Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • The Guardian

    From beheadings to abdications: a brief history of royal redundancies

    As Emperor Akihito stands aside, Simon Tisdall looks back at other notable departures
    by Simon Tisdall Apr 30, 2019 2 minutes
    A pedestrian walks past a monitor broadcasting Emperor Akihito’s abdication in Tokyo. Photograph: Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images

    Redundant royals have been disposed of in various grisly and ingenious ways over the centuries. Beheading was fashionable at one time, as Mary, Queen of Scots, discovered in 1587. Revolution, assassination and death in battle were other popular methods.

    Mary Queen of Scots.
    Mary Queen of Scots. Photograph: Time Life Pictures/Getty Images

    Cleopatra, the queen of Egypt, poisoned herself with an asp, according to popular belief. Julius Caesar was stabbed in the back by colleagues. In

    You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

    More from The Guardian

    The Guardian3 min readWorld
    Historians Come Together To Wrest Ukraine’s Past Out Of Russia’s Shadow
    The opening salvo in Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February last year was not a rocket or a missile. Rather, it was an essay. Vladimir Putin’s On the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians, published in summer 2021, ranged over 1,00
    The Guardian4 min read
    Lawn And Order: The Evergreen Appeal Of Grass-cutting In Video Games
    Jessica used to come for tea on Tuesdays, and all she wanted to do was cut grass. Every week, we’d click The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker’s miniature disc into my GameCube and she’d ready her sword. Because she was a couple of years younger than m
    The Guardian4 min read
    ‘Perfect Linearity’: Why Botticelli’s Drawing Abilities Remain One-of-a-kind
    Throughout the Renaissance, drawings became an integral part of the massive paintings and frescoes that have long been associated with that period. Among other things, they were a way for artists to get a feel for how to arrange the space of a compos

    Related Books & Audiobooks