Giveaway Time!

Happy New Year! To start us off, I want to run our second giveaway. Enter NOW for your chance to win a signed paperback copy of “His Last Mistress”! Here’s how to enter: In ONE sentence – what is your favourite thing about the 17th century? Use the comment function below to enter. This giveaway ends on Friday the… Read on

The 17th Century Lady Looks Back at 2013

I can’t believe how quickly this year has gone by, but when I stop to think about everything that’s happened in it, it’s no wonder! I’d like to thank those of you who have supported me and The Seventeenth Century Lady since the beginning in 2011 – and to those who have recently started looking at this site… Read on

The Death of Queen Mary II

This post is dedicated to Mary, a controversial, intelligent, beautiful, ill-fated, yet beloved Queen, died on this day the 28th of December, 1694. She was only thirty-two years old.   I say that she was controversial because her reign was, and still is, a subject of controversy. You see, William and Mary were invited to take the throne… Read on

Marie Adélaïde of Savoy, Dauphine of France

Marie Adélaïde of Savoy, Dauphine of France, was born on the 6th day of December, 1685. 1685 was, of course, a big year for the 17th century, and this Seventeenth Century Lady’s birth is often overlooked. She had a short life, sadly, for she died only 26 years later. I’ve been quite intrigued by this young lady, who… Read on

Save van Dyck’s Self-Portrait!

I’m always keen on a worthy historical cause, and this one came to my attention a few days ago in an email from the National Portrait Gallery. Van Dyck, as many readers of this website already know, was a very important Flemish painter during the early-to-middle part of the 17th Century and famously produced many portraits of the… Read on

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Jacobean, Jacobites, and Jacobins…

OK! I’ve had one too many messages from people who are confusing these terms, so I thought it’s time to clear these things up! It’s easy to get confused as each of these words begins with Jacob, but they are very, very different things. So, it’s Seventeenth Century Lady to the rescue! JACOBEAN: Of, or pertaining to, the… Read on

Charles Landseer & the Seventeenth Century

Charles Landseer was an artist who lived from 1799-1879. Landseer, though sadly not as popular as his painter brother Edwin (famous for his works for Queen Victoria), generally painted scenes depicting historical events or those from literature and each of his works vividly bring stories to life. Take for example this piece, “The Eve of the Battle of… Read on