Marguerite, Lady de Courcy, was the French governess of Richard II’s second wife, the child-bride Isabelle of Valois. This article, Part I, tells the generally known English version of what led to Marguerite’s return to France. I will begin with Richard’s obligation to remarry after the death of Anne of Bohemia, with whom he had… Continue reading The de Courcy Matter Part I: According to English records….
Tag: John of Gaunt
“Time-honour’d Lancaster” was given to pressing on at the expense of his men….
In late April 1388, John of Gaunt‘s son-in-law Sir John Holand returned to England from the Spanish peninsula, where he had been constable of Gaunt’s army. Gaunt had invaded the peninsula in pursuit of the Crown of Castile, to which he had a claim through his marriage to the Infanta Constanza. I am now going… Continue reading “Time-honour’d Lancaster” was given to pressing on at the expense of his men….
John of Gaunt’s Entailment
I have recently come across the argument (again) that Edward III‘s purported enfeoffment made Gaunt and his son the rightful heirs of Edward III.
Pedro I of Castile – an important ancestor of the House of York.
King Pedro I of Castile and Leon, known to some as ‘Pedro the Cruel’ and to others as ‘Pedro the Just’ was born in Burgos on 30 August 1334. His parents were Alphonso XI, King of Castile and Leon and Maria of Portugal, Alphonso’s queen and double cousin. Alphonso also had a mistress, Eleanor de… Continue reading Pedro I of Castile – an important ancestor of the House of York.
Edmund of Langley in Portugal.
Edmund of Langley‘s expedition to Portugal is usually presented as a complete debacle, with Edmund’s ineptitude a major issue. This article by Douglas Biggs demonstrates that this is a complete falsehood. The political situation in Portugal was complex, and from the very start, there was disagreement in the Portuguese camp as to the policy to… Continue reading Edmund of Langley in Portugal.
Molyneux? No, here come the Stanleys. Again….!
I have recently been looking into the turbulent life of Sir Thomas Molyneux of Cuerdale, whose hall by the River Ribble has featured in one of my articles. He was not a quiet soul, and had a terrible end at the Battle of Radcot Bridge in 1387 when surrendering to a Mortimer. The latter pulled… Continue reading Molyneux? No, here come the Stanleys. Again….!
Guy Ritchie’s inheritance blooper on Netflix….
There’s a new “blockbuster” coming up on Netflix. It’s called The Gentlemen, and is described as follows: “….Army captain Eddie Horniman is working for the UN abroad when he learns his aristocratic dad has died….everyone expects Eddie’s older brother Freddy to become next Duke of Halstead and inherit the estate…but his father has disinherited Freddy… Continue reading Guy Ritchie’s inheritance blooper on Netflix….
A circumstantial but viable clue to the eventual death of Edward II….
In a way the mystery of Edward II is not unlike that of the Princes in the Tower (see here). In both cases supposed royal murders have turned out to be untrue and the victims have escaped to the Continent. Also in both cases the murder aspect has been unchallenged until relatively recently, with all the old… Continue reading A circumstantial but viable clue to the eventual death of Edward II….
The rise and fall of Sir Thomas Molyneux’s Cuerdale Hall in Lancashire….
My meanderings in the name of research sometimes turn up things that rather bemuse me. This time I was in hot pursuit of Sir Thomas Molyneux of Cuerdale, who was murdered rather nastily by Thomas Mortimer Thomas Mortimer at the Battle of Radcot Bridge on 19 December 1387. Molyneux had once been John of… Continue reading The rise and fall of Sir Thomas Molyneux’s Cuerdale Hall in Lancashire….
The Dingleys of Cropthorne
While visiting Evesham for last year’s medieval re-enactment, I happened on the village of Cropthorne, with its large medieval church. I do a fair bit of church-crawling, and this was a fine specimen, built near the sites of a Saxon hunting lodge and containing a 9th century Saxon cross. It also had some interesting 17thc monuments to… Continue reading The Dingleys of Cropthorne
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