Matilda’s Top Women In History

Lady Mary Wortley Montagu lead an incredibly interesting life. As a young woman she eloped to marry for love, then spent time in the exotic court of the Ottoman Empire where she learnt about the process of smallpox inoculation. After introducing this medical success story to England, she separated from her husband to travel the continent, chasing down one man before settling in with another - and...

Lady Mary Wortley Montagu lead an incredibly interesting life. As a young woman she eloped to marry for love, then spent time in the exotic court of the Ottoman Empire where she learnt about the process of smallpox inoculation. After introducing this medical success story to England, she separated from her husband to travel the continent, chasing down one man before settling in with another - and...

Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes and Mary Jane Kelly were all women who had fallen on hard times. Victims of the poverty and violence endemic in London’s East End, they were all vulnerable to the serial killer known as Jack the Ripper. However before they died, they all lived eventful lives and had people who loved them and greatly mourned their deaths. Sources/Further Reading: Rubenhold, Halli...

Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes and Mary Jane Kelly were all women who had fallen on hard times. Victims of the poverty and violence endemic in London’s East End, they were all vulnerable to the serial killer known as Jack the Ripper. However before they died, they all lived eventful lives and had people who loved them and greatly mourned their deaths. Sources/Further Reading: Rubenhold, Halli...

Polly Nichols and Annie Chapman are united in death as victims of the most famous cold-case of all time: the murders of Jack the Ripper. But they were more than just dead bodies - they had lives that deserve respect and families that grieved them. In this episode we look at the lives of two of the most famous murder victims in history. Sources/Further Reading: Rubenhold, Hallie: The Five - the Unt...

Polly Nichols and Annie Chapman are united in death as victims of the most famous cold-case of all time: the murders of Jack the Ripper. But they were more than just dead bodies - they had lives that deserve respect and families that grieved them. In this episode we look at the lives of two of the most famous murder victims in history. Sources/Further Reading: Rubenhold, Hallie: The Five - the Unt...

Mary Shelley was only 19 when she wrote one of the most popular and influential books in the English language - her novel Frankenstein continues to be a bestseller 200 years after its publication. Born the daughter of two famous radical thinkers, she was highly educated and intelligent, although the subject of several blackmail attempts in her later years. Her life was one of sorrow, she lost seve...

Mary Shelley was only 19 when she wrote one of the most popular and influential books in the English language - her novel Frankenstein continues to be a bestseller 200 years after its publication. Born the daughter of two famous radical thinkers, she was highly educated and intelligent, although the subject of several blackmail attempts in her later years. Her life was one of sorrow, she lost seve...

Catherine the Great saw an opportunity and she took it - to overthrow her husband and assume control for herself. But in many ways gaining the throne is the easy part - the hard part is keeping power. With the help of her capable and able generals and administrators, and her lover turned right hand man Gregory Potemkin, Catherine began to reform her adopted country and turn it into an internationa...

Catherine the Great saw an opportunity and she took it - to overthrow her husband and assume control for herself. But in many ways gaining the throne is the easy part - the hard part is keeping power. With the help of her capable and able generals and administrators, and her lover turned right hand man Gregory Potemkin, Catherine began to reform her adopted country and turn it into an internationa...

Catherine the Great was not born into the Russian royal family - she wasn’t even born as Catherine. Her birth name was Sophie, and she was raised in a small German principality that was no different to the many hundreds of other small countries and states that made up the Holy Roman Empire. How she ended up as the most powerful woman in Europe is a fascinating story. Sources/Further Reading: Massi...

Catherine the Great was not born into the Russian royal family - she wasn’t even born as Catherine. Her birth name was Sophie, and she was raised in a small German principality that was no different to the many hundreds of other small countries and states that made up the Holy Roman Empire. How she ended up as the most powerful woman in Europe is a fascinating story. Sources/Further Reading: Massi...

Please note this episode contains information about violence including murder, rape and the killing of children. It’s a fascinating but very chilling episode in history. In the 17th Century the Dutch Republic ruled the waves. The Dutch East India Company, known as the VOC, controlled the spice trade out of the East Indies (Indonesia) and made enormous profits. In 1628 a ship left Amsterdam bound f...

Please note this episode contains information about violence including murder, rape and the killing of children. It’s a fascinating but very chilling episode in history. In the 17th Century the Dutch Republic ruled the waves. The Dutch East India Company, known as the VOC, controlled the spice trade out of the East Indies (Indonesia) and made enormous profits. In 1628 a ship left Amsterdam bound f...

Edda Mussolini was the oldest and favourite daughter of Benito Mussolini, the Italian Fascist Dictator. She lived through her father’s rise to power and his eventual downfall, and she was instrumental in the decision to support Nazi Germany during WW2. Edda represented the new generation of Italian Fascism - sophisticated, worldly and educated. She was a key supporter of her father and his regime...

Edda Mussolini was the oldest and favourite daughter of Benito Mussolini, the Italian Fascist Dictator. She lived through her father’s rise to power and his eventual downfall, and she was instrumental in the decision to support Nazi Germany during WW2. Edda represented the new generation of Italian Fascism - sophisticated, worldly and educated. She was a key supporter of her father and his regime...

Eliza Hamilton has seen a recent burst of fame thanks to the musical Hamilton. But she was more than just the wife of Alexander - born to a prominent Dutch family in the Province of New York, she grew up amongst the conflict known as the French and Indian war. She lived to the astonishing age of 97, and saw the founding of a nation first hand - dancing at the first inaugural ball with George Washi...

Eliza Hamilton has seen a recent burst of fame thanks to the musical Hamilton. But she was more than just the wife of Alexander - born to a prominent Dutch family in the Province of New York, she grew up amongst the conflict known as the French and Indian war. She lived to the astonishing age of 97, and saw the founding of a nation first hand - dancing at the first inaugural ball with George Washi...

Eleanor of Provence could be the most unpopular Queen of England - she is certainly the only one to be pelted with rotten eggs and cooked bones as she rowed along the Thames. Her nepotism and strong opposition to reform helped drive England to civil war. However Eleanor was also brave, resilient and intensely loyal, traits she passed along to her son Edward 1st. Sources/Further Reading Weir, Aliso...

Eleanor of Provence could be the most unpopular Queen of England - she is certainly the only one to be pelted with rotten eggs and cooked bones as she rowed along the Thames. Her nepotism and strong opposition to reform helped drive England to civil war. However Eleanor was also brave, resilient and intensely loyal, traits she passed along to her son Edward 1st. Sources/Further Reading Weir, Aliso...

Clara Barton spent a lot of time on the battlefields of the US civil war - but she wasn’t armed with bullets or bayonets. Instead she had bandages, food and medicine - all donations she had gathered, stored and transported to the fields of slaughter. Her interest in the care and comfort of wounded soldiers led her to push for the founding of the US Red Cross, and she became its first ever presiden...

Clara Barton spent a lot of time on the battlefields of the US civil war - but she wasn’t armed with bullets or bayonets. Instead she had bandages, food and medicine - all donations she had gathered, stored and transported to the fields of slaughter. Her interest in the care and comfort of wounded soldiers led her to push for the founding of the US Red Cross, and she became its first ever presiden...

Margaret Beaufort was the mother of the Tudor Dynasty - her dedication, intelligence and most importantly her bloodline helped her son win the throne as Henry 7th. In this episode we look at how she managed under the reign of Richard 3rd and then her triumph as her son became King of England. Margaret was a quite amazing woman - strong, tough and extremely pious. Sources/Further Reading Tallis, Ni...

Margaret Beaufort was the mother of the Tudor Dynasty - her dedication, intelligence and most importantly her bloodline helped her son win the throne as Henry 7th. In this episode we look at how she managed under the reign of Richard 3rd and then her triumph as her son became King of England. Margaret was a quite amazing woman - strong, tough and extremely pious. Sources/Further Reading Tallis, Ni...

Margaret Beaufort was the mother of the Tudor Dynasty - her dedication, intelligence and most importantly her bloodline helped her son win the throne as Henry 7th. In this episode we look at her early life; her first marriage at the age of only 12 and the traumatic birth of her son when she was only 13 years old. Sources/Further Reading Tallis, Nicola: Uncrowned Queen, The Life of Margaret Beaufor...