I write about many different areas of history on An Historian About Town, but royal history is usually present somewhere. In my undergraduate degrees, professors tended to be dismissive of royal history. They were mostly trained by Marxists, and so anything to do with an oppressive ruling class was deemed unnecessary. However, they gave me a great tool chest of historical skills, and I often use them to dig deeper into royal history for myself. And if my stats are anything to go, you dear readers, also love digging into royal history. There is a slight bit of crossover with other top 5 posts this year, but I didn’t want to skip any of these! Without further adieu, these are my top 5 royal history posts of 2019!
I am slightly scattered in my royal history research. I tend to focus more on the English/British and Scottish royals, but the Romanovs were my introduction to royal history at the age of 10. And another 2020 goal of mine? Branch out further into different royal families, in terms of both geography and era. Still, I’ve loved researching and writing these posts, and I’ve already got several on the go for 2020. I hope that you enjoy my top 5 royal history posts of 2019!
5. The 4 Women Who Changed History for Me
This post isn’t entirely royal, but two of the four women who changed history for me are royal, and a third was noble (by marriage). I tend not to study gender or women’s history. Not because it isn’t worthwhile or interesting but because I gravitate towards cultural history instead. So, I challenged myself to name the four women who made me want to study history and to push myself further. I’d like to think I’m slightly out of the box with some of my choices, but I will leave that judgement up to you. And please let me know what women in history have made the biggest impact upon you!
4. The Fashion of Downton Abbey
This is another partially royal post, but I had to include it. The Downton Abbey film released in September 2019, and I admit that I went to an early screening and then another playing on opening day! I’m sure that you all were also waiting impatiently for the film, and I think that it absolutely was worth the wait. A film focused on a royal visit to Downton? Pure cinematic perfection. I decided to look at the fashion during the era of Downton Abbey, from both the Fashion Museum in Bath and the Victoria and Albert Museum. Although fashion actually evolved quite drastically from the series open in 1912 to the movie in 1927, I think to modern eyes, it isn’t as stark. However, comparing the floor length Edwardian gowns of the early 1910s with the dropped waist and shortened silhouettes of the late 1920s, it becomes obvious.
And if you are looking for my review of the film, you can read it here! (Spoiler alert!)
3. Russia: Royalty and the Romanovs at Queen’s Gallery
The Romanovs: the most glamorous but most tragic royal family. I often have people ask me why I am more sympathetic to the Romanovs than other deposed royals, such as Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. And it comes down to who they were; though it didn’t appear so to the common people, the Romanovs were actually quite middle class family in values and behaviour. Many of us could imagine what it would be like to have a regular sitting room and playroom (albeit in a palace), or sleep on a simple bed. In any case, this exhibition was quite fascinating for me.
In the moment, it seemed quite quiet. Hisdoryan and I had just come from the Dior exhibition, which is rather large and overwhelming. However, upon reflection and research, I think that Russia: Royalty and the Romanovs was an excellent exhibition. It examined the relationship between the British royal family and the Romanovs, beginning with Peter the Great. Jewellery, textiles, portraits, and sculpture- the Royal Collection Trust has some impressive Romanov pieces. The one topic I would have liked to see more of was the last meetings between the families, but you are limited by your collection. In any case, a wonderful exhibition!
2. Royal Women Exhibition at Fashion Museum, Bath, Part I & Part II
The Royal Women exhibition in Bath was small but powerful, and I adored it. The exhibition was about 3/4 of the way through the Museum, which I thought was wonderful placement. (The Fashion Museum is incredible, and this set up doesn’t allow people to skip things!) It looked at four royal women who weren’t rulers: wife and mother to kings, Queen Alexandra, wife and mother to kings, Queen Mary, wife to a king and mother to a queen, Queen Elizabeth the Queen mother, and daughter of a king and sister to a queen, Princess Margaret. These women all played a crucial royal in the British monarchy, and their fashion was a part of it.
I had a chance to sit down with Rosemary Harden, Senior Curator at the Fashion Museum, and seeing her passion for Royal Women made me love it even more. And the exhibition actually grew from its original size. The Countess of Wessex agreed to add her ensemble that she wore to the 2011 royal wedding (a favourite of mine, from one of my biggest royal events). (A bonus fifth royal!) And one of Queen Alexandra’s gowns that was discovered in an attic, after the exhibition had opened and generously donated to the Museum.
1. History Bite: Queen Victoria’s… Stature?
The popularity of this post is slightly confusing to me, but makes me happy none the less. 2019, I really forged ahead with History Bites. On Wednesdays, I share a short bite of history, a fast read to give you a little taste of something interesting or forgotten. And in January, I shared this history bite about how tall (or not-so-tall) Queen Victoria really was! And let me tell you, Pinterest has gone crazy for this post. Huzzah for the short people! (I might be biased…) In any case, I think smaller history bites can make formidable monarchs and historical figures feel a bit more human. Expect more to come in 2020!
Whether they are in my top 5 royal history posts of 2019 or not, who is your favourite royal in history?
Cheers,
The Historian
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