As we continue on with our reflections of 2024, we are looking at the backbone of the site (and me): history! At the end of the day, I always find myself returning to history. My focus evolves slowly (as we all do) but it is always history for me. And the major reason I began my site was to make history as accessible as possible. This past year, I tried to focus more on monthly series and covering areas in depth, and I very much enjoyed it. These are my 5 favourite history posts of 2024!
The History of Amalienborg Palace
My main monthly history series in 2024 was my history of palaces series where I explored the history of different working royal palaces. While I very much enjoyed researching and writing about all of the palaces I covered, I think that my post on Amalienborg stands out in the series.
The Danish monarchy saw such change in 2024, and unexpected change at that. Still, this eighteenth century is a constant for the Danish Royal Family with a fascinating history of its own. (Although if palaces are your thing, I would recommend checking out the full series!)
4 Forgotten Royal Women
While I’ve always been interested in women’s history, 2024 is the year that I decided to largely focus on it (and will be continuing that). Women’s history is still considered a niche subject by many, despite being the history of half of the global population…. And the number of non-fiction history books (and biography) authored by women is also frighteningly low. So I will continue to share the work of these incredible historians, and the history of women everywhere.
I’ve chosen four royal women who have been largely forgotten (or ignored, I suppose, depending on how you look at it). Although their fathers, husbands, brothers, and sons are remembered, these women haven’t- they all lived incredible lives.
The History of Royal Tours to Canada
Each May, I focus on a different topic and go more in-depth. This May, I chose royal tours- one of my main areas of study! Royal tours remain one of the biggest tools in the royal toolbox and are continually evolving. While I looked at many different elements, I covered the history of royal tours to Canada- I had a lot of fun writing this!
The Revolutionary Countess: Constance Markievicz
I may be biased after living in Dublin, but I think that Constance Markievicz is one of the most interesting historical figures of the modern period. Not only did she live in a fraught and divided Ireland, beginning life as a member of the Anglo-Irish aristocracy and ending as a member of an independent Irish government, she fought against the contemporary limitations of her gender.
Even if you don’t gravitate towards Irish history, her life was incredible and her accomplishments impressive- this is a great starting point! Spoiler: she was the first woman elected to the UK parliament.
The History of Royals and Sports
With the Paris Olympics and Paralympics this summer, also well as Euro 2024, I knew I had to cover the relationship between royals and sports. Unsurprisingly, many modern royals take up sports like equestrian eventing and skiing- they’ve got the money and the time that many of us don’t.
I’ve highlighted several different monarchs across the centuries who enjoyed playing several different sports- some may surprise you! (Including a very tragic queen who pioneered a sport.) Even if you aren’t a huge fan of sports (as I am not), it is a fairly interesting area of history!
I hope you’ve enjoyed my top 5 history posts of 2024!
Cheers,
The Historian
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