Ælfweard, the Forgotten King: England’s Monarch for Sixteen Days (Or Was He?)

History remembers the mighty, the long-reigning, and the victorious, but what about the nearly forgotten? This article explores the short, shadowy life of Ælfweard, the little-known son of Edward the Elder, who may have briefly ruled England for just sixteen days.

Between the political turmoil of Anglo-Saxon succession, rival claims to the throne, and the uncertain legacy of his education and legitimacy, Ælfweard’s story is one of potential, tragedy, and mystery. Was he truly king? Was he meant to rule at all? Dive into the lost life of a prince who stood on the edge of power—and vanished almost as quickly as he appeared.

OCD VampireAugust 8, 2025August 8, 2025Leave a comment

Experts, Middle Ages, Paula Phillips

Our Lady Poison

Step into the dimly lit chamber of 17th-century France, where shadows dance with secrets and whispers of witchcraft linger in the air. Amid this eerie setting stands Catherine Monvoisin, a woman of intrigue and mystery, facing an uncommon fate.

Enveloped by darkness, her silhouette is illuminated solely by the flickering flames held by faceless figures passing judgment upon her. Yet, amidst the solemnity of her impending doom, Catherine’s enigmatic presence defies convention.

Join us as we unravel the enigma of Catherine Monvoisin, a woman whose life defies the norms of her time and whose story unveils the complexities of an era steeped in superstition and fear.

NZGeekChicJune 30, 2025June 29, 2025Leave a comment

Experts, Middle Ages, OCD Vampire

The Rise of Brian Boru: Cennétig mac Lorcáin and Medieval Ireland’s Royal Bloodline

When we think of the medieval period, our minds often go to Camelot: knights in shining armour, long gowns, grand feasts, and stories immortalized by movies and TV shows. But what about Ireland?

The Meaning of “Medieval”

“Medieval” is synonymous with the Middle Ages: a long and complex period in European history that stretches from the 5th century AD (around 476) to the 16th century AD (approximately 1500s). It’s a millennium that continues to inspire artists, writers, and dreamers of all kinds.

The Middle Ages are commonly bracketed between the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the dawn of the Renaissance, or more globally, the rise of the Ottoman Empire. It’s a time defined by transformation, fragmentation, and relentless ambition.

OCD VampireJune 3, 2025June 2, 2025Leave a comment

Experts, History of Torture, Middle Ages, OCD Vampire

Buried Alive: The Gothic Horror of Immurement in Medieval Times

In the shadowed corridors of medieval castles and the crumbling walls of forgotten abbeys, the silent screams of the forsaken linger. Immurement—the act of sealing a person within a wall, crypt, or underground chamber—was one of the most horrifying fates to befall the condemned.

A living tomb, a slow descent into madness, and a fate worse than death itself. It was not simply an execution; it was the ultimate abandonment, a punishment that blurred the line between justice and sheer cruelty.

OCD VampireApril 5, 2025April 3, 20252 Comments

Experts, Gothic Fairy Tales, Middle Ages, OCD Vampire

The True Horror of Snow White: A Gothic Tale of Betrayal and Bloodshed

Fairy tales, as we know them today, are often softened, sanitized versions of their grim past. Before Disney transformed them into magical adventures for children, these stories were cautionary tales—dark warnings about the dangers of vanity, betrayal, and death.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is no exception. The version we recognize today, filled with dwarfs, a poisoned apple, and a prince’s kiss, is a far cry from its gruesome origins, where murder, necrophilia, cannibalism, and violent revenge played central roles.

OCD VampireApril 3, 2025April 2, 2025Leave a comment

Experts, Medicality, Middle Ages, OCD Vampire

Therapeutic Phlebotomy Or Bloodletting Has A Medieval History

Many people are fascinated with medieval medical procedures and want to know how people survived them. So, let’s explore the history of bloodletting.

The Overall Humourism Meaning Of Bloodletting

Bloodletting, or by its otherwise name, therapeutic phlebotomy, consists of the withdrawal of blood from a human body or patient. Back then, people believed that it would cure and prevent diseases. The classical way to eject blood from the body was either accomplished by the physician of the time or leeches.

But what do I mean by humourism? Well, in Ancient Greece and Rome, philosophers and physicians adopted what they would call “humourism” as a system of medicine to describe the workings of the human body. Is your head spinning around like Regan in The Exorcist yet?

OCD VampireMay 8, 2024May 7, 2024Leave a comment

Experts, Middle Ages, OCD Vampire

The History Of Impalement: A Method Of Torture From Ancient To Reformation Times

When we think about impalement, we don’t necessarily associate it with bodies, or do we? Because of Vlad the Impaler, we know that at least one person used it obsessively, but what if I told you it is much older than Vlad?

How Old Is The Practice Of Impalement?

The history of impalement is torturous. It is an excruciating and irreversible method of execution. The classical practice consists of the penetration of a human body through a bottom orifice by an inanimate object such as a stake, pole, spear, or hook. The completion of the torture follows with the perforation at the other end of the object through the torso.

Impalement was often the sentence for crimes against the ‘state’ throughout numerous civilizations. It was a capital punishment reserved for horrid crimes of the time or era. However, death through impalement, due to its horrifying scenery, was also employed to implement fear and suppress the desire for rebellion against a leader.

OCD VampireMay 7, 2024Leave a comment

Experts, Middle Ages, OCD Vampire

Did You Know That Vlad The Impaler, Cried Tears Of Blood?

Many things are said about the Prince of Wallachia, known as Vlad the Impaler. He was the guy who impaled people. He is the vampire Count Dracula. But have you heard of him crying blood tears?

What Do We Know About Vlad The Impaler?

Vlad the Impaler lived in the 1400s or close to the end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of the Renaissance era. Romania was separated into three principalities: Wallachia, Transylvania and Moldavia. He was the middle child of a family of three sons. His mother was a noblewoman, while his father was Vlad Dracul II, Prince of Wallachia.

Vlad Dracula was a Christian-Orthodox, as was Wallachia, placed between the Roman Catholic Empire and the Islamic Ottoman Empire. Due to political and religious conflict, Wallachia was a vassal state rather than a country in its own right. When Vlad Dracula took over the throne, he put Wallachia on the map and grew its legend.

OCD VampireFebruary 18, 20242 Comments

Experts, Middle Ages, OCD Vampire

Before Vlad The Impaler There Was His Brother Mircea II

As a medievalist enthusiast and a Vlad the Impaler fan, I learn daily about his life. One brother of his with a horror story is Mircea II of Wallachia.

Why Is Mircea Important To Vlad’s Story

When I hurt my back last week, I was glued to the bed with limited motion. I couldn’t do much, so I decided it was time to read. I was an avid reader from when I learned to read to my twenties. I can’t recall why I stopped.

I discovered Vlad when I was a tween but only started learning about his life as a teenager. My love for the paranormal and folklore won over me, and I wanted to know who the man behind Dracula from Bram Stoker was.

OCD VampireFebruary 7, 20241 Comment

Experts, Middle Ages, OCD Vampire, Paganism

The Strange And Magickal Origin Of Fays

When thinking about fairies, we often lean toward the little, tiny female entities with charming laughs and small dragonfly types of wings. But what is a fairy, really?

What does Fay Mean And Where Does It Come From?

The word fay saw the light of day in the early Dark Ages. Its spelling varies from fae, fay, fey, and fairy, which all mean the same. We can also see lesser-known variations such as faerie, fairie, fayrye, and feirie.

However, the spelling faerie, adopted in Middle English, later became the word fairy. The word means “enchanted” or anything related to charm. The word itself, borrowed from Old French faerie, came from the same meaning, “realm of the fays.”

OCD VampireJanuary 31, 2024January 30, 20241 Comment

England - Stonehenge - Paganism - Celtic - Druidism

Experts, Middle Ages, OCD Vampire, Paganism, Witch History

The Secret Knowledge Of The Age Of Druidism

In the writing world, we often use folklore and legends. But Druids are not part of the usual characters in novels. Their secrecy might be to blame.

Why Did I Fall Into The Rabbit Hole Of Druidism

Upon research as a medievalist enthusiast, looking for various types of witches, the word Druid popped into my head. Many associate druids with fantasy or games such as Magic The Gathering or Dungeons & Dragons. But there is much more to them.

Druids are not as known as other Celtic folkloric people, such as Leprechauns, Faeries, Elves, and Trolls, to only name a few. The influence of the Celtic culture in fantasy literature is significant and provides solid roots. But druids are different.

OCD VampireJanuary 22, 2024January 21, 20241 Comment

Experts, Middle Ages, Paula Phillips, Serial Killers & Murders

Germany’s Medieval Boogeyman Known As Peter Niers

Throughout history, humankind has encountered many murderers and people thirsty for the blood of innocents. Worldwide known names come to mind, but what about those in the shadows of the big names?

The Names We Know Of The Medieval Period

When you think of the evillest murderers of medieval times, there are specific names that come to mind that took over their centuries. They inspired fear so great that they branded their time with their names.

But if you mention the name Peter Niers, nobody would know who you are talking about. But this person deserves a place on those charts because he left his mark, so who is he, and what did he do?

NZGeekChicOctober 26, 2023October 25, 20231 Comment

Experts, Middle Ages, OCD Vampire, Witch History

Agnes Sampson, A Scottish Witch, Tortured To Death

The witch trials occurred when everyone could be a victim of accusations leading to torture and horrible deaths. But some of the worst stories of witchcraft lead to Scotland, and Agnes Sampson is one of them.

The History Of Agnes Sampson

Agnes Sampson was a widow and mother who lived in Scotland. She was mainly a healer and a midwife. There is little information on her life or documentation as a citizen because Agnes was the village’s healer and midwife. She was a kind person who kept to herself, most likely, but she was the perfect scapegoat: woman, older, widow, healer.

Why would King James VI need a scapegoat? As mentioned in the previous article about Scotland’s witch trials, the king’s voyage back to English territory was overlooked by a storm. His marriage to Anne of Denmark brought him to Scandinavian lands, and on their way back, the storm forced them to take refuge in Norway.

OCD VampireOctober 16, 2023October 15, 20231 Comment

Experts, Middle Ages, OCD Vampire, Witch History

The Most Brutal Witch Trials Were In Scotland

The Witch trials happened all around Europe and not just in North America. In fact, there was a place worse than Salem, and its name was North Berwick in Scotland.

When Witchcraft Had No More Place

On Halloween night in 1590, the East Lothian people suffered the accusation of witchcraft. It occurred in St. Andrew’s Auld Kirk in North Berwick.

The Witch Trials lasted for two long years, and over seventy victims underwent the consequences of high treason. The accusations knew no boundaries as the 5th Earl of Bothwell also received the charges.

OCD VampireOctober 9, 2023October 8, 20231 Comment

History remembers the mighty, the long-reigning, and the victorious, but what about the nearly forgotten? This article explores the short, shadowy life of Ælfweard, the little-known son of Edward the Elder, who may have briefly ruled England for just sixteen days.

Share this:

Step into the dimly lit chamber of 17th-century France, where shadows dance with secrets and whispers of witchcraft linger in the air. Amid this eerie setting stands Catherine Monvoisin, a woman of intrigue and mystery, facing an uncommon fate.

Share this:

When we think of the medieval period, our minds often go to Camelot: knights in shining armour, long gowns, grand feasts, and stories immortalized by movies and TV shows. But what about Ireland?

The Meaning of “Medieval”

Share this:

In the shadowed corridors of medieval castles and the crumbling walls of forgotten abbeys, the silent screams of the forsaken linger. Immurement—the act of sealing a person within a wall, crypt, or underground chamber—was one of the most horrifying fates to befall the condemned.

A living tomb, a slow descent into madness, and a fate worse than death itself. It was not simply an execution; it was the ultimate abandonment, a punishment that blurred the line between justice and sheer cruelty.

Share this:

Fairy tales, as we know them today, are often softened, sanitized versions of their grim past. Before Disney transformed them into magical adventures for children, these stories were cautionary tales—dark warnings about the dangers of vanity, betrayal, and death.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is no exception. The version we recognize today, filled with dwarfs, a poisoned apple, and a prince’s kiss, is a far cry from its gruesome origins, where murder, necrophilia, cannibalism, and violent revenge played central roles.

Share this:

Many people are fascinated with medieval medical procedures and want to know how people survived them. So, let’s explore the history of bloodletting.

The Overall Humourism Meaning Of Bloodletting

Share this:

When we think about impalement, we don’t necessarily associate it with bodies, or do we? Because of Vlad the Impaler, we know that at least one person used it obsessively, but what if I told you it is much older than Vlad?

How Old Is The Practice Of Impalement?

Share this:

Many things are said about the Prince of Wallachia, known as Vlad the Impaler. He was the guy who impaled people. He is the vampire Count Dracula. But have you heard of him crying blood tears?

What Do We Know About Vlad The Impaler?

Share this:

As a medievalist enthusiast and a Vlad the Impaler fan, I learn daily about his life. One brother of his with a horror story is Mircea II of Wallachia.

Why Is Mircea Important To Vlad’s Story

Share this:

When thinking about fairies, we often lean toward the little, tiny female entities with charming laughs and small dragonfly types of wings. But what is a fairy, really?

What does Fay Mean And Where Does It Come From?

Share this:

In the writing world, we often use folklore and legends. But Druids are not part of the usual characters in novels. Their secrecy might be to blame.

Why Did I Fall Into The Rabbit Hole Of Druidism

Share this:

Throughout history, humankind has encountered many murderers and people thirsty for the blood of innocents. Worldwide known names come to mind, but what about those in the shadows of the big names?

The Names We Know Of The Medieval Period

Share this:

The witch trials occurred when everyone could be a victim of accusations leading to torture and horrible deaths. But some of the worst stories of witchcraft lead to Scotland, and Agnes Sampson is one of them.

The History Of Agnes Sampson

Share this:

The Witch trials happened all around Europe and not just in North America. In fact, there was a place worse than Salem, and its name was North Berwick in Scotland.

When Witchcraft Had No More Place

Share this: