Laurel A. Rockefeller Books

Can you believe it’s been SIX YEARS since the start of the Legendary Women of World History series first went live?  Designed to improve history literacy towards women’s accomplishments, the series has grown to ten biographies with an eleventh biography outside the series in the form of Godiva Award winning “His Red Eminence, Armand-Jean du Plessis de Richelieu.” Each of these books are perfect for classroom use, continuing education (both within and outside a university sett

Many of you know that for over 20 years I was a member of the Society for Creative Anachronism, a medieval recreation group mostly centered in the United States and Canada that focuses on the time period between 600 and 1600 CE.  I was known at first as “Anne de Lyons” when I played as a student at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln (SCA chapter: Shire/Barony of Mag Mor, Calontir), but quickly shifted to a nuzhen persona once I took Asian history courses at UNL. As my life

Good morning!  My apologies for not posting since August. But when you see the results, I’m sure you will forgive me. And so I put aside the blog and really focused on writing.  In the middle of that I was a guest on the “Condensed History Gems” podcast hosted by Jem Duducu (@historygems) and Greg Chapman (@CondensedHist). Those interested can listen to my guest episode. Persistence pays off and thanks to a lot of long days and nights, I succeeded in finishing Hypatia in Sept

“Cymraes ydw i. I have no need for English fashions,” in one simple line from chapter two of “Gwenllian ferch Gruffydd, the Warrior Princess of Deheubarth” Princess Gwenllian summarizes her entire life and legacy, a legacy that has touched billions of lives. But who was she and if she was really so influential, why have few people outside of Wales ever heard of her? Born in 1097, Princess Gwenllian ferch Gruffydd was the daughter of King Gruffydd ap Cynan of the Welsh kingdom

Today Donald J. Trump will take the oath of office to become the 45th President of the United States. He does so as the most hated and distrusted person to ever swear that oath, an oath that he refuses to uphold and will never uphold beyond his ability to use the government of the United States for personal profit, something explicitly forbidden by the Constitution of the United States and therefore the oath he is about to take. Taking an oath of office you have no intention

Queen Isabeau of Bavaria in her royal houppeland. As a historian, history is my passion.  I love few things better than seeing a period-correct drama where the costumes are accurately rendered.  But what do you do if your budget is small or you are playing scenes from “Catherine de Valois: A Play in Three Acts” or Shakespeare’s “Henry V?” What if you don’t have years of expertise researching medieval gowns? The following is a general guide for productions of “Catherine de Val

Place of Birth: Normandy Date of death:  2 August 1100 Spouse: none Issue: none Successor:  Henry I Openly homosexual and sceptical of the church in a time where questioning Church doctrine was almost unheard of, King William II was the favourite son of his father, William I (the Conqueror).  In 1087 William inherited the throne of England from his father; his elder brother Robert received Normandy while his younger brother Henry received money. A warrior like his father who

Date of Death: 31 August 1422 — dysentery contracted while on campaign near Paris, France. Spouse:  Queen Catherine de Valois (married 6 June 1420) Issue: King Henry VI of England — House Lancaster King Henry V of England is one of the most celebrated of English monarchs.  Immortalized by Shakespeare in “Henry V,” the myth created by the play conceals the real person whose short life was characterized by bloody warfare, a ferocious temper, and vindictive violence. King Henry

Date of Birth:  circa 30 CE Place of Birth:  unknown — likely Gaul Date of death: 60 or 61 CE — suicide Spouse: King Prasutagus of the Iceni Issue: none surviving Queen Boudicca is the national heroine of England for a reason:  she united rival British tribes and won several military victories against the Romans in a time when that was deemed impossible. Often depicted as a vengeful warrior out for blood on a personal vendetta, the real Queen Boudicca ruled as her husband’s c

I am pleased to announce a new column is coming to this blog:  history profiles. On a regular basis you will be treated to a short (200-500 word) profile exploring the life of a single person from history — female or male — from across world history. So who would you like to see me profile?  Leave your suggests in the comment box below and I will endeavour to fulfill your request and answer whatever questions I am able to. #biography #ancienthistory #worldhistory #Chinesehist

Since 2014 Boudicca, Britain’s Queen of the Iceni has informed and inspired you in digital, paperback, and audio editions.  First in English, then in Chinese, and this spring in Italian, Spanish, Welsh, and Welsh-English editions with French and German language editions releasing on or about Labour Day weekend. Just for fun here are three brand new videos (all of them created in May 2016) celebrating this new global approach to biographical history.  Can you name what languag

Source: In Her Own Tongue: “Buddug” Brings Boudicca’s Story To Wales | NFReads.com #writing #Welsh #Cymraeg #History #Buddug #language #translation #Boudicca

“Is Jesus’ birth worth celebrating?”  In it Valarie Talerico takes us beneath the surface of the Christian celebration of Jesus’ birth and looks at the inherent messages about female sexuality. “A woman used is a woman soiled. A woman raped is a woman ruined. A girl who explores her body with a boy is a licked lollypop.  A divorced woman shouldn’t get married in white. Only an unbedded and so unsullied female—a virgin—could be pure enough to birth a perfect child, the son of

Queen Mary was born in December. The 8th of December to be exact.  Upon learning of his daughter’s birth, King James V predicted the ruin of his dynasty because she was a girl instead of a boy. Queen Mary’s love of her life (as evidenced in the poetry she wrote in French), King Francis II of France was incapable of having children.  As much as Mary loved him, too many generations of close marriage resulted in birth defects making children impossible for the happy couple.  As

Across 2015 we’ve been treated to a renewed and very vocal outcry of white power, anti-immigrant sentiment (let’s include Britain’s UKIP party here).  Trump’s obstinate rudeness in the name of not being “politically correct” has ended all pretenses of civility and human decency as thousands flock to hear and echo his race baiting and misogyny, messages that are designed to put the rest of us in our “proper” place. Respected journalist Jorge Ramos confronting Trump on his immi

Being a liberal to me (Democrat for USA and Labour for UK) means I believe in fairness and equality for everyone. After learning a great deal about ancient northern Europeans and ancient British (in the larger sense of the group of islands) in particular as part of the research on my books “Boudicca: Britain’s Queen of the Iceni” and “Mary Queen of the Scots” I really came to appreciate how completely different our ancestors’ cultures were from their conquerors. An artist con

Good-bye A672E92 Quintus is chronologically the first book in the Peers of Beinan Series. However it was actually written FOURTH of the six books. I love a great book series.  From the JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings to Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Avalon Series, I find it satisfying to stay within the same world, getting to know characters, places, and events intimately.  It’s one reason why serialized fiction is so popular and entertaining. Like both my aforementioned literary m

Boudicca knelt, weeping, the blood from his chest wound soaking her dress, “I am here.” “A Roman – scout – I – surprised him.” gasped Prasutagus, trying in vain to tell his wife what happened, knowing the moment he died rage would fill her – rage against Rome. Boudicca kissed him tenderly, “My love, do not leave me!”  Prasutagus kissed her repeatedly, his eyes fixed on hers until they saw no more.  Feeling his spirit leave his body, Boudicca wept, as if her entire life sudden

Hello everyone. I hope everyone is finally getting some warmth and beautiful spring weather.  I know it’s been a while since I wrote more personally and especially since I wrote anything about history, my life-long passion. As I research “Journey to Gloriana” about the life of Queen Elizabeth I and “Mary Queen of the Scots” I have found some intriguing information about music and theatre that I would like to share today.  The information I found was not in some aggressive sea

Saint Patrick’s Day is a festive day celebrating Irish heritage and culture and Irish-Diaspora around the world. It’s a day when everyone wants to be Irish and wears Irish green. Yet the holiday itself is named for an English Bishop who hated the Irish and did everything he could to destroy and undermine the same Irish culture and heritage most of us today celebrate in his name. I am 1/8th Irish. As I became more and more interested in my Irish blood, Saint Patrick became of