u/AnteaterKey2626

My family makes fun of me for that, but I'm so used to this that I always do it. Is this an unusual thing to do? I always wash my hands no matter what, while they say it only makes sense to do that if you're eating something with your hands immediately after.

Or was it a mix of both? Belief, uncertainty, political strategy? I know she was a staunch supporter of her Yorkist brothers Edward IV and Richard III, both as duchess and later as dowager duchess of Burgundy, and she worked closely with Maximilian to protect the Burgundian inheritance. But what do we know or what can we infer about her motivations in defying Henry VII for so long?

Hello, does anyone happen to know about any non-fiction history books that cover late medieval Poland? As I (sadly) can't speak Polish, they would have to be in either English or German. I'm primarily interested in the post-1385 period, especially royal history (the Jagiellonian dynasty), but books on any aspect of the period would be great.

So far I know about God's Playground by Norman Davies and Poland: A History by Adam Zamoyski, but I'd prefer a narrower, medieval focus. This period is also the subject of Robert I. Frost's book The Oxford History of Poland-Lithuania Volume I: The Making of the Polish-Lithuanian Union, 1385-1569, which I have purchased, but I'd like an even deeper dive, especially into the royals and other key political figures.

Any recommendations would be much appreciated.

Hello, does anyone happen to know about any non-fiction history books that cover late medieval and/or early modern Poland/the Commonwealth? As I (sadly) can't speak Polish, they would have to be in either English or German. I'm primarily interested in the 1385–1795 period, especially royal history (the Jagiellonian and Vasa dynasties), but books on any aspect of the period would be great.

So far I know about God's Playground by Norman Davies and Poland: A History by Adam Zamoyski, but I'd prefer a narrower focus. This period is also the subject of Robert I. Frost's book The Oxford History of Poland-Lithuania Volume I: The Making of the Polish-Lithuanian Union, 1385-1569, which I have purchased, but I'd like an even deeper dive, especially into the royals and other key political figures.

Any recommendations would be much appreciated.

This is more Tudor-adjacent than strictly Tudor, but I've been confused for a while about how exactly Elizabeth Woodville seeking sanctuary in Westminster Abbey, twice, looked like in practice. What exactly did this entail? I understand it offered her and her children some protection, but how did this work?

Given that she was also somehow forced or compelled in some way to give up Richard of Shrewsbury in June 1483, and how during Richard III's ascent to power this looked more like imprisonment than protection, I struggle to understand what exactly sanctuary meant, and whether the protection she could count on was merely theoretical. Any explanation would be much appreciated.

I was looking this up and didn't really find a consistent answer. Would it be prior to the Glorious Revolution, or would Mary II/William III or Anne still have the means to do it? Or maybe even later? I realise pre-1688 monarchs couldn't just do this on their own, but they did issue royal warrants, so I wonder when they lost this power, either by law or in practice.

What are some of your unpopular opinions about Tudor history, culture, media? I’ll start with some of mine:

• The Spanish Princess was actually a good TV show, regardless of the historical inaccuracy
• Jane Seymour is the most interesting of Henry's wives
• I prefer Hilliard's miniatures to Holbein's portraits
• Henry was way too lenient with Charles Brandon regarding Brandon's marriage to Mary

I have seen many discussions on this subreddit about the books by the likes of Philippa Gregory, Alison Weir, Hilary Mantel, Jean Plaidy and so on, but as someone who hasn't read any of those yet, just non-fiction so far, I wonder how the experience differs if that makes sense.

Are there no references at all? Is there invented dialogue, storylines, other aspects? I understand it's labelled as fiction, but is it pure entertainment or can anything also be learnt from them? I expect the possibility of characterisation and exploration of lesser-known personalities we don't have many sources on can be strong points. Also asking because I'm thinking of reading a book by one of those authors for a change.

I understand that Catholicism was an issue and they couldn't marry the princesses from most of the continental royal families. But why did the British royal princes in the 18th century never marry a Danish or a Swedish princess, for instance, especially when British princesses did marry into the House of Oldenburg? Why not vice versa?

Prince Frederick of Wales, George III and George IV mostly seem to have chosen brides from minor German nobility and smaller duchies/margraviates, and so did many of their brothers. Were German rather than Danish/Swedish matches more desirable, even if they married the daughter of a mere duke rather than king?

Other than the French king, how did the likes of Alfonso XI of Castile, Afonso IV of Portugal, Louis IV/Frederick the Fair of the HRE, Louis I of Flanders, the Pope in Avignon etc. see Edward's downfall? Did they support Mortimer's new regime? I only know about England making peace with Scotland in 1328 that Edward III would challenge later, but what about other countries? I apologise if this is an ignorant question or has been asked before.

I've long wanted to do a proper deep dive into the (English) Stuarts. I've read a general narrative book on the dynasty recently, so now I've thought about reading the following books, one for each monarch more or less:

• Queen James: The Life and Loves of Britain's First King (Gareth Russell)
• The White King: Charles I, Traitor, Murderer, Martyr (Leanda de Lisle)
• King Charles II (Antonia Fraser)
• (I've only found some short summary books on James II)
• William and Mary: Heroes of the Glorious Revolution (John van der Kiste)
• Queen Anne: The Politics of Passion (Anne Somerset)

Has anyone read any of these and could share their thoughts? I'm unsure if I've got an alright selection here, any other recs? Any help would be much appreciated.