For years, friends told me I must read George R.R. Martin’s Ice and Fire series, which is loosely based upon a subject close to my heart, the Wars of the Roses. I trusted my friends’ judgment, but I have never been drawn to fantasy; more to the point, I already had a TBR pile that rivaled the Leaning Tower of Pisa. If I hadn’t already had bumper stickers on my car for the University of Texas, the Philadelphia Eagles, Wales, and German shepherds, I’d have added one that said, “So many books, so little time.”
But then HBO launched its series, Game of Thrones, and I knew I had to watch it, for it starred Sean Bean, and I’d follow him anywhere. Well, I was hooked from the first episode. So naturally then I had to read the books, for it has been my experience that no matter how good a film is, the book is always better. Real life then screeched to a halt as I caught up with George Martin’s millions of devoted readers. It is an amazing series, one I highly recommend. Yes, it is technically fantasy, but it is rooted in a gritty, medieval reality and that makes all the difference. Also, I love the dragons and the dyrewolves.
It is fun trying to match Martin’s characters with the people who may or may not be their real-life counterparts. A few seem easy. Robert Baratheon is clearly Edward IV. Queen Cersei has to be Elizabeth Woodville, and Joffrey Baratheon is an unkind version of the uncrowned Edward V. And I think Ned Stark is Richard III, although some of my friends disagree with me on this one. After that, all bets are off. Is Jon Snow meant to be Henry Tudor? (I hope not, for I really like Jon!) The dragon queen, Daenerys? Does she represent the deposed House of Lancaster? Or is she Elizabeth of York? Only George Martin knows. Then, too, the Wars of the Roses was the launching pad for the series, but he is lucky enough to control the destinies of his people and so he can send them down any road he chooses. Do I ever envy him that freedom! I’d have let Richard III win the battle at Bosworth Field, and sent Henry Tudor off to the Mediterranean as a galley slave.
One caution for new readers. He believes in Tough Love. He literally has a cast of thousands, with five books done in a projected seven book series, each one heavy enough to serve as a door stop in a pinch. And when a character reappears after a long absence, he does not offer any clues or hints to jog a reader’s memory. It’s sink or swim! Thank-fully, he does provide a detailed genealogy for each House of the Seven Kingdoms. And the sweep of the story line is so powerful that it carries the readers along like twigs in a flood-tide, too caught up in the action to fret because they can’t quite remember which one of the despicable Freys has just surfaced.
Why do I like this series so much? I think it is because he has created such three-dimensional, nuanced, memorable characters. We care about their fates, want the ones we like to prevail and want the evil ones to pay for their often unforgivable sins. My own favorite is Cersei’s brother Tyrion, AKA the Imp, brilliantly portrayed by Peter Dinklage in the HBO series, winner of a Golden Globe for his riveting performance. After Tyrion, I guess I’d choose Jon Snow and Daenerys. So….my fellow Martin addicts, name your own favorites!
There was one great advantage in coming so late to the party. The fifth book in the series, A Dance with Dragons, was published in July, after an agonizing six year wait for Martin’s fans….six years! But party crashers like me only had to wait a few months. Now, of course, the countdown begins for Book Six., The Winds of Winter. To read an excerpt, click here. http://georgerrmartin.com/if-sample.html
I had a similar experience later in the year, finding a treasure trove long after others had discovered its riches. When the National Public Radio asked me to write about the Five Best Historical Novels of 2011, one of the books I selected was Bernard Cornwell’s new one, Death of Kings. I am a great fan of his writing; I loved Agincourt and his Sharpe series, set during the Peninsular Wars between Napoleon and the English. I don’t think there is another writer on the planet who can match Cornwell’s battle scenes, and I have a bit of experience myself in that area, the Middle Ages not being fertile ground for pacifists. But I defer to the master here; whether he is describing a battle in 19th century Spain, one in 15th century France, or 9th century England, he will have readers smelling the gun smoke, hearing the twang of arrows and the clash of swords. They’ll be half expecting to see blood seeping onto the page!
A possible problem with Death of Kings was that I had not read the first five books in Cornwell’s Saxon Series, and in order to choose it for the NPR assignment, I had to be sure that it could be read as a stand-alone novel. Since I was not familiar with the earlier books, I was the ideal guinea pig, and within half a dozen pages, I could e-mail the people at NPR and assure them that Death of Kings was a perfect choice. I then plunged happily back into the novel, marveling all the while how I had somehow missed these books. After I’d finished Death of Kings and written about it for NPR, I ordered the five earlier books in the series, and once again real life came to a screeching halt while I followed the adventures of Uthred, the Saxon youth captured by the Danes, which would make him a man able to move easily between the two worlds but never fully at home in either one. I’d never done much reading about this period in English history, so it was fascinating and surprising to discover how close the Danes came to winning their war with Alfred, the only English king to be called The Great. Think how different British history would have been if Alfred had not prevailed. Maybe we’d be speaking Danish today! Of course that would also mean no Plantagenets, and without Richard III to write about, I’d probably have been doomed to keep practicing law. So, thank you, Alfred; I owe you one.
I found Uthred to be a wonderful character: bold, courageous, clever, sardonic, stubborn, with just enough dark corners in his soul to be truly interesting. It was fascinating to see Christianity in its early stages, viewed through the cynical eyes of Uthred, who’d been raised as a Dane and taught to worship their gods. He is easily my favorite of the characters given life by Bernard Cornwell, and that even includes Richard Sharpe. The Saxon series also features some very strong women, not always present in earlier Cornwell books, and the secondary characters are born scene-stealers, while the action is adrenalin-fueled, and he outdoes himself in Uthred’s battles, which are his best ever– high praise, indeed.
Just as I felt the need to alert readers about George Martin’s cast of thousands, there is something I think I should mention for those readers unfamiliar with Cornwell’s Saxon series. He is a very honest writer. In other words, he anchors his people firmly in 9th century England. They are very much men and women of that distant age, and they often do things that will jar modern sensibilities. Some writers try to soften the hard edges of historical reality; you can find novels in which southern slave owners are secret abolitionists at heart and medieval women are all feminists and religious tolerance flourishes at a time when people of all faiths were utterly convinced theirs was the one true god. That is not the road you’ll travel in a Bernard Cornwell novel. Readers will not like the way Alfred’s daughter is treated by the men in her life. They may not like entering a world in which human life is held so cheaply. I know some of them will hate what happens to Ragnar’s stallion and Uthred’s dog. And others might not like Uthred’s caustic opinions about priests and the new religion of the Christians. He is a pagan, proudly so, even though he realizes that the ancient Danish gods are not going to win this war. So a reader must be willing to accept Uthred on his own terms, willing not to judge the past by the standards of our present.
Just as with the Ice and Fire series, I was fortunate in coming late to Cornwell’s party. Others had to wait between books. I had the luxury of finishing one novel and then picking up the next one. For a reader, it does not get much better than that. Now I can only hope that both men are living like monks, chained to their computers, doing nothing but work on the next volumes.
Thanks to one of my Facebook friends, I recently came upon a very interesting interview of Bernard Cornwell by George R. R. Martin. Not surprisingly, they are fans of each other’s work. I can’t think of a better way to end this blog, therefore, than to provide the link to their interview. http://www.georgerrmartin.com/news.html
January 20, 2012
Arya is hands down my favorite in Ice and Fire. Next in no particular order would be, Tyrion, Jon Snow, Danerys and Brienne the Maid of Tarth. George has written some very strong women while also remaining realistic to the setting.
I thoroughly enjoyed all of Cornwell’s novels – particularly the Saxon series. I have waited patiently for the next book – but have to wait until I finish Lionheart. I have never read any of Martin’s novels, but will have to put them on the list…
I am also late to the party. I have GoT on my TBR pile (I actually have 2 copies now, because my husband bought one just last week w/o knowing that I’ve had one in my stack for months!), but I think I’d rather clear out the backlog of the many series’ I’m currently in the middle of before I dive into a new one. I’ve read the first 3 Saxon books (at the time I read them I didn’t realize there were more, but I’ll get to the rest of them eventually), but I’m also currently in the middle of Dorothy Dunnett’s two series’ (actively reading Niccolo right now), and have one book to go in both the Outlander series and Masters of Rome series (thanks for both those recommendations!). And of course I still haven’t gotten to Lionheart yet, which is high on my list, but I figure that, having waited this long, it wouldn’t kill me to wait a little longer so that I don’t have to wait as long between books for you to write the next one!
It’s depressing how little time I have to just read these days. I know it’s my own fault, spending time on the internet (FB, various blogs) and watching tv (which I never used to do). But still… so many books, so little time!
You know nothing, Jon Snow is my favorite. After the ending of Dance w/Dragons, I am in agony. To wait another six years, ugh.
I have a thing for series. I flew threw the GoT series, Outlander and the like. I must be a glutton of punishment for the agonizing wait between books.
Sharon, due to reading your blog, and your facebook page, I have added both series to my TBR list (ever growing!). My niece is reading Martin’s series and she has raved about it, which was the final straw that forced me to add it to my list. Your recommendations make me want to start the series sooner rather than later. But first, Lady of the English, then Lionheart!
Sharon, as for Agincourt/ Azincourt, the latter is the French spelling. I checked it at last:-). After your recommendation I can’t help trembling with emotion while waiting for it to come.
I am also late to the Cornwell party, having recently discovered him thanks to Sharon. My first Cornwell book was Sword Song. At first I was very put off by the initial battle scene and definitely had second thoughts. I went back and reread Sharon’s opinion of him which was so good, I thought I must have missed something. She was just discovering him also. So I picked up Sword Song again determined to stick with it and was so amazed at how much I liked it. Cornwell’s characters are superb, and he is a wondrous story teller. So thank you Sharon for introducing him to me. Now I too am waiting for his coming books.
Also, I really enjoyed the above conversation between Bernard Cornwell and George R. R. Martin. It was great! Thanks for posting it.
I’m really late to the party! I haven’t started either of these series, yet – they’re on my list, but the list is so long!
i really want to start this series but i have a lot on my mind now, Bernard Cornwell has always been my favourite
I stopped reading the Saxon Chronicles after the second book because I decided I didn’t really much like Uthred! Maybe I’ll have to revisit it. And I haven’t yet read A Game Of Thrones, either. It’s going to have to wait for a bit, though, because right now I’m catching up on two other series that I missed first time around: Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series and David Weber’s Honor Harrington saga.
I’m a long-time fan of the Game of Thrones series — I started reading them when they first one came out (1996). The wait for Dance with Dragons was so long I had to read the entire series over again before I started in on DwD.
Although there are obvious parallels between the Baratheon family and the family of Richard of York, somehow I’ve never thought of Ned Stark as Richard III. Robert B has two actual brothers in the books — the foolish Renly is a pretty good stand-in for Clarence, and Stannis (although the middle brother) with his mixture of integrity and rigidity, makes a pretty good Richard. Some of Robb’s marriage shenanigans (especially his falling for someone who can’t help him politically) reminds me of the hapless Henry VI, although Robb is a much more sympathetic character. I don’t know who Ned Stark correlates to — he’s a character totally out of GRRM’s imagination.
The notion of Jon Snow as Henry Tudor is intriguing — maybe that means he will survive until the end of the series. (JS is my favorite character.)
What I particularly like about the series is the way GRRM creates so many other mini-cultures that have parallels with medieval Europe. The Iron Islands are sort of early Vikings, Braavos is clearly Venice,Dorne is like Moorish Spain (albeit with some very independent women), and Essos is sort of like Byzantium.
And isn’t Bran a Welsh name?
The HBO series is not bad, but the characterizations in the novels are much richer than is possible to depict on a TV show. I encourage SKP fans to read the books — the fantasy elements are not overdone, and it allows GRRM to explore a lot of issues regarding the role of science and religion. Be warned, though, GRRM does not have SKP’s relatively sunny view of medieval life.
Sharon, I was also late to the party. I started reading these books (late) last year. I finished book 3 last week. I’ve been reading some other things in between the Game of Thrones books (such as Lionheart!). I enjoyed reading your matching up of characters and Wars of the Roses people. I love the character of Tyrion (and Peter Dinklage’s portrayal of him) and Jon Snow is another favorite. I also came late to the Outlander series and cannot figure out why! I read all the books last year and now must join the others who mentioned the unbearable wait for the next books in both series.
In a way, Sharon, I was fortunate to be late to your party. In 2003, my tax attorney friend loaned me “When Christ and His Saints Slept,” which I enjoyed reading very much. Though I usually stick to straight history (“A Distant Mirror” in the miserable 14th century right now), your faithfulness to known facts in my favorite medieval century converted me. I just had to go from one to another of your many medieval novels and four mysteries. Only recently have I had to wait for more. I continue to be amazed that you find time in your busy schedule to write prolifically.
I was late to the party for the Ice and Fire series as well. I didn’t even have to wait to read the 5th book, since it was published by the time I got through the 4th! But oh myyyy, it has been a LONG time since I got so thoroughly sucked in to a series like that! I admit I read it because I adore Sean Bean and was thrilled to see him cast in, well, anything. I will watch him in anything, though my favorite character remains Boromir.
But I digress. I love SB, but Ned is rather a wet blanket, isn’t he? I love him anyway. My favorite character is Tyrion, followed very closely by Jon Snow and Arya.
I confess I haven’t read ANY of Bernard Cornwell’s books, but I have the first of his Saxon series in my TBR pile. I may have to move that closer to the top… 🙂
Linda, yes Bran is a Welsh name but in the case of the character in GoT it’s short for Brandon. I agree with you about how GRRM creates worlds – the Dothraki to me are some sort of Mongol tribe and the lands that Dany travels through and ends up ruling are the Far East and Silk Road. I think there is also a southern continent that GRRM is yet to visit that is similar to Africa.
I know that a few years ago I picked up a Cornwell book at a yard sale — maybe the Saxon series, read a chapter, and said “yuck”.
Maybe I should do it the way you did, read the last book first!!–sometimes that’s a good introduction to a character that one hopes one will come to love??
With your continued high praise of his books, I should give them another try. Am currently reading “The Girl With the Dragon Tatoo” series, which is a nice break from HF. But I would like to know more about the 9th century England too, and HF is my favorite way to pick up history!
Reading is so subjective, though, Mary, that I can’t guarantee you’ll like them on a second reading. Why, rumor has it that there are readers out there who are bored silly by my books–as hard as that is for us to understand, of course! I was apparently one of the few who did not enjoy Cold Mountain, a huge hit a few years ago. And we often have totally different reactions to the same characters, which is part of what makes reading so much fun. Most of my readers really like Eleanor, but some of those most sympathetic to Henry are no fans of hers. I even had a letter years ago from a reader saying she’d loved Sunne but did not like Here be Dragons–her reason was that Llywelyn reminded her too much of an old boyfriend.
Linda, I was really surprised by your comment that my books present “a relatively sunny view of medieval life.” I usually get complaints saying just the opposite since by the end of one of my books, the landscape is going to be littered with bodies and happy ever after endings are as rare as unicorns. But that shows again how subjective reading is, doesn’t it?
Very glad you made it to my party, late or not, Malcolm. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to share with my readers your fascinating research about Geoffrey and Constance’s second daughter, Matilda. And of course we wouldn’t have shared memories of our Eleanor trip.
Noreen, not liking Uthred is, IMHO, a good reason for not continuing with the Saxon series. He is the major character, and the books are related in the first person, so not liking him would be a big drawback toward enjoying the books! I actually found myself liking many of the Danes more than the Saxons, though both camps had their share of villains.
Sharon and Malcolm, where can I find the above mentioned research about Matilda (Geoffrey and Constance’s daughter)?
Malcolm kindly posted it as a blog here, Kate. You’ll have to go back through the archives until you find it.
Thank you, Sharon. I’m really curious about the results of the research. As far as I can recall Matilda died still very young so finding out more about her must have been quite an accomplishment, Malcolm?
Like you Sharon I devoured the Fire & Ice books after watching the show. Having been a devoted reader of your novels for years I found the similarities of genres intriguing. To me Jamie & Lionheart have many similarities. I can just imagine Richard saying “There are no men like me. There’s only me” as Jaime Lannister does in the novels.
Today Azincourt has arrived and after reading its first pages I’m absolutely hooked on Nicholas Hook:-).
Have a nice day, everyone! Mine is going to be a very exciting one! I can feel it in my bones:-)
Sharon, when I said you had a “relatively sunny” outlook on medieval life, I was commenting relative to ASOIAF.
ASOIAF has only one (arguably happy) marriage — Ned and Catelyn; we hear about other marriages that might have been happy (Tywin and Joanna, Illyrio and his unnamed wife) but those wives are long dead before the story begins. And there isn’t a single happy wedding in the series. Your stories have a few happy couples, even though some occurred mostly by accident (as was probably the case when most marriages were arranged for reasons other than love).
Both you and Martin depict the undeniable bleakness of medieval life. But you have a pretty solid group of characters act who act honorably and unselfishly once in a while. In Martin’s fictional universe, such characters are much rarer, and are much more likely to get killed.
Don’t get me wrong — I’m a big fan of Martin’s books,as well as yours. But hafter a few months spent reading all 5 books in the ASOIAF series back-to-back-to-back, I experienced Lionheart as a sunny interlude.
Interesting comments, Linda. I’ll write more later after I take the dogs for their walk. Meanwhile, here is today’s Facebook post.
Anyone who visits here knows that I am an enthusiastic George Clooney fan for reasons serious (his enormous talents and self-deprecating sense of humor and humanitarian activities) and superficial (he is drop-dead gorgeous) And then there is that Italian villa. 🙂 So naturally I am happy that George snagged another Oscar nomination. But I discovered another reason to love the guy. He adopted a dog from a shelter last year, a cocker spaniel like Holly that he has named Einstein. Way to go, George. May the fates reward you for this with another Oscar.
Here is George Clooney’s account of his first meeting with his rescue dog, Einstein. Since he keep his tongue firmly parked in his cheek, I think we can take it with a grain of salt. But it is a funny story. http://articles.nydailynews.com/2011-12-14/news/30518078_1_einstein-esquire-turkey-meatballs
I was one who began reading George R.R. Martin many moons ago and had to wait the six years for the Dance – I was ready to renounce my fandom, and may have except I wanted to see what would happen with Jamie and Brienne! (I found out somewhere in the middle of the six year drought that there would only be a small mention – but it was enough for me!) I will admit the more I got to know the Kingslayer, the more I liked him. Martin has an incredible talent of developing his characters…one minute they are despicable, narcissistic, incestual scum and next you find yourself warming towards them – it is amazing to me.
Kate, what I actually did, in an article published in 1977, was prove that Matilda existed. Besides her name, all we know is that she was older than Arthur and had died before May 1189. The material I posted on Sharon’s blog was an explanation of how, while doing research in Brittany, I discovered proof of Matilda’s existence and then went about writing the article and getting it published. If you could give me your e-mail address, I would be pleased to send you .pdf files of both documents. I did that for many of the friends I made on the Eleanor Tour with Sharon.
And today, Anne Boleyn married Henry VIII [IX].
Malcolm, I would be most grateful. Here’s my address: kateof@wp.pl
Malcolm, that is so generous of you. I love the way my readers look out for one another. Malcolm was the one who told us about the plaque in Notre Dame in Geoffrey’s memory, and it was a sight to behold to see all of us on the tour swarming Notre Dame to find it! We did, thanks to him, and I have photos up on my Facebook page.
Meanwhile, here is my Facebook Note for today.
On this date in 1533, Henry VIII wed the pregnant Anne Boleyn. While that did not end well, the daughter she was carrying would become one of England’s greatest monarchs. So the timing is perfect to let you know that Margaret George is doing a Tudor Tour of England this year, similar to my Eleanor tour and the one that Elizabeth Chadwick is planning for William Marshal in September. Margaret’s tour sounds fascinating; as the author of Elizabeth I and The Autobiography of Henry VIII and Mary, Queen of Scots, she will be the ideal tour guide. Here is the link to Margaret’s website, which gives the full particulars of her tour. http://www.margaretgeorge.com
Malcolm has already sent the documents. I’m getting down to reading. Thank you, Malcolm.
Sharon, I’m curious about the missing part of your French story. It was such fun to read about your ups and downs in all the places so closely connected with Eleanor.
I have three more sections to go, Kate, one of them already written. They just got lost in the crowd, I guess, but I haven’t forgotten and hope to post them. If you friend me on Facebook as many of my readers have done, you can see all of the photos I’ve posted there of the trip. I can only post a few at a time with a blog.
Sharon, I’m afraid I will never join Facebook. Too much fuss. And here, on your blog, it’s so peacuful and quiet:-). I’ll wait patiently for the missing parts of the story.
I’ve already finished Azincourt. You were right: the whole story is great, it just “flows”. I’ve enjoyed St. Crispin and St. Crispinian and found them the most brilliant invention to show medieval duality in all those ruthless fighters. Not only in the main character but also in his fellow archers, knights, priests and Henry V himself. On one hand, God and church laws, on the other, cruelty and atrocity of battle. And, surprisingly enough, sense of humour!
And today, Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor, married Constance of Sicily.
Here is today’s Facebook Note. Koby must be sleeping in this morning. 🙂
January 28th is a busy day in history. Charlemage died on this date in 814. Henry Tudor was born in 1457; no birthday cake for him. In 1547, his odious son, Henry VIII, joined him in Hell, or so I hope. In 1077, the Holy Roman Emperor, Henry IV, was forced to make a humiliating and wretched surrender to Pope Gregory, who’d excommunicated him and was about to depose him; for 3 days, Henry knelt in the snow in just a penitential’s shirt, until the Pope agreed to absolve him. So our Henry was lucky in his clash with the Church over Becket; not only was he never excommunicated or an Interdict laid on England, he was able to mend fences with the Pope with promises, some of which he kept. BTW, the peace made between Henry IV and the Pope didn’t last long–great surprise, right?
And on this date in 2012, Richard of England was captured by the Duke of Austria outside Vienna. Okay, the real Richard was actually taken on December 21, 1192, but my Richard’s legendary luck didn’t run out until today
Indeed, Sharon. And I was not sleeping; it was Sabbath. However, you did forget that the Diet of Worms began today, although I suppose that has no relation to our favorite historical figures.
Have not managed to find time to make my way through Martin’s work – as a matter of fact, I’m currently having urges to sit down and finish Devil’s Brood, which I borrowed earlier today (and am about halfway through). As a student and lover of history, I feel compelled to ask why you would change the outcome at Bosworth Field. I’m not a believer in the views of Shakespeare and the masses of historians who bemoan the king that shares both a name and number with me, and so I was curious.
I am sorry, Richard, but this is a question that requires a much more comprehensive and time consuming answer than I can afford right now. The whole idea of changing history is one fraught with unintended consequences, after all. I am sure that other readers may want to weigh in on it, though.
Sharon, am I right to guess that it is the first Richard who occupies all your thoughts and consumes all your time? Yesterday he was captured and today he’s facing the new reality giving a demonstration of Angevin rage, I guess. Or is he still too shocked to do this?
Oh, this must be an exhilarating feeling to pull the strings of history. Of course you stick strictly to the facts but the gestures, the feelings, the conversations are all yours.
I understand, and I figured that the answer would be rather long.
Having finished Devil’s Brood earlier today (and Lionheart having introduced me to your writing), I must admit… I’m kinda sad to see them all go. Sure, they might be the most dysfunctional family that ever lived, but you did an amazing job bringing them to life, and because of that… I guess I’m just sad to see them go.
I feel like I’m absent from the party. I wanted to like Martin’s Fire & Ice series and read all of the first book, but couldn’t get through the second one. I loved his characters and I was glad that they were loosely based on the Wars of the Roses, instead of lock step with the real people. But what turned me off was that as soon as I became invested in one character (which usually happened fairly quickly), that character would be dropped and I’d have to follow another. That would have been fine if it hadn’t been for the cast of thousands. I think the reason I was able to finish and enjoy the first book was because there were some limits on the number of major character that were presented–but it felt out of control to me in the second book, so I abandoned the series.
I am, however, putting Bernard Cornwell on my TBR list.
Joan, you made a good point. One weakness of the series, IMHO, is the abundance of characters, esp. in the last three books; a favorite character may disappear for an entire book! This was true for Tyrion, and I really missed him.
Here is today’s Facebook Note.
Well, I still have no printer and Word remains on life support. I hope to remedy all this soon, if only to save my sanity. On the history front, two very significant events occurred on January 30, 1164. The first was the Constitutions of Clarendon, which ruptured Henry’s relationship with Becket, his former friend; see Time and Chance for details. And on this day, Henry’s youngest brother, William, died suddenly in Rouen. He was only in his twenties and many people believed he died of a broken heart because Becket had refused to offer a dispensation so he would wed Isabella de Warenne, and thus blamed Becket for his death. When he was murdered in Canterbury Cathedral, one of his assailants shouted as he struck the archbishop, “This is for my lord William!”
Joan, as for Bernard Cornwell I have only read Azincourt so far but believe me it was worth every single minute of the sleepless nights I spent on it.
Usually I have no patience for fictional characters (that’s why I would never find pleasure in Martin’s work) but Cornwell’s Nicholas Hook (there actually was an archer called Nicholas Hook fighting at Agincourt) is very convincing and he is not going to disappear somewhere in the middle of the story:-)
Sharon, I can still remember how irritated I was while reading about Henry and Becket and their constant clashes. Mostly with Becket, I admit. “Saving our order” is still getting on my nerves, even today, six months after reading Time and Chance:-)
Ah, Tyrion–he was a favorite character. I also liked Snow and the sister who escaped pretending to be a boy. But she was quickly dropped. I think I picked up the second book to read more about her, but was disappointed. For me, it would have been better if Martin had written shorter, tighter books and chose fewer major characters, or even split them into two or three series that each follow certain contingencies. At certain points in those weighty tomes I suspected Martin was getting paid by the word. :-p
Kate, my personal opinion is that Becket was in the right. Granted, a lot of my picturing of him is still that of Richard Burton (even while reading Time and Chance), but I’ve always felt that Becket was more in the right than Henry.
Now, he didn’t always go about it the right way, but I do believe he had the right of it.
Richard, I don’t question Becket’s honesty. Everything he ever did, every single role he undertook (whether it was the chancellorship or archbishopric) was with a passion of a zealot . But when it comes to the Constitutions of Clarendon, IMHO, the King was in the right. Surely there was nothing wrong in trying to bring equal laws to both the ecclesiastical and the secular.
Don’t forget that Henry’s chief goal was to secure order in his vast domains (especially in England, still suffering after Stephen’s reign).
Both, the King’s and Becket’s stubbornness, remains a different matter:-).
As for Devil’s Brood (I read it last December:-)) I cannot agree more. I was afraid to read it knowing about all those deaths and family quarrells ahead (although long passed:-)). I was sorry for them all. For Eleanor, Hal, Geoffrey, Richard, John and Henry in particular.
You have an interesting distinction, Richard–you’re the first person to side with Becket in the Church-State clash with Henry. I personally think he was in the wrong, both philosophically and for his tactics–though Henry’s tactics left a lot to be desired, too! But as they say, that is what makes horse races.
Meanwhile, here is today’s Facebook Note.
Thanks to Nan Hawthorne’s fun site, Today in Medieval History, for reminding me that yesterday was the death date in 1130 of William, Count of Aquitaine, Eleanor’s celebrated and notorious (in his own time) grandfather, sometimes called the First Troubadour.
On the home front, I got Holly’s DNA test back and my little girl is a purebred cocker spaniel, albeit a very small one; maybe she was the runt of the litter? Passing strange, as my medievals would say, for she was listed on Petfinder as a poodle-spaniel mix, and this is how I found her, for I was looking for a poodle. If she’d been correctly listed by the rescue, I’d probably not have found her. And since I now cannot imagine life without this little charmer, that was a very fortunate mistake for me and Tristan and–hopefully–for Holly, too.
Correction. Koby says the duke died on the 10th of February and if he says it, that is good enough for me; I’d been lazy this morning and taken Nan’s date on faith. Now I’ll have more time to work on a proper memorial for him.
Sharon, I am a latecomer to this blog but am I a longtime fan of yours going all the way back to 1982, when I discovered The Sunne in Splendor in the library. I have bought and read all your books since then, although Sunne is still my favorite. Thank you for providing me with so much reading pleasure over the years.
It’s funny, but I had exactly the same experience you did with Ice and Fire. Several students have recommended the series to me, but I didn’t get around to reading the first book until this past August. Boy, was I hooked, to the detriment of my course preparation for the fall semester. I also picked up on the correlation to the Wars of the Roses. My colleagues think I’m crazy, but this whole thing about the noble houses, their bannermen, their sigils, and their intermarriages and conflicts just is a dead ringer for the bastard feudalism of 15th century England. His idea of the Wall and wildlings also seems very similar to Hadrian’s Wall separating England from Scotland, although the historical Scotland of course had no White Walkers (that we know of anyway). I agree strongly with you that Robert Baratheon is a dumber version of Edward IV, Cersei seems like Elizabeth Woodville (but with some qualities from Marguerite D’Anjou–another queen who was defending the legitimacy of her son). I TOTALLY think that Ned is Richard III: he is from the North, he has integrity, he is put in the “protector” position by Robert like Richard was by Edward, he gets betrayed by unscrupulous councillors with their own agendas, he questions the legitimacy of Robert’s heir, etc. There are just too many parallels to ignore, although I am interested in a previous commenter’s idea that Stannis Baratheon could be Richard III. My problem is that I am so much influenced by your version of Richard, who I found to be very likeable and admirable, whereas Stannis is so cold, ruthless, and self-righteous. Anyway, this is fascinating and I am thrilled to join the conversation.
Mary, one of my Facebook friends made an interesting comment–that Ned is Richard III if Richard hadn’t been able to secure possession of Edward’s son at Stony Stratford.
Mrs Penman and Kate – As a student of history, I’ll freely admit my interests have generally tended toward the classical periods. However, a course I took last semester (and the Angevin books, among others) had gotten me interested in the Middle Ages. I don’t have the freedom of knowing multiple sources, but I do feel I’ve seen enough to state this: in the Constitutions of Clarendon, I see only the continuance of the investiture controversy (also the product of a Henry, strangely enough), in that it is a secular attempt to impinge on ecclesiastical authorities.
Equality of the clergy and the laity is wonderful in theory, but I feel that if the ecclesiastical courts were too lenient on their own, the courts of the king would have been too harsh. If it is a clergyman, let him be tried by his peers – a justice which would be good enough for anyone else. If the clergy – his peers – find him guilty and dismiss him from the Church, then he would be eligible for a trial in the secular courts.
Both sides are fairly easy to see in this, but I still feel that Becket was in the right on this – it was a church prerogative that needed to be kept in the church.
Happy Imbolc! As for paralellals between ASoIaF and The Wars of the Roses – if Ned was Richard III, does that make Jon Johnny, Richard’s bastard son, or somethign similar to John de la Pole, Richard’s heir?
My friend Max sent me this and I had to share it with you all. It is very moving, in the best possible way. http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=Hzgzim5m7oU&vq=medium
Wonderful video, Sharon.
“The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter—’tis the difference between the lightning-bug and the lightning.”–Mark Twain
Richard, quite interesting exchange of the ideas above:-). Good fun, really. Don’t you think?
You are in the right: such person after being dismissed from the Church might be eligible for a trial in the secular courts but, correct me if I’m in the wrong, not tried for the very same crime he (usually it must have been “he”, I suppose :-)) had committed while still being a clergyman.
As for Becket himself, despite all his devotion to both worldly and heavenly affairs, I can’t quite imagine ever praying to him:-)
Surprising video, indeed!
Koby, thanks to you I’ve just learned what Imbolc is:-). Better late than never! Do my Slavic roots, at least to some degree, explain my ignorance?
Sharon, this would be the last entry today, I promise :-). I want to thank you! All of you! You make me so happy! I can hardly imagine a day without “dropping in” and learning something new and exciting!
Kate, that’s most of the fun behind these discussions, isn’t it? Haha.
And no, St. Thomas has never struck me as the object of prayers. Even for me as an Episcopalian. Heh.
And today, the Battle of Mortimer’s Cross took place, where Edward, then Earl of March, defeated a Lancstrian Army under Owen and Jasper Tudor. Owen Tudor was among the casualties. And of course, after this battle Edward adopted the Three Suns for his symbol, due to the parhelion before the battle.
Sorry I haven’t been able to respond to recent posts, but I have been having serious computer troubles again, so bad that I think Demon Spawn is too kind a name for the beast; I may re-christen him Tudor or Heinrich after that nasty piece of work who was Richard’s enemy and spilled so much blood in Sicily. Meanwhile, here is today’s Facebook Note.
On this date, Edward IV won the battle of Mortimer’s Cross; Owen Tudor was captured and executed afterward. Edward’s men saw three suns in the sky before the battle (scientific term is a parhelion) and would have panicked if our quick-thinking Edward didn’t shout out that the three suns were a sign of victory, a celestial form of the Holy Trinity. He would later adopt this as his badge.
And on this date in 1237, Llywelyn Fawr’s beloved wife, Joanna, died. She was buried at Llanfaes and he founded a friary there in her memory, as impressive a gesture to me as Edward I’s Eleanor crosses.
It is also an important day on the medieval Church calendar–Candlemas. And for the rest of the world, at least in the US, it is Groundhog Day, which always makes me think of that funny Bill Murray film.
Hi Sharon,
Yes, I agree that Ned is Richard w/out having secured his nephew. Since he was betrayed by Littlefinger, he got outmaneuvered by his enemies. I’m not clear whether Littlefinger or Varys is the analog for Hastings, but either way, Ned is an even more unlucky version of Richard. I don’t think we should expect all the parallels to be consistent. The Song of Ice and Fire is what we might think of as a ‘derivative’ of the Wars of the Roses, not a direct adaptation–kind of like West Side Story as Romeo and Juliet, or A Thousand Acres as King Lear.
An excellent analogy, Mary.
And today, John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, ancestor of three Henrys (IV, V, VI [V, VI, VII]) through his first wife, Edward IV, Richard III, Henry VII [VIII] and the Beauforts through his third wife died.
Here is today’s Facebook Note.
A very important day for Richard I and his mother, Eleanor, for he was finally released from captivity in Germany on February 4, 1194, after Heinrich’s last-minute ploy to extort even more money for them failed, thanks to the outrage of his barons and bishops.
Weather is wreaking havoc in many places–a deadly deep freeze in much of Europe, a snowstorm bearing down on London, a dire winter for Alaska, heavy snows in Colorado, and bad flooding in eastern Australia. I’m hoping that my friends and readers in these afflicted areas stay safe.
I am glad to report that my chiropractor helped yesterday and the pain is nowhere near as severe as it was. And I got the new Dell printer to work with my old laptop, though still not with Demon Spawn (who may be renamed Heinrich) of the backup computer, one of my Dells from Hell. Thanks to you all for the suggestions and sympathy.
Sharon, I wasn’t aware that you had some health problems. I’m glad to read that it’s getting better.
You are actually right: it’s terribly freezing here, in Poland. And we are going to be snowed in (according to the latest weather reports).
To tell you the truth, it’s not so bad. At least I have an excuse to stay inside, do nothing but drinking hot tea and reading. I’m in Aquitaine where winters are gentle and short (and it’s the twelfth-century Aquitaine so no weather anomalies in the nearest 800 years:-)). But seriously, I’m reading The World of Eleanor of Aquitaine edited by Marcus Bull and Catherine Leglu, the one you recommended once.
I wish you all beautiful Sunday!
I’m glad you are enjoying the Eleanor book, Kate. I hope you and your family are staying safe and snug, for it sounds as if Eastern Europe has been hit with a new Ice Age. I was shocked to hear that over 100 people had frozen to death in the Ukraine alone.
Here is today’s Facebook Note.
Sunday update–I’m still in some pain, but it is better than Friday, so I’m not complaining. I have printer access again, thanks to my laptop and the new Dell printer, and can print off Demon Spawn if I use one of nature’s best inventions, the flash-drive. Dogs have been very bratty since they haven’t had their daily walks; I’ve been threatening to trade them in for a pair of goldfish, but they’re not intimidated. I know football is a “business” and the Pats Coach is the world’s second living heart transplant donor (the first being Harrison Ford in Sabrina; I loved that line.) But even for him, this was cold–they cut one of their players yesterday, yes, the day before the Super Bowl. Of course the Giants will win anyway, so he’ll be punished for it. Here are some amazing photos of the dangerous winter weather that has been pummeling Europe; see the third photo of the Colosseum in the snow. http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/05/travel/europe-cold-snap/index.html?hpt=hp_t3 Have a good Sunday, everyone. Go, Eli!
I haven’t heard about the victims of the frost in the Ukraine. I scarcely ever watch the news, only check weather reports on the Internet. Now my hot tea
and Eleanor book sounds selfish, indeed!
Today, Empress Matilda was born to Henry I, the sainted Sir Thomas More was born as well, and Edward of Caernarvon (later Edward II of England) became the first English Prince of Wales.
Today’s Facebook Note.
February 7th is another busy day, history-wise. Henry II’s mother, the Empress Maude, AKA Matilda, was born on this date in 1107; thanks to Koby for that reminder. Sir Thomas More was born in 1477, and Edward IV and Richard III’s troublesome brother, George, Duke of Clarence, was found guilty of high treason in 1478 and sentenced to death.
Sharon, I have a question: is Amy Kelly’s ‘Alienor of Aquitaine’ worth reading? Have you read that one?
Sorry, the right title is Eleanor of Aquitaine:-). I would love to learn your opinion.
Today, the Battleof Al-Mansourrah took place in Egypt, where the Ayyubids decisively defeated the 7th Crusade. Among the dead were Robert I of Artois and Sir William II Longespee. Also, Mary Queen of Scots was executed.
Koby, if you get a chance, you might want to check my Facebook page, for my readers were discussing you and wondering if you could be a mere mortal like them!
Kate, this is a very well written book; it almost reads like a novel. It is out of date in some aspects, though, for it was published in 1950. Its major flaw is that Amy Kelly misunderstood the Courts of Love; in her defense, she had a lot of company on that road. So yes, I would consider it worth reading, but with one caveat. Disregard what she says about the Courts of Love. The same thing applies to another well written biography of Eleanor by Marian Meade; she is wrong about the Courts of Love, but on target with most of her other conclusions. Sadly, there is no definitive biography of Eleanor to date, as there are for Henry II and Richard I; even the better ones have some surprising factual errors, like Ralph Turner’s, or they are marred by sloppy research and conclusions not supported by the facts. Jane Martindale has been working on an Eleanor biography for a number of years, and it would certainly be the most scholarly one to date, but I don’t know when or if ever it will see the light of day.
Meanwhile, here is today’s Facebook Note.
Not a particularly good February 8th for me, thanks to the hip pain. But a much worse one for Mary, Queen of Scots, who was beheaded on this date in 1587, having been found guilty of treason. I am personally a member of Team Elizabeth, but there is no denying Mary had a dramatic life. For those wanting to read about her, I highly recommend Margaret George’s Mary, Queen of Scots. And the best film is the one with Vanessa Redgrave as Mary and Glenda Jackson as Elizabeth; it is 40 years old but has stood the test of time extremely well. Timothy Dalton usually lights up the screen with his smoldering sex appeal, but he shows here that he could also play superficial and selfish and unsympathetic and foolish, all adjectives that can fairly be applied to Mary’s second husband, Lord Darnley.
Thank you, Sharon! I always have Marion Meade’s Eleanor close at hand. It’s the first biography of Eleanor I’ve read (except for Regine Pernoud’s Alienor) and I’m quite attached to it. As for the Courts of Love I know that the modern historians no longer believe that Eleanor ever presided over them. The same is with Eleanor and the troubadours: there is no direct evidence that she actually was a patroness of their poetry (as it is commonly believed).
RE: George Clooney
I would be most willing to help out with his need to be worshipped and followed around. Anyone want to join me in my Clooney 2016 campaign?
RE: Richard
Is there an anticipated publication date yet?
And today, William IX, Duke of Aquitaine died, as did Baldwin III of Jerusalem, who was Geoffrey le Bel’s half brother (their father was Fulk Vof Anjou and I of Jerusalem). Lastly, Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley, Mary Queen of Scots’ second husband was found strangled in a field after an explosion rocked the house he had been staying in.
I’m in, Sandy! Going from George to Richard, I assume you mean the pub date for Lionheart in the UK? No, I haven’t been told yet, have heard late March or early April, but once I know for sure, I’ll post it here.
Meanwhile, here is today’s rather long Facebook Note, with more kudos to Koby, of course.
I don’t know what I’d do without Koby, who reminded me that on this date in 1126, Eleanor’s famous (infamous?) grandfather, sometimes called the First Troubadour, died. A gifted poet, politician, Duke of Aquitaine, bane of husbands everywhere, he blazed his own trail, and if his poetry is any indication, he really enjoyed himself. Among his many exploits–he took his neighbor’s wife, the aptly named Dangereuse, as his mistress, brought her home to his palace in Poitiers, which caused his long-suffering second wife to pack in the marriage and withdraw to Fontevrault Abbey, where she doubtlessly had some interesting conversations with his first wife; meanwhile back at the ranch, William arranged the marriage of his son and heir to Dangereuse’s daughter, Aenor, the result being…drum roll here…our Eleanor, whose name is said to mean “Another Aenor.” I have a scene in Saints in which Henry and Eleanor, on their wedding night, are laughing in bed about their colorful ancestors. Henry–“Between the two of us, we have a family tree rooted in hell!”
Geoffrey le Bel’s half-brother, Baldwin, the King of Jerusalem died on this day, too; his father, Fulk of Anjou, was Geoffrey’s father–he’d turned Anjou over to young Geoffrey to make him a fitting husband for the Empress Maude and then became King of Jerusalem by marrying its queen, Melisande–Sharan Newman is currently working on a biography of this very interesting woman and I, for one, can’t wait to read it. Though after that, I hope she gets back to her excellent Catherine le Vendeur mystery series.
Lastly, one of history’s more notorious murders happened on this date in 1567, when Mary Queen of Scots’ unlamented husband, Lord Darnley, was murdered. No novelist could hope to create a life more dramatic and improbable than Mary’s. But that is true for her cousin Elizabeth, too, the only “good Tudor.” And also for Henry, Eleanor, and their Devil’s Brood. Or the Yorkist kings, or…well, you get the drift. Truth always seems to trump fiction when the Plantagenets and the Tudors are involved; same for Ancient Rome. If only Hollywood script writers would realize that.
Today’s Facebook Note.
Today in 1466, Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville had their first child, a daughter they named Elizabeth. Looking at that little baby in her cradle, no one could have imagined what a turbulent, often tragic life she would lead. She died on the same date, February 11, in 1503, at only 37, and even the flint-hearted Henry Tudor was said to have mourned her. Margaret Frazer is working on a novel about Elizabeth of York and that is one I can’t wait to read.
Aw, Sharon took advantage of the Sabbath to post before me! Well, I will mention nevertheless that in addition, Elizabeth and Henry’s son, Henry VIII [IX] of England was recognized as supreme head of the Church of England today.
And today, Enlgand’s ill-starred nine day queen, Lady Jane Grey was executed along with her husband, Lord Guilford Dduley.
Here is today’s FAcebook Note.
We’ve talked recently about how it was not always a good thing to be a princess in the MA; Elizabeth of York, Eleanor of Brittany, Alys of France and her even more unfortunate sister Agnes at once come to mind. That is certainly true for one of history’s more tragic figures, Lady Jane Grey, the 9 Days Queen, who was beheaded on this date in 1554 at age 16.
Sharon and everyone, I’ve got Alison Plowden’s Lady Jane Grey: Nine Days Queen at home but I haven’t read it so far. Is it worth reading?
(To be honest, I got stuck in the Angevin vast domains for good and feel no need of moving anywhere. But perhaps I will visit the Tudors one day:-)).
I know the feeling, Kate. I think I’m about midway through my library system’s holdings on them. Haha.
By the way, is there an email address I could use for communication and discussion? I enjoyed the one we had earlier.
I was re-reading Plantagenet Chronicles ed. by Dr. Elizabeth Hallam yesterday and came across such entry:
1177
The city of Palermo was resplendent with the marriage celebrations of the king of Sicily and the king of England’s daughter. Archbishops and bishops, counts and barons, clergy and people, flocked at once to solemnize the marriage and crowning of the new queen, and Walter archbishop of Palermo performing the marriage ceremony on 13 February.
Ralph of Diceto
I’m sure Sharon and Koby will write something more about William and Joanna.
Here’s my address, Richard:
kateof@wp.pl
Feel free to write:-)
Today, Mary of Burgundy, Margaret of York’s step-daughter and wife to Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, was born. And as Kate notes, today Joanna Plantagenet married William II of Sicily and was crowned Queen of Sicily.
Kate, I haven’t read that book, so I can’t comment. Any one else?
Koby mentioned Mary of Burgundy; Anne Easter Smith has written a novel about Mary’s stepmother, Margaret, the sister of Edward IV and Richard III.
Here is today’s Facebook Note, a rather long one, even for a woman who writes 600 page books.
February 13th was a significant date for one of my favorite Angevins, Eleanor and Henry’s daughter Joanna; she was wed in 1177 to William de Hauteville, King of Sicily, in an elaborate ceremony in Palermo; she’d earlier been given an enthusiastic welcome to his kingdom by her new subjects, riding a white horse through the city streets in a torch-lit parade, her long hair flowing down her back in the style of virgin brides and queens. She was all of eleven years old at the time, had been only ten when she’d first started out on her bridal voyage, escorted through France by her brothers Hal and then Richard. Her new life got off to a wretched start because of her severe sea-sickness; it became so bad that they had to stop at Naples and continue the trip overland. This is why I had her so susceptible to mal de mer in Lionheart.
And on February 13, 1542, one of the more pathetic figures of history was beheaded at the Tower of London, the young and foolish Catherine Howard, a little minnow who found herself ill-equipped to swim with sharks. It is hard not to be moved by her request the night before her execution that the block be brought to her room so she could practice kneeling before it. It is only legend, though, that she said she died the wife of the English king, but would rather have died the wife of Thomas Culpepper. None of the unfortunate souls subjected to Henry’s judicial murders ever denounced him at the last, for they understandably feared what would have befallen their families if they had.
Sharon, I’ve got a little problem with Hal. Not with Hal himself but with his name. Was he really called so by his contemporaries (I mean his closest family and friends), was it a customary diminutive form of the name Henry in MA (used by the royal family) or is it your own invention as a writer? Perhaps I will make a fool of myself by asking but I have to know:-). Please, do remember about my Slavic roots while reading the questions above:-)
Kate, I actually have similar questions regarding Henry V – as Shakespeare refers to him as ‘Prince Harry’ in the plays about his father. If it’s not his nickname, it could just be a way of distinguishing him from his father. I know that in every book I’ve read on the period, I sometimes get confused, because they refer to both he and his father as Henry.
As I’ve never seen Hal used elsewhere, I think it’s something that Sharon uses so that nobody gets confused. Just me.
I don’t know, Richard. Surely it could not have been taken out of nowhere.
Were you asking for my email address or did I get it wrong? It often happens to me. To misunderstand other people:-). The address is somewhere above, further south of Palermo:-)
Kate, I am sure he was not called Hal because he would have been speaking French, not English! When I have so many characters sharing the same name, I obviously have to make use of nicknames in order to save my sanity–not to mention the sanity of my readers. This is one of the drawbacks of writing of medieval people, for they had a bad habit of recycling the same names over and over. In one of my books, I had no less than four characters named Eleanor! I’ve lost count of the Edwards, Richards, and Henrys I’ve had to deal with; one reason why I was fond of Francis Lovell in Sunne was that he was the only Francis in any of my books. John had to add to my woes by naming two of his sons Richard! Now it is enough of a mystery that he’d have named one son after the brother he hated, but two? Ye gads.
Thank you, Sharon. I know Hal didn’t speak English but the word itself is a hard nut to crack for me (being a Polish). It’s the same as with “Koby”: I couldn’t recognize the gender so I thought Koby was rather “she” than “he”:-). In case of “Hal” I was curious whether such a word existed as a name. In English language.
You must be tired of my never ending questions! Thank you for your patience.
Sharon, at least you can be grateful that George Foreman wasn’t a MA figure–didn’t he name all his children “George”? 😀
A facebook friend just posted this YouTube video that neatly encapsulates Richard III’s life in less than nine minutes. It is narrated (the narrator is really good), so put your speakers/earphones on.
Joan – he did. Even his daughter, I think.
A very funny point, Joan. Richard, did George really name his daughter after him, too?? Kate, Hal is a common nickname for Henry in the English language and was used in the Middle Ages. But as I explained and as Richard guessed, I had to come up with ways to tell all the Henrys apart. This is why in Falls the Shadow, I called Simon de Montfort’s eldest son Harry, so as to distinguish him from his royal uncle, Henry III. And I gave Simon’s second son and namesake a nickname of Bran, for I absolutely refused to write “Simon said to Simon…”
Here is today’s Facebook Note, nothing about history, just a plea for help in my ongoing wars with my computer demons. (They are winning.)
Well, I bought a new laptop this weekend, a HP as sleek and speedy as a dolphin. I named her Melusine, after the Demon Countess of Anjou and at first all seemed well. She was printer-friendly, let me install the printer that neither Demon Spawn nor my backup computer would recognize, a huge plus. I figured it would take me a little while to get used to Windows 7 and Microsoft Word 2010, but I was willing to be patient. But yesterday I tried to do some serous work on Melusine, and in no time at all, gremlins reared their ugly little heads. She started to close Word on her own initiative, at one point mutilated the paragraph I was working on–it suddenly had different margins than the others–and began to send me a message that erroneously claimed she’d detected I was holding down the Control Key and did I want to start Word in the safe mode. So….has anyone else encountered problems like this with their laptops? I had very similar problems with my last one, a Toshiba, but I’d tended to blame its quirkiness on the loathsome Vista. Now I can’t decide if laptops in general are as skittish as unbroken horses or if it is simply me and I am doomed to drag around this negative force field that sabotages any technology I come in contact with. I would be very grateful to hear from other laptop users about this frustrating topic. Naively, I’d actually believed for a brief shining moment that Melusine and I were going to make a good team, like Butch and Sundance or Thelma and Louise. Of course those friendships did not end well, but at least they got a good run for their money. Melusine and I had only half a day.
Sharon – Just checked. He has five sons named George and a daughter named Georgetta. The other five or six daughters do not bear similar names. Thankfully.
Sharon, since you just bought this laptop and it sounds like it could be a hardware problem, I think the best thing to do would be to remove everything you installed and bring the laptop back to where you bought it and get a replacement.
Hi,
Sorry for the interruption, but I just wanted to announce that Ms. Penman has graciously agreed to make an appearance at Bookballoon.com on Feb. 15th & 16th for discussion of her wonderful body of work and her latest book. Would love to see this blog’s regulars join in. You don’t have to register in order to read the discussion, but if you decide to participate, the proprietor has slimmed the process requiring only an email address and username. Please help us make this a wonderful success, so that she’ll agree to return in the future.
I did not have time to read through all 101 comments, so someone may already have mentioned two other trilogies by Bernard Cornwell. My first intro to him was The Arthur trilogy (The Winter King, Enemy of God, Excalibur) and I was hooked from the first word. It is a much more realistic, grittier imagining of the Arthur story. Also quite excellent is his Grail trilogy (The Archer’s Tale, Vagabond, Heretic) which tells the story of an archer in Edward I’s army, specifically the battle of Crecy. He somehow works in some Grail lore. Both series are amazing – he is truly a master of the genre.
I agree with you about Bernard Cornwll, Julie. He is a very gifted writer and from everything I’ve heard, a very nice guy, who is generous about helping other writers and very generous with his readers, too.
Here is today’s Facebook Note.
I don’t often get to be proud of New Jersey, for it has the highest property taxes in the country, the highest car insurance rates, high income and sales taxes, lacks its own television stations, has a football team that is based in New Jersey but calls itself the New York Giants, and don’t even get me started about the Jersey Shore bunch. But I am proud of my state for what happened yesterday, when the assembly joined the senate in voting to approve gay marriage. This is an important civil rights issue, and I am very happy that Jersey is on the side of the angels, but very unhappy that our governor is promising to veto it. I do like his response, however, to the criticism he received for ordering state flags to be flown at half-mast after Whitney Houston’s death; when told that people were upset that he was honoring a drug addict, he said, “There but for the Grace of God…”
Moving from history in the making to history already made. On this date in 1461, the second Battle of St Albans was fought. It was a disastrous defeat for the Yorkist commander, the Earl of Warwick; the Lancastrians retook their king, the hapless Henry VI, who’d been in Warwick’s custody. Things were looking very dire for York. It was then that the young Duke of York, Edward, showed his mettle. After the battle, Queen Marguerite made a huge tactical mistake; she allowed her troops to brutally sack St Albans. Londoners were already fearful, having heard stories of the depredations of the Lancastrian army as it swept south. So when they learned that Edward was less than fifty miles from their city, they rioted, overruled their council and mayor, and on February 26, the city gates swung open to admit Edward and the Earl of Warwick. Edward, not yet 19, rode into a tumultuous welcome, taking a huge step on his road to the throne, and letting the world, the Lancastrians, and his cousin Warwick see that this cocky, charming youth was a force to be reckoned with. The scene in which he is acclaimed by the Londoners has always been one of my favorites in Sunne. But my very favorite scene is the one in the tavern in Bruges, during their exile.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, in this case Durnstein Castle, Richard has just passed the most miserable Christmas of his life. You can go to YouTube and see some videos of the haunting ruins of Durnstein. Perched on a cliff high above the Danube, it offers spectacular views. Somehow I doubt that Richard appreciated them much.
Sharon, I love the way you described Edward’s reception by the Londoners from Cecily’s point of view. It was a very good writing solution. (IMHO) The best you could choose. I was as moved as if I were Edward’s mother or sister myself!
And I daresay that you are an expert in tavern scenes:-). The one in Devil’s Brood when Hal, Richard and Geoffrey meet to discuss their mother’s future as an abbess is a masterpiece. I almost laughed my head off while reading it.
(Although nothing compares to John shaking his head at the sight of Geoff shifting the chess pieces on the board to let Henry win:-))
Don’t forget Morgan and his brother Bleddyn (f/k/a Gilbert), who discuss their contrasting views in a tavern, speaking in the Welsh.
Indeed, Malcolm. It seems that a tavern is not only literary-friendly but also family-friendly venue, worthy predecessor of today’s cafe 🙂
I liked that scene, too, Malcolm; of course I am always happy to write any scene with my Welsh characters. I am so glad you thought the tavern scene with Henry’s sons was funny, Kate. I really enjoyed writing about Henry and Eleanor’s devil’s brood, for all four sons were so different…and three of them were very clever, indeed. Hal being the odd man out. But he apparently did have great personal charm, for he was the only one of the entire family to be truly popular with the people. Henry, a great king, was not that well liked, oddly. Geoffrey, of course, never got to be king, though Malcolm and i agree he’d have been a very good one, based on his performance as Duke of Brittany. Richard was popular because of his crusader heroics, but I suspect the bloom was off the rose by the time he died because of the heavy tax demands he made on his subjects, first for his ransom and then for his war with Philippe. John does not seem to have been any more popular with his subjects than he was with his barons and chroniclers, all of whom seemed to have loathed him.
And here is today’s Facebook Note.
February 18th was not a good day for George, Duke of Clarence, for he was executed for treason on this date in 1478. Legend has it that he was drowned in a butt of malmsey. As picturesque an ending as that would have been, I’ve never been able to confirm it actually happened. If it did, most likely it would have been at his request, for apparently there was a common (erroneous) belief in the MA that drowning was an easy death. I never had any sympathy for George; he murdered that poor woman Ankarette Twynyho and certainly made life very difficult for his long-suffering family. I think he is the worst brother of a king in English history, even worst than John, for John was clever and George seems to have been a total twit.
Even though I have concentrated on Richard III, I have not put that much research into his brother, George–so my overall impression is one of an opportunist without a center. For me, what he did to Ankarette Twynyho and rule of law because of that was worse than his treason. IMO, he deserved being executed for that alone. However, all evidence I’ve seen, points to his being a faithful husband and that he did love his wife. Since Ankarette tended to Isabel, it’s possible that George took his grief out on her when he accused her of having caused his wife’s death (I think she died of consumption). I’ve also wondered if his railroading the jury to find Ankarette guilty was one reason why Richard III enacted the laws regarding bail, jury, and having to be charged in order to be held in “gaol” stating that the laws shall cease to be an instrument of oppression and extortion.
Indeed, Sharon. And in addition, Frederick II Holy Roman Emperor signed a ten-year truce with al-Kamil, regaining Jerusalem, Nazareth, and Bethlehem without military engagements or support from the Holy See.
Hal might not have been very clever but he must have had his great-grandfather’s (William IX of Aquitaine) flair for adventure and poetic. It was Richard who wrote and composed but Hal actually lived poetry (as if taken from one of Chretien de Troyes’s Romances).
As for Geoffrey, I agree. Had he been given a chance he would have made a great king. A match for his lord father indeed! The methods Geoffrey used to win the unruly Breton barons over- what a contrast to those used by Richard!
Joan, I just posted on Facebook about how rarely the highborn were called to account for crimes. Political crimes, yes, for that was treason. But crimes like the murder of Ankarette…George was never punished for that miscarriage of justice. I can think of only two cases in which nobility were punished for ordinary crimes. Richard I hanged the Lord of Chis for preying upon pilgrims on their way to the shrine at Compostela and Simon de Montfort punished the Earl of Derby for banditry. But those were the exceptions to the rule. That is an interesting speculation about Richard’s motivation for his reform of trial law.
I agree, Kate, that Hal was very good at stealing the spotlight and because he was so handsome and dashing and charming when he wanted to be, he was popular with the people–those who did not have to dun him for unpaid bills. But his accomplishments were like a handful of smoke and cobwebs. He became successful at the tournaments, but was not much of a general, not a patch on Richard or Geoffrey. He had no interest in Henry’s legal reforms. Basically, he was a playboy prince born centuries before his time. He’d have been the darling of today’s paparazzi.
I would be careful with “handsome and dashing and charming”. What Hal’s contemporaries understood by that may not necessarily mean the same today:-) I wouldn’t be surprise to discover that he was rather short, with pale complexion and translucent watery eyes 🙂
And yes, judging him in terms of his political, administrative and military achievements, well, I have to agree, nothing.
But for the common people, throughout all the centuries, it has been the glamour and the dazzle that they’ve yearned for, the sparkles of light in their everyday mundane effforts. And Hal was such a sparkle (a good material for today’s celebrity :-), in this I also agree).
But I have this very impression (and cannot free myself from it) that it was him who was the most “deceived”. He had been promised so much and got nothing in the end. Even his only child died. So he failed in almost everything. I can’t even imagine how he felt there, awaiting death (not very royal one) at Martel, and summing up his wasted life. And his popularity? So short-lived (except for his way to sainthood:-)), died with the people who knew him in his lifetime. Scarcely anyone remembers him today. You may say that Geoffrey is the neglected one, the forgotten, but everyone taking closer look at his accomplishments in ruling Brittany is highly impressed. But to be crowned (even twice) and anointed king and eventually never be counted as one by posterity- that’s a true reason for despair.
Besides, David Crouch takes completely different view on the tournament. It’s not mere entertainment, he argues, it’s a social phenomenon of great importance and way of living. And what the Old King saw as the waste of time, money, and potential danger to social order, the Young King saw as they way to prove himself worthy. While, after the Great Rebellion of 1173-74, he was accompanying his lord father in his travels around England, he said:
‘It could be a source of much harm to me to stay idle for so long, and I am extremely vexed by it. I am no bird to be mewed up. A young man who does not travel around could never aspire to any wothwhile thing, and he should be regarded as of no account’
His words cast light on how much it really meant to him, I daresay. And even now, after 900 years, I can sense a true sincerity in them.
Sharon, it’s the last entry, I promise:-). I’m afraid I will never change my view on Hal. In this I am like William Marshal, faithful to the very end:-) my end, this time.
Kasia, that’s really fascinating! I like your views on Young Henry.
Thank you,Teka. I know it’s compassion speaking through me rather than reason (I absolutely agree with Sharon that both Geoffrey and Richard were most skilled and capable rulers) but there’s such an overwhelming feeling of sadness and loss about Hal, I cannot explain it.
And one more thing- thank you for calling me Kasia 😉
And today, Conan IV, Duke of Brittany died, making his daughter Constance and her husband Geoffrey the rulers of Brittany. In addition, Tancred I ‘the Bastard’, King of Sicily died, clearing the way for Heinrich VI and Constance becoming rulers of Sicily.
I love your blog.. very nice colors & theme. Did you create this website yourself or did you hire someone to do it for you? Plz answer back as I’m looking to construct my own blog and would like to know where u got this from. cheers
Kasia, I’d have been happy to call you that if only I’d known it was your preference; it is a lovely name.
Hobert, my website was designed and managed by Bella Web Site Design. If you are interested, I can give you the contact information. Glad you like it.
Here is today’s Facebook Note.
Sharon Kay Penman
Yesterday was a first for me; I didn’t get to log onto Facebook even once. I was in the midst of a key Ransom chapter, and then I had more computer trouble. I’m guessing this does not surprise anyone. Friday night Microsoft Word went totally crazy on me; I had signed up for tech support with the Geek Squad and called them, but the woman I spoke with could not help. She thought it was the touchpad, but it wasn’t. When I called again, I was told to take the new laptop to Best Buy, but they admitted it might take days to get around to fixing it. Thankfully on Saturday I decided to try tech support one more time before lugging Melusine off to Best Buy. And this time I got a dear, sweet soul who is now in my will, for he managed to exorcise Word’s demons. So I was able to get back to Richard and Duke Leopold. On Sunday, I thought I had a good chance of finishing the chapter. So what happened? The new printer stopped working. Who could make stuff like this up?
Historically speaking, Tancred of Lecce, King of Sicily, died today in 1194. His must have been such a bitter death, for he’d lost his elder son and heir in December, and knew his queen and four year old son would be no match for Heinrich. And indeed, Heinrich disavowed the agreement he’d made with Sybilla, shipped her off to a convent in Germany and her young son was blinded and castrated and, not surprisingly, died soon after.
This is also the date in 1542 when Henry VIII’s son Edward was crowned. Amazing how those pushy Tudors always manage to intrude upon these pages, isn’t it?
Sharon, I like “Kate” too. It’s as if I were living two different lives- the real one, here, in Poland, as Kasia and the “new” one (I take it as a completely new and exciting, and exhilarating) on your blog, as Kate. With you all and the Angevins of course! That’s why I’ve chosen to use two names. And also for your sake, to save you all “gender problem”.
But Teka did take me by surprise and it was actually very nice surprise:-) (by the way, is Teka “he” or “she”? Gender problem, again:-))
As for fighting the machines, it’s the worst kind of war. I know something about it!
Teka, in my case, is very much a “she”. ; ) It’s a Brazilian diminutive form of my real name, Theresa, which I use online. (I’m not Brazilian, but friends of mine are, and they suggested it as a possible handle.) I am happy to be addressed by either name.
I haven’t read the Cornwell novels yet, but I’ve been following A Song of Ice and Fire since the first book came out. I lost heart halfway through the third book, but went through a Grand Read of the whole series just in time to finish with the newly-released Dance With Dragons. I read a review by Walter Jon Williams (a wonderful and sadly under-read science fiction writer), who said it was something of a reworking of the Wars of the Roses in a fantasy setting. So I HAD to read that!
George Martin used the Wars of the Roses as a launching pad for his series, Teka, but then let his imagination take him wherever it wanted to go. I envy him being able to decide the fate of his characters, for I’d have loved to be able to do that in Sunne. If it were up to me, we’d never have heard of the Tudor dynasty (though I’d have missed Elizabeth, I admit) for Richard would have won at Bosworth. Two names, two lives, Kasia-Kate, sounds like a good idea to me.
Here is today’s Facebook Note.
Sharon Kay Penman
I think we can safely assume that February 21, 1173 was not a date Henry would look back upon fondly, for this is when Thomas Becket was proclaimed a saint. Despite his spectacular penance at Canterbury Cathedral, I suspect Henry never truly believed Becket was a saint. But after the King of Scotland was captured at the very moment Henry was on his knees atoning for his part in Becket’s murder, maybe he did have a doubt or two? My own sense is that he saw this as proof that God had forgiven him. As for the rest of the family, I never found any mention of Eleanor ever visiting Becket’s shrine in the years after she regained her freedom, although Richard is known to have done so, and there is a legend that Joanna became very devoted to St Thomas.
I am very happy to report that another Geek Squad knight (probably in blue jeans) rode to my rescue last night and resurrected the printer for Melusine. Sadly, Demon Spawn seems to have resented Sir Tech and me spending two hours with Melusine for he took it upon himself to purge all of the e-mails in my Sent folder. I’m seriously thinking about switching my e-mails to Lady Melusine. Since she has no mail program loaded, I get to choose. Can anyone recommend something besides Outlook Express?
As for the rest of the family dropping in on Saint Thomas, I’ve been re-reading Plantagenet Chronicles ed. by Dr. Elizabeth Hallam (trying to spot Hal wherever I could :-)) and here’s the outcome:
(Of course it’s by Ralph of Diceto. IMHO, the most reliable and trustworthy source, although I must admit that- do not get me wrong- Gerald of Wales’s saucy style is quite entertaining :-))
1175
‘The two kings of England, whom the previous year the kingdom had not been big enough to contain, came together and crossed to England in a single boat on 9 May. They ate together at the normal meal times on the same table, and rested their limbs in the same bedroom. The egregious martyr Thomas entertained them both equally on their pilgrimage to Canterbury, on 28 May.’
So, I assume, we can safely add Hal to the list above:-)
Malcolm, I’ve sent two e-mails to you in reply to your last one. Please, confirm that they have already reached you. Last time when I was trying to write to you I got the information that there was some problem on your side and my e-mails came back to me :-). I am very grateful for your recommendation. I’ve already heard a lot about Judith Everard’s part in creating Geoffrey:-)
Ordinarily, I recommend accessing email through a web browser where possible. I know that my ISP provider has a webmail feature, Sharon. Check to see if your ISP provider has this feature (mine is Cox, others are Charter, Comcast, etc.) One reason I think this is the best route is because once you get the email off the computer (Mac, PC, or Linux), you always have access to your email from any computer from any web browser and you never have to transfer email from one computer to another when you upgrade. However, if you prefer to keep your email on a computer, then I recommend Mozilla’s Thunderbird. Everyone I know who uses it gives it very high marks.
Joan
Kasia, I have not received your recent messages. If my spam program has held them up, I will release them. Otherwise, I do not know what the problem would be. Your messages on January 26 and 29 reached me without any delay.
Malcolm, I have just received Mailer Deamon information that all my tries (altogether two :-)) to reach you failed. The messages have come back. If there might be some potential danger to your computer system do not release them, please. I don’t want to cause troubles.
In answer to your question about Facebook, I’m afraid I can’t afford to join it at this very moment of my life. Too much fuss and too little time! And I’m afraid that among the very wanted friends, those unwanted would flock too:-)
I know that you, being an expert on Geoffrey and the Breton branch of the family, will be able to provide me with the answer to my question: do you find it highly probable that John actually killed Arthur himself?
In the whole matter, I cannot free myself from the very impression that John was somehow a victim too. That his feeling of insecurity reached its climax those days (ha was actually left alone, with his allies abandoning him one by one) and there was no other way out.
I can still remember your “clash” with Koby. The one over John. Then I didn’t understand why you were so tough on the youngest of Eleanor and Henry’s devil’s brood but now, when I already know that Geoffrey’s family is particulary close to your heart and your interests, all is clear. Just as I am Hal’s champion, you are Geoffrey’s
(of course, I’m perfectly aware of the fact that Hal is no match for his younger brother(s):-)).
Kasia, I think it is sort of sweet that you have a soft spot for Hal. He would not have been a good king; in fact, I’d go so far as to say he’d have been a disaster. But he most definitely does not deserve to be lumped in with history’s villains, for there does not seem to have been any malice in him. He just would have been better off had he not been the eldest surviving son.
Here is today’s Facebook Note.
As soon as you read this story, you’ll see why it amused me–a German shepherd named Cody chased a cat up a tree, only in this case, it was a mountain lion. Happily, all ended well. It was decided to let the cat come down in his own good time, which he did, and I am sure Cody is the hero of the neighborhood. I could definitely have seen my Cody doing the same thing; luckily for him, mountain lions were rather scarce in the Jersey Pinelands. http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/22/10477651-pet-dog-chases-mountain-lion-up-a-tree
Sometimes I try to imagine what would have happened if William (the eldest) hadn’t died and I usually come to conclusion, a sad one, that nothing would have changed (unless William would have been moulded out of the same clay as Richard, then the outcome might have been disastrous for Henry much earlier than 1189).
As for Hal, I do have a soft spot for him. Maybe it’s because I’m also the eldest in the family, I’m also a hothead and I had a difficult relationship with my father. I should also add that I have never lost my childhood fascination with “knight in shining armour”:-).
A funny thing happened to me yesterday: I was writing here, on the blog, when my son Franek (Francis), with a disarming sincerity of a four-year-old,
exclaimed “Not that lady again! I see her every day!”:-)
Kasia, have you read the translation of Histoire de Guillaume Marshal? Given your interest in knights, I think you’d find it fascinating, for William Marshal was the ultimate knight, of course. Elizabeth Chadwick has written two books about WM, The Greatest Knight and The Scarlet Lion. I haven’t read either yet, waiting till I finish my Angevin arc since some of the same events happen in both our books, but many of my readers just loved these books. I’m guessing Franek does not like to share his mother’s time! With you as his mom, I’m sure he’ll soon develop a fascination with history and knights, too.
Here is today’s Facebook Note, another example of real people having lives more dramatic than anything a novelist could invent.
On this date in 1447, died one of medieval history’s more colorful figures, Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, younger brother of Henry V. He’d served a Lord Protector for a time for his nephew, the child-king Henry VI, and feuded bitterly with the boy’s other uncle, Cardinal Henry Beaufort, son of John of Gaunt and Katherine Swynford. He was a patron of the arts and said to be popular with the people. He annulled his marriage to his first wife to wed his mistress, Eleanor Cobham, who’d been the first wife’s lady in waiting. She was accused of sorcery in 1441, having sought astrologers to forecast the future of the young king. Those charged with her were executed and she was sentenced to life imprisonment; she died at Beaumaris Castle in 1452. By that time, Humphrey himself was dead; he was charged with treason in 1447 and died suddenly three days later while in custody. There was naturally suspicions of poison, but historians seem to feel it was a natural death, perhaps a stroke or heart attack. I admit that this is not my era, so my knowledge of events is rather superficial, and I’d appreciate it if anyone more knowledgeable corrects any errors I may have made or just wants to add to this remarkable story. My friend Margaret Frazer dealt with Humphrey’s death in one of her mysteries, The Bastard’s Tale, which I recommend highly. It does seem that it was not lucky to be a Duke of Gloucester in the 15th century, doesn’t it?
Sharon, I’d read The Greatest Knight before Devil’s Brood and it was great fun to compare your and E. Chadwick’s different approaches to the same characters and events.
As for The History of William the Marshal, I haven’t read it yet (except for a few fragments I was lucky enough to find online) but I’m considering joining in Anglo-Norman Text Society to get the English translation by S.Gregory and D.Crouch.
I am an avid fan of D. Crouch’s work. I’ve got his biography of William Marshal and Tournament at home, both meticulous and exhaustive studies.
PS. My children, Emilka (Emily) and Franek, already know your name and the covers of your books (those we have at home). They also have a few books on chivalry on their own (proper for their age, of course).
I am a fan of Dr Crouch’s books, took, Kasia. I think his biography of WM is easily the best, especially the reprint with additional information. He solved a mystery, too, by identifying the mother of one of Henry II’s illegitimate sons, and that was very helpful to me in my fourth mystery, Prince of Darkness.
Whose mother did Dr Crouch identify? I have to admit that I do not know all Henry’s illegitimate children :-). Perhaps, William, Earl of Salisbury? Wasn’t it him, beside Henry himself, whom Marie de France dedicated her lais to?
Malcolm, thank you for your reply. I’ll try to write back during the weekend and hope to succeed this time:-)
I haven’t time to reply now, Kasia, will get back later today. It was Morgan whose mother was identified, and he would later make a great sacrifice because he was unwilling to deny that Henry was his father. The mother of William of Salosbury was known only as “Countess Ida,” but we know know her family and that she later wed Roger Bigod, Earl of Norfolk; this was discovered fairly recently. Like most medieval monarchs, Henry tried to provide for his out of wedlock children.
Here is today’s Facebook Note.
Nothing significant happened on this date in the Angevin and Plantagenet worlds that I can remember. But two very important events happened in Elizabethan England. On this date in 1570, Elizabeth was excommunicated by the Pope, and this would have serious consequences for the remainder of her reign, making her much more vulnerable to assassination and creating dangerous strain on her relationship with her Catholic subjects. And on this same date in 1601, the Earl of Essex was executed. Henry VIII went off hunting and courting Jane Seymour the day he murdered his queen, Anne Boleyn, but his daughter did not shrug off executions so lightly and this must have been a difficult day for her, as was the day that Mary, Queen of Scots died. And yes, I know they were even more difficult days for Mary and Essex, but they were not random victims pulled in off the street to meet the executor’s axe. Both were in large degree the architects of their own fate, although Mary’s destiny was far more complex and controversial than Essex’s.
Ah, Sharon, but you forgot the Welsh World (though it is connected to the Plantagenet world as well)!
Today, Dafyd ap Llywellyn, Prince of Gwynedd (Plantagenet through his mother, who was John’s bastard daughter), died at his home at Abergwyngregyn.
Wow, Koby, how could I have forgotten Davydd? I always found him to be a very sympathetic character, for it is no easy thing to be the son of a great man. But Davydd did the best he could under difficult circumstances, and had his life not been so cruelly cut off so soon, who is to say what he might have accomplished? I have another reason for being very fond of Davydd; he starred in one of my favorite scenes in Falls the Shadow, the one in which he met his half-brother Gruffydd under a flag of truce at Cricieth Castle, supposedly to discuss peace terms. But Davydd knew Gruffydd would fight him to his last mortal breath and so he took dramatic and drastic action to end his brother’s rebellion, imprisoning Gruffydd in defiance of the Church truce. The Bishop of Bangor was understandably appalled and turned on Davydd in outrage. “Have you gone mad? Do you not realize what you’ve done? Jesus God, you swore a holy oath that you’d not harm him!” Davydd turned from the window. “I lied,” he said.
Good morning, everyone!:-)
The weather here, in Poland, leaves much to be desired. To be honest, it’s simply awful. The snow has just melted and we are muddy and floody (haven’t I just made up a new word in English?:-)).
Anyway, the depressing view outside makes me think of Henry II’s moveable household hurrying along the jolly English countryside in similar conditions. And of Peter of Blois moaning and groaning, complaining about poor wine, unbaked bread and other “comforts” of travels with the King:-)
But it’s not Peter I would like to quote here today but rather certain Ralph, Dean of St Paul’s :-). On this date, in 1179 he notes:
‘Young King Henry, the king’s son (..) passed three years in tournaments, spending a lot of money (…) His popularity made him famous; the old king was happier counting up and admiring his victories, and although the Young King was still under age , his father restored in full his possessions which had been taken away. Thus occupied with knightly matters until no glory was lacking him, he sailed from Wissant and was received with due honour by the king his father on 26 February’
I’m sorry Sharon for using so much space. I’ve spotted Hal’s name and had to share the information above with you all:-)
Kasia, you can post as many and as lengthy posts as you like; they are always fascinating! Richard has enjoyed his celebrity status for eight centuries, and a number of my readers have told me that after reading Devil’s Brood, they’d become members of Geoffrey’s fan club, and even John has his defenders. So it is only fair that Hal has someone to speak up for him, too.
Thank you, Sharon :-). There is, however, one question bothering me, namely: why did Ralph consider Hal still under age? In 1179 the Young King was 24. I was a little bit surprised while reading the quotation above.
Do you think it might have something to do with Hal’s immature attitude towards kingship?
One more thing, Sharon. Are you trying to tell me that I’m actually the only member of Hal’s fan club? 🙂
Er…maybe. Actually, a few others have confessed to a certain fondness or sympathy for him, but in the Devil’s Brood popularity contest, I’m afraid he lags well in the year; even John has the King John Society in the UK, or so I’ve been told.
Ralph’s comment puzzled me, too, Kasia; wish we could ask him what he meant!
I’ve always actually ranked Geoffrey lowest. I think he might’ve made a good king, but as a person, there’s not much of a redeeming factor for me – something that, as much as I despise John, I must admit that he had.
Hal had flaws, sure, but he was apparently a good person – even if he wasn’t the best of kings. My top has always been Richard. I think that despite how they hated one another, he was the most like his father – which might’ve been why they clashed so often. He had his flaws, sure, but he was probably the best of the Brood at overcoming them.
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Das ist via Leerschritt dieses sei’s drum was charakter gesehen habe.
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