War over a 12th-century female ruler resonates today

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The fantastical world of HBO’s “House of the Dragon” may seem like a figment of creator George R.R. Martin’s imagination.

But Martin has made no secret of his inspiration for the series: the Anarchy, which lasted from 1135 to 1154. A man and a woman vied with each other for the English throne for those two decades.

With the series finale airing on Sunday, University of Richmond history professor David Routt takes readers back to this chaotic period in English history when, in an unprecedented move, King Henry I decided that his daughter, Matilda, would succeed him.

War soon broke out. As Routt explains, back then “the queen was the conduit through which power was transferred by marriage and childbirth,” but only male heirs were expected to wield it.

This week we also liked articles about Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of prosperity and good fortune, Florida’s population growth and state officials who administer elections.

Nick Lehr

Arts + Culture Editor

In Westeros, Rhaenyra finds herself in a power struggle akin to that of the real-life Empress Matilda, who lived from 1102 to 1167. HBO

HBO’s ‘House of the Dragon’ was inspired by a real medieval dynastic struggle over a female ruler

David Routt, University of Richmond

During a two-decade period of English history known as the Anarchy, a woman sought to make the then-unprecedented move of ascending to the English throne.

The worship of the goddess Lakshmi on Diwali is said to bring prosperity. Aman Verma/ iStock / Getty Images Plus

Diwali: A celebration of the goddess Lakshmi, and her promise of prosperity and good fortune

Jeffery D. Long, Elizabethtown College

Shri is the earliest name given to the goddess Lakshmi in Hindu texts. The word originally meant splendor and refers to all that is auspicious.

Miami’s streets were bustling and crowded by 1926. Bettmann/Getty Images

Why so many people have moved to Florida – and into harm’s way

Robin Faith Bachin, University of Miami

More than 22 million people currently live in Florida following a century of rapid growth.

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Social media and election misinformation

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