What is the truth behind Shakespeare’s Richard II and Richard III….?

Here’s an interesting take on Shakespeare‘s Richard II. Please note, NOT Richard III. There is a myth that this play was written to flatter the Tudor queen Elizabeth, and yet one scene came so close to the bone, so to speak, that she had it excised from every performance! Amused she was not. The scene… Continue reading What is the truth behind Shakespeare’s Richard II and Richard III….?

I hope this book is more accurate than the blurb

Perhaps this is just a matter of ambiguity rather than inaccuracy and that the book itself is clearer, however the jacket information really isn’t promising. Bamburg (sic), being by the east coast, had nothing to do with Tudors, real or imagined, until after Henry VII‘s accession, so it definitely wasn’t a “stronghold” of theirs during… Continue reading I hope this book is more accurate than the blurb

The Missing Princes Project and 2023….

Here’s an article that contains an interview with Philippa Langley. It’s all about how The Lost King came about, but also has a few nuggets about what we might expect in 2023 concerning the Missing Princes project. Tantalising!

The Middle Ages and the movies….

  “….In The Middle Ages and the Movies eminent historian Robert Bartlett takes a fresh, cogent look at how our view of medieval history has been shaped by eight significant films of the twentieth century. The book ranges from the concoction of sex and nationalism in Mel Gibson’s Braveheart, to Fritz Lang’s silent masterpiece Siegfried, the art-house classic The Seventh Seal to… Continue reading The Middle Ages and the movies….

The art that made us

This is another fascinating BBC2 series, illustrating English and British history through the evolution of our art. The eight one-hour episodes, narrated by David Threlfall (Men of the World), feature:The Roman and pre-Roman periods, Beowulf, the Norman conquest and the Bayeux Tapestry;     The Black Death, Wilton Diptych, Piers Plowman, Chaucer, Julian of Norwich,… Continue reading The art that made us

Was the Bard having a go at Robert Cecil when he wrote Richard III….?

  Matt Lewis is, of course, a force to be reckoned with when it comes to supporting Richard III and this link is a very interesting article he’s written concerning why Shakespeare may have bad-mouthed Richard. I had no idea the Bard  could have been a secret Catholic who wanted the return of the old… Continue reading Was the Bard having a go at Robert Cecil when he wrote Richard III….?

Autocorrect strikes again

Here is Henry VI‘s wife, who bore her only child today in 1453. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you … Margaret of Banjo! {illustrated by SHW} I was checking the MS of a certain novel, and Autocorrect wanted to change Margaret of Anjou to Margaret of Banjo. This amused me, and immediately I thought of… Continue reading Autocorrect strikes again

History isn’t “horrible”, it’s essential….!

“…Imagine knowing the entire list of British monarchs by heart at age 10. Imagine knowing about cavemen courting rituals or what soldiers ate during World War I. Imagine becoming so invested in the life of the infamous King Richard III of England that you joined the Richard III Society, a group dedicated to finding his… Continue reading History isn’t “horrible”, it’s essential….!