Did Nero Poison Britannicus? Rome’s Most Suspicious Dinner
“I am a god incarnate” said young Nero. Did that mean he thought he could do anything? Even commit murder? Nero came to the throne at 16. He was an
Category: History
The Crimes of Messalina: Truth or Fabrication?
Few Roman women were damned as thoroughly as Messalina. Her very name became an insult. Messalina, guillotine … almost the same thing. She was one of the most notorious empresses
Claudius: Rome’s Most Underestimated Emperor
“Claw, claw, Claudius.” That mocking refrain from I, Claudius captures the way Claudius was seen for most of his life: awkward, stammering, physically impaired, and easy to dismiss. His own
The Praetorian Guards: Rome’s Imperial Bodyguards Turned Kingmakers
The Praetorian guards began as the emperor’s protectors and ended up as one of Ancient Rome’s most persistent political problems. I’ve called them chaos gremlins before. That may be too
Sejanus: The Praetorian With Imperial Ambitions
I first met Sejanus in I, Claudius, where he’s every inch the scheming villain. The historical Sejanus is murkier, but he hardly comes off better. Tiberius trusted Sejanus enough to
The Most Fascinating People of Tudor England: Kings, Queens, Rebels & Power Brokers
Of all England’s royal dynasties, none inspires quite as much obsession as the Tudors. And really, how could they not? Their 118 year reign was a pressure cooker of ambition,
Thomas More Wasn’t So Saintly: The Dark Side of a Tudor Martyr
The kings of England did more than their fair share of “saint-making.” Henry II’s rash cry, “Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?” helped set in motion the
Cardinal Wolsey Biography: Rise, Power & Dramatic Fall Under Henry VIII
There’s a bit of a “choose your Tudor” tendency when it comes to Thomas Wolsey and Anne Boleyn. I must admit that I love the complicated creature that is Anne.
The Babington Plot: The Tudor Spy Operation That Doomed Mary Queen of Scots
Of all the notorious schemes against Queen Elizabeth I, the Babington plot was the most outrageous. It was a 1586 conspiracy to assassinate Elizabeth I and put her Catholic cousin,
John of Gaunt: Power, Dynasty, and the Road to the Tudors
War, plague, scandal revolt: by necessity, John of Gaunt became a pillar of England’s royal government, and Shakespeare later immortalized him. John of Gaunt was one of the towering figures