Henry V: one of the most influential kings of England….

“…Henry IV [Bolingbroke, as Duke of Lancaster] returned to England and became swept up in the Lancastrian campaign to unseat Richard…” Come on, Henry IV was the Lancastrian campaign! He certainly wasn’t an innocent bystander who was swept along in the stampede. You’ll never convince me he didn’t return to England intent upon getting rid… Continue reading Henry V: one of the most influential kings of England….

Joan of Arc or Boudicca? Boudicca every time for me, I fear….

Joan of Arc means a great deal to France, but I’m afraid I have never really cottoned on to her. Perhaps because I’m a little uncomfortable when it comes to people who “hear voices”. Not that I’m saying she deserved her horrible death. Far from it. No one deserves that. But when it comes to… Continue reading Joan of Arc or Boudicca? Boudicca every time for me, I fear….

Latin inscriptions are a mystery to me….

  My mastery of Latin was gleaned at the age of 13, when for one dizzying year I was elevated to the “A” stream of King Edward VI’s Grammar School for Girls, Louth, Lincolnshire. Then they realized I wasn’t that bright, after all, and down I went! The result of this demotion is that I… Continue reading Latin inscriptions are a mystery to me….

Joan of Arc and Les Soldats

    Today marks the 587th anniversary of the death of Joan of Arc, burned at the stake at Rouen, France.  As the flames engulfed her, she clutched a cross made of sticks to her bosom, fashioned by an ordinary English solder.  “Jesus!”  was her last word.  She was 19 years old.  In 1920, almost… Continue reading Joan of Arc and Les Soldats