Charles IIeems to have specialised in “supposed” records. We all know he’s responsible for That Urn, the contents of which are “supposedly” those of Richard III’s nephews. The fact that there are animal bones in there as well as human is always passed very quickly. So quickly the point has become a blur! As a… Continue reading William Rufus died because of a tree? But which tree? And where was it….?
Tag: Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
Rumi, the Persian Poet
I grew up under the tutelage of an amateur historian father, one who both dissected past events and also generously passed along a wide range of historical snippets. Perhaps he had a limited knowledge of this event, or I forgot most details about that one. Whatever the reason for the more modest lessons, or memories,… Continue reading Rumi, the Persian Poet
Athelstan and Brunaburh
The precise location of the 937 battle of Burnaburh, at which Athelstan reasserted the authority of the House of Wessex over Viking, Scottish and Welsh forces has not been conclusively determined yet and nor has the anniversary, although it could not have been before Vikings crossed the Irish Sea in August. What we do know… Continue reading Athelstan and Brunaburh
1066: THE YEAR OF THREE KINGS
“History with its flickering lamp stumbles along the trail of the past, trying to reconstruct its scenes, to revive its echoes, and kindle with pale gleams the passion of former days” (Winston Churchill) “I often think it odd that it should be so dull, for a great deal of it must be invention.” (Catherine… Continue reading 1066: THE YEAR OF THREE KINGS
THE RED KING–WILLIAM RUFUS
Amidst the spreading Oaks of the New Forest stands a solitary stone, once ten foot high with a ball on top, now truncated and protected from vandals. Known as the Rufus Stone, it is the memorial to a slain king, William II, one of England’s most mysterious and little known Norman Kings. On the stone,… Continue reading THE RED KING–WILLIAM RUFUS
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