About seven years ago I wrote a piece for this blog about Edward III’s belief that his line was descended from the fairy, Mélusine. In a nutshell, the story of Mélusine as I knew it then was as follows, and I quote from my Murrey & Blue article: “….Edward III told his friends, the founder… Continue reading More about Edward III and Mélusine….
Tag: Geoffrey Plantagenet
Salon Privé, a magazine with interesting articles about some of “our” historic figures….
A new (to me) magazine has come to my attention. Salon Privé Magazine was founded in 2008 and very definitely “coffee table material”. Anyway, the publication came to my attention when an article about George of Clarence popped into my inbox. The article was factual and impartial, which made a pleasant change. And Richard, Duke… Continue reading Salon Privé, a magazine with interesting articles about some of “our” historic figures….
KING JOHN AND THE PROTESTANT REFORMATION
KING JOHN AND THE PROTESTANT REFORMATION King John was not a good man, He had his little ways. And sometimes no one spoke to him For days and days and days. And men who came across him, When walking in the town, Gave him a supercilious stare, Or passed with noses in the air, And… Continue reading KING JOHN AND THE PROTESTANT REFORMATION
Eleanor the Crusader
My next book – due for release in October, all being well – is about Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine. They were one of Europe’s most fabulous power couples, ruling lands that spread from the North Sea to the Mediterranean. Eleanor was nine years Henry’s senior. When they married in 1152, he was a… Continue reading Eleanor the Crusader
THE THREE HUNDRED YEARS WAR – Part 1: the Devil’s brood
Preface I conceived this article as a defence of King Henry V against the accusation that he was a war criminal. It became apparent, however, that my research was drawing me away from Henry’s campaigns towards a broader study of the origin and causes of the Hundred Years War. Soon, I was reading material going… Continue reading THE THREE HUNDRED YEARS WAR – Part 1: the Devil’s brood
The Death of Robert, Earl of Gloucester
In writing Stephen and Matilda: Cousins of Anarchy, I was keen to apply the same narrow-eyed pursuit of solid facts that I hope comes across in my books on the Wars of the Roses. More than being about battles and, well, anarchy, I wanted to discover the real personalities behind the stories, the people who… Continue reading The Death of Robert, Earl of Gloucester
The Maligned Queen in the Car Park
Added to the list of monarchs and notables found or potentially to be found beneath car parks, tennis courts, and other such mundane places must be the Queen of Henry III, Eleanor of Provence. Buried in Amesbury Priory after her body was kept in ‘storage’ by the nuns for two months while her son, Edward… Continue reading The Maligned Queen in the Car Park
Just what is Richard III’s DNA telling us….?
The following link arrived in my box this morning.https://figshare.com/…/Richard_III_The_Livingstons_…/4764886 I quote: “18.03.2017, 07:26 by John Smith “A skeleton excavated at the presumed site of the Grey Friars friary in Leicester in 2012 is almost certainly that of the English king, Richard III (1452 -1485), and mtDNA (which is passed from mother to child) extracted from… Continue reading Just what is Richard III’s DNA telling us….?
MISTRESS OF THE MAZE—Rosamund Clifford, Lover of King Henry II
Jane Shore is one of the most famous royal mistresses and certainly the prime one of the 15th century. Arguably, however, the most famous royal mistress in medieval English history is the enigmatic Rosamund de Clifford, known as ‘Fair Rosamund’ or ‘Rose of the World.’ Like Jane, Rosamund seemed to have received a generally benign… Continue reading MISTRESS OF THE MAZE—Rosamund Clifford, Lover of King Henry II
Empress Matilda-Should She Be Listed as an English Monarch?
One of the most fascinating (and bloody) periods of English history is The Anarchy, when Empress Matilda, daughter of Henry I (he who might well be found sometime soon in the ruins of Reading Abbey) fought her cousin Stephen of Blois (thought to be in Faversham Abbey) for the English throne. Battles raged across the… Continue reading Empress Matilda-Should She Be Listed as an English Monarch?
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