2 posts tagged “family”

There was something unusual about her right from the start. She was born in 1098, and since childhood started to experience visions. And when she was just a little kid, Hildegard astonished her parents with her psychic powers. She told her parents that a pregnant cow would give a birth to a calf. She described it in details, including spots on its forehead.

Hildegard was the tenth child from the family of free nobles in Germany. She did not have a robust health. Since her childhood till the end of her days, Hildegard could predict many things or simply describe something that would only happen in future. Many centuries later we can only guess whether Hildegard was a true psychic or had just some telepathic abilities. Her parents were smart enough to offer her to a church under the care of a highly popular nun Jutta. One can say that Hildegard got extremely lucky, because any other wrong move of her parents could lead her directly to be burnt in a fire and accused to be a witch.

Read more ...

The Capet dynasty was one of the longest ruling families in Europe. So, when Philip IV, the Fair, died, there was no trouble on the horizon either. After all, Philip had three grown up sons Louis, Philip and Charles, who were supposed to continue the Capet dynasty for many years in future. Philip the Fair also had a daughter Isabella married to the king of England Edward II.

But everything went awry after all three sons died one after another, after ruling for a very short period of time. What was even worse: neither of these French kings was able to provide a single surviving male heir to the throne.

Still, it seemed that the dynasty would not end. The strongest claim to the throne belonged to Isabella's son, king of England Edward III. However, the French interpretation of medieval Salic law only recognized the male line. French nobility demanded the throne be passed through the male descendants of late Charles of Valois. It was also evident, that no Frenchman would accept an English King as his ruler.

Read on ...