The Lordship of Powys. (Part 1)

Powys is an interesting Marcher Lordship in that it was never conquered by the English but descended by inheritance. Of course, the Welsh princes of Powys tended to be quite pro-English. (Perhaps one should really say pro-Anglo-Norman.) This is quite understandable, however shocking it may seem to modern nationalist sentiment. For one thing, Powys was… Continue reading The Lordship of Powys. (Part 1)

Sharon Kay Penman-A Tribute

Ask many Ricardians how they got their first glimpse of a non-Shakespearean Richard III, and many will tell you it was one of two novels—Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey or The Sunne in Splendour by Sharon Kay Penman. Sadly, on January 22, Sharon Penman, who continued to be a great supporter of Richard’s cause… Continue reading Sharon Kay Penman-A Tribute

NOW WE HAVE ROBERT–WHY NOT RICHARD?

Netflix will soon be showing a new medieval series, ‘OUTLAW KING’, about Scotland’s Robert the BRUCE. While I have no idea how good the script is or how close the series will stay to the historical record, the costumes and hair styles seem more appropriate to the time than many recent offerings. It’s not overtly… Continue reading NOW WE HAVE ROBERT–WHY NOT RICHARD?

Strange Times by Joan Szechtman

Today, we interview Joan Szechtman, an American writer who has just published her third time-travel novel about King Richard the Third.  Fans of Joan have read her books, THIS TIME, which was published in 2009 and LOYALTY BINDS ME which was published in 2011.  Her third Richard the Third novel, STRANGE TIMES, has just been… Continue reading Strange Times by Joan Szechtman

Richard III and Robert Cecil (Part II)

In a previous post, we explored the theory that Shakespeare’s Richard III was actually based on the Elizabethan politician, Robert Cecil. Here is another discussion of the subject, Richard III and Robert Cecil, with references to the hypothesis that Shakespeare was actually the 17th Earl of Oxford, a descendant of the previous Earls of Oxford… Continue reading Richard III and Robert Cecil (Part II)

Interview with Alex Marchant, Ricardian Children’s Author

There is a new Ricardian children’s author on the block: Alex Marchant. Alex kindly agreed to an interview: Q: You’ve recently published your first novel about King Richard III for children, The Order of the White Boar. What made you write about King Richard? Alex: I first became interested in King Richard in my teens… Continue reading Interview with Alex Marchant, Ricardian Children’s Author

THE WHITE ROSE: A POEM FOR RICHARD

Several years ago I was out at Bosworth to attend an author signing with one of my favourite Ricardian authors, Sharon Penman, who wrote the mighty epic The Sunne in Splendour. We were staying in the Royal Arms at Sutton Cheney, which has a public room filled with armour, memorabilia, paintings of the battle and… Continue reading THE WHITE ROSE: A POEM FOR RICHARD

Richard and two Sun(ne)s in Splendour….

Here is a link to double reviews of books that are both entitled Sun(ne) in Splendour – Jean Plaidy’s and Sharon Kay Penman’s. http://www.encorepub.com/carpe-librum-richard-iii-takes-center-stage-again/ Both works are too well known to Ricardians for any explanation to be needed, so I will confine myself to bewailing Plaidy’s abominable cover. How could any publisher impose such a… Continue reading Richard and two Sun(ne)s in Splendour….