on my historic tour of Scotland, May 15th-21st. MARCH 25th is the LAST DAY TO BOOK: https://trovatrip.com/trip/europe/united-kingdom/united-kingdom-with-lindsay-holiday-may-2024 Queen Victoria’s eldest son and heir was a man of great appetites. He loved food, he loved drink and he loved women. Dirty Bertie’s licentiousness flew in the face of his mother’s regime of uptight morality. The jo...

Elizabeth I of England and Ireland reigned for 45 years over a golden age of peace, prosperity and flourishing art and culture. And she shocked the medieval world by doing it all without a man. But that certainly wasn’t for lack of proposals. Elizabeth had at least 16 suitors in her lifetime. In the last episode we met the suitors of her youth, whose ambitions twice landed Elizabeth in the tower....

Elizabeth I of England and Ireland reigned for 45 years over a golden age of peace, prosperity and flourishing art and culture. And she shocked the medieval world by doing it all without a man. But that certainly wasn’t for lack of proposals. Elizabeth had at least 16 suitors in her lifetime. In her youth men were eager to take advantage of her and their ambitions landed Elizabeth in the tower of...

Popular historic dramas like Bridgerton, Hamilton and Sanditon sometimes receive criticism that their diverse casts are historically inaccurate. But in fact there have been people of color in Britain and France since Roman times. By the 18th century the trans Atlantic slave trade brought more people of African decent to Europe then ever before. In 1768 there were about 15,000 black people living i...

Known as the SheWolf of France. At just 12 years old Isabella married King Edward II of England. He had no interest in a wife, preferring the company of his male favorites. After suffering 20 years of ill treatment, she hatched a plot, invaded England with her lover, seized the throne in the name of her son and had her husband murdered. Join me every Tuesday when I'm Spilling the Tea on History! C...

In many countries where polygamy is practiced, Kings and emperors have had harems of hundred or even thousands of wives and concubines. It’s good to be the King. But in Europe, Christianity has reigned for a millennia and the church is pretty sticked on their one woman at a time policy. But that didn’t stop a handful of monarchs from taking multiple trips down the aisle. Royal brides were under a...

On January 14th, 2024 Queen Margrethe of Denmark, the second longest reigning monarch in Danish history and the last remaining female monarch in the world abdicated. She handed the throne to her son who is now King Frederik X. Let’s take a look at the history of this small but happy Scandinavian country. And met the most significant rulers of Europe’s oldest monarchy. Along the way, we’ll see when...

Admit it: you’re obsessed with royal families – watching them, gossiping about them, wanting to be them. It’s the stuff of fantasy. But for real life royals, the crown jewels can be more like shiny handcuffs. There are expectations and rules – and if you break them, the consequences are big, and very public. And no, we’re not just talking about Harry and Meghan. There are royal families and wild r...

During her annual New Year’s eve speech in 2023, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark announced that she will retire. The 83 year old sovereign recently underwent back surgery and experienced a decline in health. On January 14th, 2024, the 52nd anniversary of her father’s death and her own ascension, Margrethe abdicates in favor of her son, now King Frederik X. His Australian wife, Mary will be Queen Con...

As the indulgence of the Holidays comes to an end and a new year begins, many make resolutions to shed a few pounds. For hundreds of years people have felt pressured to attain the ideal body type of their time. And they’ve come up with some eyebrow-raising, stomach turning and even deadly methods of loosing weight. Let’s explore body ideals through the ages and some of the most unbelievable diets...

She was the first Queen regnant of Portugal and the first monarch of Brazil. She showed promise as a leader but a decade into her reign mental illness, brought on by her family’s excessive inbreeding and an onslaught of personal tragedies caused the Queen to deteriorate into mental illness. She was known as Maria the Mad. Join me every Tuesday when I'm Spilling the Tea on History! Check out my You...

In addition to being the Queen of the United Kingdom and the vast British Empire, Victoria might also be lauded as the Queen of Christmas. She and her beloved husband Prince Albert popularized many of the quintessential holiday traditions that we still enjoy today including the Christmas tree, Christmas cards and Christmas Crackers. Their 9 children enjoyed trees decorated with delectable dainties...

Private family footage from 1933 was leaked to the press which shows a 6 year old future Queen Elizabeth II, with her mother, younger sister and uncle laughing and giving Nazi salutes to the camera. A rebellious 20 year old Prince Harry got in hot water for wearing a Nazi uniform to a party he attended with his brother. The British royals would very much like to forget their many family connection...

Napoleon Bonaparte is one of the most famous people in history. But he was not the only Bonaparte making waves in the 19th century. His brother’s prominent positions in the revolutionary government opened the door for him to seize power in the first place. And once he had it he set his 7 surviving siblings up with thrones of their own and political marriages that gave him an advantage. His younger...

Napoleon Bonaparte is one of the most famous people in history. But he was not the only Bonaparte making waves in the 19th century. His brother’s prominent positions in the revolutionary government opened the door for him to seize power in the first place. And once he had it he set his 7 surviving siblings up with thrones of their own and political marriages that gave him an advantage. Napoleon wa...

Josephine went from the daughter of a Caribbean plantation owner to the wife of a prominent French aristocrat. After her husband was guillotined during the revolution, she caught the eye of an up and coming soldier named Napoleon. He wrote her romantic letters while conquering much of Europe and when he became Emperor of France he made her his Empress. But his consuming passion for her also led to...

In the late 1800s, American industrialists were raking in cash and living like princes, but they had no way, other than their mansions, servants and yachts, of making it clear that they were better than everyone else. Meanwhile, across the pond, the British aristocracy had come on hard times. They still had their titles, historic estates and aire of superiority, but they were running low on funds....

Man’s best friend and King’s most loyal subject. Dogs, cats and other pets have long been beloved companions of royalty and nobility. And many of the breeds we know today came in to existence by royal command. From a terrier who was faithful unto her Queen’s bloody end to the pug who ruined Napoleons wedding night. From the cats that ruled the palace of Versailles to Elizabeth’s beloved corgis, Le...

Happy almost Halloween, Everyone! For those of you who have been following my channel since the early days, you might recall that I started off doing much spookier content. I love Halloween and horror, though I tend to veer more spooking and supernatural than gory. Back in 2018 I did a series exploring the evolution of 8 different horror tropes, from their ancient origins, to their modern pop cult...

Happy almost Halloween, Everyone! For those of you who have been following my channel since the early days, you might recall that I started off doing much spookier content. I love Halloween and horror, though I tend to veer more spooking and supernatural than gory. Back in 2018 I did a series exploring the evolution of 8 different horror tropes, from their ancient origins, to their modern pop cult...

The Tudors ruled over England from the unlikely battlefield victory of King Henry VII in 1485; through the 6 wives of heinous Henry VIII and his three children’s desperate fights over the throne; to the agonizing death of the magnificent Queen Elizabeth I in 1603. The family’s tragic interpersonal drama, and penchant for beheading anyone who got in their way have inspired a number of chilling ghos...

Just another day on the calendar. But to some the 13th day of the month occurring on a Friday is something to be weary of. Join me every Tuesday when I'm Spilling the Tea on History! Check out my Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/lindsayholiday Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100091781568503 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/historyteatimelindsayholiday/...

The Grimaldi family has ruled over the tiny but beautiful and wealthy nation of Monaco since 1297. And for just as long they have been shockingly unlucky in love. Since the dynasty was supposedly cursed by a witch in the 14th century they have endured far more than their fair share of terrible mismatches, mistresses, an affair with King Louis XIV, abandonment, divorce, estrangement and tragic deat...

Admit it: you’re obsessed with royal families – watching them, gossiping about them, wanting to be them. It’s the stuff of fantasy. But for real life royals, the crown jewels can be more like shiny handcuffs. There are expectations and rules – and if you break them, the consequences are big, and very public. And no, we’re not just talking about Harry and Meghan. There are royal families and wild r...