At this time last year, I was in Paris, getting to know my
fellow tour participants and already sure this was going to be a memorable trip. I was so right. We had a wonderful experience chasing after
Eleanor’s ghost. There were times when
we were sure that if we turned quickly, we’d catch a glimpse of her from the
corners of our eyes or at least hear the rustle of silken skirts. And other spirits were quite willing to
barge in unexpectedly. At the
formidable Norman castle of Falaise, I sensed the brusque, glowering presence
of William the Conqueror. At Le Mans,
Henry hovered nearby as we visited his beautiful cathedral, site of his
christening. At the spectacular Mont St
Michel, it was Justin de Quincy and his nemesis, Durand, whom I channeled,
racing the in-coming tide toward the island abbey. Chinon was Henry’s. It was impossible not to think of Hal,
chortling to himself as he fled the castle in the dead of night, with the peculiar
insularity of the very young and the very spoiled, not realizing what pain he
would be inflicting upon his father.
We also thought of happier times at Chinon, for Henry loved it there and Eleanor was often
with him at Chinon in the days when he still loved her, too. But none of us could forget it was at
Chinon that Henry drew his last anguished breath, feverishly muttering “Shame
upon a conquered king” after learning that his best-loved son had betrayed
him. Angers was easier for those of us
who ached for Henry. This re-doubtable
castle was a popular one with the Angevins; Joanna was born here. And then there was Fontevrault….the
magnificent abbey that is Eleanor’s. She
was always close at hand, listening approvingly as we shared stories of her
remarkable life, rolling her eyes at the surprising ignorance of the local
guide, smiling at our awe as we stood in the church, admiring the beauty of her
last resting place and looking upon the stone effigies of Eleanor and the two
men she loved. We
had so much fun on this trip, and I feel very fortunate that I will be able to
do it again in September of 2013.
In the
meantime, there are other tours beckoning for those who share my passion for
the past. Elizabeth Chadwick is leading
a William Marshal tour this year, and anyone who has read The Greatest Knight
or The Scarlet Knight knows that Elizabeth has forged a special connection with
the Marshal, one she is willing to share in October. And who better than Margaret George to
bring the Tudors to life this coming October?
From The Autobiography of Henry VIII to Mary, Queen of Scots to
Elizabeth I, Margaret’s novels have conjured up Tudor ghosts for us in all
their perversity, pride, and sordid splendor.
Forget that Showtime farce; this will be the real deal. Best of all, there is still time to join
their tours, for a few places are left. Here
are the links to their websites for more information.
http://www.margaretgeorge.com/wp-content/uploads/MGeorgeTour_v1_r6_Jan121.pdf
http://www.elizabethchadwick.com/Downloads/GreatestKnight_Tour.pdf
I am just sorry I cannot join them myself.
June 6,2012
Ha, September 2013 – I’ll be there with bells on! Thanx for the heads up.
Wonderful, Britta. I love going on book tours since that gives me a chance to meet my readers, many of whom I now know from Facebook. But meeting them in France is even better!
Sharon, thank you for mentioning Hal:-)
I hope to make some new friends on the Wiiliam Marshal tour. If it is anything like the ‘Eleanor’ tour with Sharon it will a unique and magical bonding experience. Two trips of a lifetime in one lifetime. I feel incredibly fortunate (and I will pay back what I owe on them one day….. Sigh!)
I hope you all have fun. Most likely I will not be able to come, but who knows? Maybe fortune will smile upon me.
In any case, today, the Siege of Jerusalem during the First Crusade began, and Robert the Bruce died.
Today’s rather long Facebook Note.
On June 7, 1099, the siege of Jerusalem began by the army of the First Crusade. It fell within a month, and a massacre of the Muslim and Jewish citizens followed. At one time it was believed that every man, woman, and child in the city were slain, but subsequent research has revealed some survived to be sold into slavery. Thomas Asbridge, author of the excellent “The Crusades,” says that close contemporary Hebrew testimony indicates that the death toll may not have exceeded three thousand, rather than the 10,000 figure that had been generally accepted. It was an undeniably brutal attack, though, and a calculated one, lasting at least two days, and in the words of one eye-witness, “Even the soldiers who were carrying out the killing could hardly bear the vapours rising from the warm blood.” When Saladin lay siege to the city 98 years later, he at first declared he meant to storm and sack Jerusalem, telling Balian d’Ibelin, who would become the savior of the city, that “You will receive neither amnesty nor mercy,” later saying in a letter to the Caliph of Baghdad that “We refused (a request for terms) point blank, wishing only to shed the blood of the men and to reduce the women and children to salvery.” By threating to destroy Jerusalem’s Islamic Holy Places, executing the thousands of Muslim prisoners held in the city, and fighting to the death, Balian d’Ibelin convinced Saladin to allow the people to ransom themselves, using the money that Henry II had contributed to the Kingdom of Jerusalem. There was not enough money to ransom them all and some were sold into slavery, but as Dr. Asbridge points out, “Even if the final settlement was heavily influenced by Balian’s threats, by the norms of the day, the terms that Saladin did agree were generous, and more important still, they were honoured.” Those who could pay their ransoms were allowed to take their personal belongings and were given safe conduct to Tyre or Tripoli. We know Henry never shared his son Richard’s crusading fervor, having been cornered into taking the cross by the wily Archbishop of Tyre; I suspect that had he lived, he’d have found ways to postpone his departure for Outremer indefinitely as he’d done in the past. But I don’t doubt that he must have been pleased to learn that his generous financial support to the kingdom made it possible for thousands to avoid the slave markets at Cairo and Damascus. And Saladin deserves credit for doing what the leaders of the First Crusade did not—avert a bloodbath.
And on June 7, 1329, the Scots king known as Robert the Bruce died at age 54, most likely of leprosy. He asked Sir James Douglass to take his heart to the Holy Land. Douglas was slain in Granada, though, fighting the Moors, and Robert’s heart was retrieved, returned to Scotland, and buried at Melrose Abbey. Not all of you may know of Edward I’s harsh treatment of Robert’s wife, sisters, and daughter. He ordered that the Bruce’s sister Mary and daughter Marjorie, who was age twelve or younger, were to be confined in iron and wood cages, as was the Countess of Buchan; Marjorie was soon removed from her cage at the Tower of London to a nunnery, but the other two women were not as fortunate, although doubts have been raised about the story that the Countess of Buchan was actually suspended in a cage from the castle walls. The Bruce’s wife Elizabeth and his other sister Christian were held at castles and convents during their long confinement in England—from 1306 until 1314. The Countess of Buchan’s offense seems have been that she’d angered Edward by participating in the inauguration of Robert the Bruce as King of Scotland. None of these women were ever accorded any judicial process, but simply confined at the English king’s command. But unlike the fates of the daughters of Llywelyn ap Gruffydd and his brother Davydd, none of the unmarried Scots women were forced to take vows, which Gwen Seabourne, author of Imprisoning Medieval Women, sees as “indicative of a greater caution on Edward’s part toward his Scots enemies than to his more completely subjugated Welsh enemies.” He proved this again by subjecting Davydd a brutal death by being drawn and quartered, a fate he spared the rebels taken prisoner after Evesham, knowing he could make an example of Davydd with impunity. And of course Davydd’s surviving son spent the rest of his sad life caged nightly at Bristol Castle.
I so love your books and your blog. I read your books several years ago and just loved them. I never, ever re-read books, but, I re-read yours. I have since had a stroke. I remember that I loved your books—but, besides emotion, I couldn’t remember anything. I am now starting over. I am so excited that more of your books have been published. I just can’t get enough.
I just found out I am related to Katherine Beaufort, so, I am even more excited about the wars of the roses. Although, I will always have a huge soft spot for Richard III. He has been so unjustly treated most “historians”.
Thank you for Davydd, Edward and Richard and Eleanor. They have come to be my friends. I love how you treat the women and their roles.
Would love to see you on tour—maybe an other lifetime.
Indeed, Sharon, Edward I was quite ruthless. I never understood what he gained from subjecting those women to such an ordeal, and how he could do such a thing. Did he have no basic standards of modesty and decency?
Today, Edward the Black Prince died, and so did George Neville, archbishop of York. Sharon will no doubt have more to add, I think.
There’s a brilliantly written account of the first assault on Jerusalem in Crusades by Terry Jones and Alan Ereira. The authors themselves openly admit that their work is for the reader with little or no knowledge of the subject, and I happen to be such a reader:-) (apart from Eleanor and Louis’s disastrous journey to the Holy Land:-)) Still, they make me almost laugh my head off each time I come back to their colourful description. It’s both from the Crusaders’ and the Infidels’ perspective. And Tancred’s predicament which eventually lead his army to victory! By the legs of God! (it’s Richard this time and it’s even better than Henry’s “God’s eyes” and William Marshal’s “God’s sword”, don’t you think?) It’s such a good fun! Do try!
P.S. I couldn’t write yesterday, so I just want to mention that on 7 June 1183, when it turned out that “everything was nearly played out and there would be no recovery” (from William Marshal by David Crouch), Hal confessed his sins to Gerald, Bishop of Cahors.
Koby, sometimes I think the truest words ever penned were that power corrupts and aboslute power corrupts absolutely.
I am sure you know, Kasia, that the Angevins shocked people by swearing on God’s body parts. Philippe Capet confined himself to an occasional, “By St James’s Lance!”
Today’s Facebook Note:
On June 8, 1043, Harthacanute died and the English crown passed to Edward the Confessor, which would have interesting repercussions later on. And another significant death occurred on June 8th, this time in 1376, when Edward the Black Prince died, thus dooming England to a child king, his son, the future Richard II. We like What Ifs here; that is a good one. What if the Black Prince had survived his father and become king? Maybe no Lancasterians, no Wars of the Roses, and—gasp—no Sunne in Splendour.
And on June 8, 1191, Richard Coeur de Lion made his usual unobtrusive, modest entry into Acre. That man would have been a PR genius in our time. I had fun with this scene, portraying it through the jaundiced eye of the French king, who watches with Conrad as the English king sweeps into the harbor with banners flying and drums beating and trumpets blaring and comments sourly, “All that is lacking is a dancing bear.”
Typo error above; it should have read 1042.
Indeed, Sharon. But the words you wrote were not exactly true – because the original words had a qualifier, of course: Lord Acton said “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely”.
What is so scary about that observation, Koby, is how true it seems to be. Even men and women who are decent human beings too often sucuumb to the temptation and end up doing things they would have sworn they’d never do prior to being entrusted with so much power.
Here is today’s Facebook note.
June 9th was a slow news day in the medieval world—unless some of my resourceful readers come up with something I missed. So I am going to the next best thing, the medieval fantasy world of George RR Martin. Here are three links to amusing articles about HBO’s Game of Thrones finale and the spectacular battle in the penultimate episode—who knew green fire was so mesmerizing? For my non-Game of Thrones friends and readers, here is a link to a polar bear in a German zoo who throws a big rock at the glass in his enclosure, shattering the glass. If this was indeed an escape attempt, I’d be cheering him on, as I am not comfortable with keeping intelligent animals like bears, elephants, and wolves, etc, in zoos; too often they suffer neurosis as a result of their captivity. At least many zoos have tried to make life more tolerable by trying to create more natural environments for their inmates. I remember as a child going to zoos in which tigers were kept in small cages with only mealtimes to relieve their boredom, and sadly, that is still the case all too often. Anyway, here is the polar bear Great Escape video, with the Game of Thrones links below.
http://www.care2.com/causes/polar-bear-uses-a-stone-to-shatter-its-zoo-enclosure-video.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/maureen-ryan/game-of-thrones-finale-recap_b_1566867.html?ref=topbar
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/maureen-ryan/game-of-thrones-recap_b_1550972.html
http://theclicker.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/06/04/12046920-dragons-disfigurement-destruction-flavor-game-of-thrones-season-finale?lite
Well, today Frederick I ‘Barbarossa’ drowned in the river Saleph while leading his army to join the Third Crusade, and either today or tomorrow, Alexander the Great of Macedon died.
And on Whitsunday in 1128 Henry I knighted Geoffrey of Anjou at Rouen.
“A magnificent ceremony which culminated in the new 14-year-old knight being girded with a sword reputedly forged by Wayland the Smith” ( from The Angevin Empire by John Gillingham). I also recommend a colourful description of Geoffrey’s knightning in History of the English by Henry of Huntington. I’ve just read it in my Plantagenet Chronicles ed. by Dr. Elizabeth Hallam and it seems that Henry was much more enthusiastic about his future son-in-law than his daughter, the Empress:-)
I wish you all beautiful Sunday!
And as for Frederick Barbarossa, I highly recommend Umberto Ecco’s Baudolino. Great book!
Today’s very long Facebook Note.
Several consequential happenings on June 10th. On this date in 1190, Frederick Barbarossa, the Holy Roman emperor, drowned crossing the River Saleph as he led a German army to join the Third Crusade. The details of his death are hazy; some historians say he was swimming to cool off on a hot day, others that he had a heart attack or fell off his horse. Here is what contemporary German accounts say. From The Expedition of the Emperor Frederick, “The emperor, who was unruffled by any danger, wanted to alleviate the dreadful heat and to avoid the mountain peaks by swimming across the fast-flowing river of Seleucia. Even though everyone warned him against this, he entered the water and was swept away by the flood. He who had so often escaped great dangers, died miserably.” The Chronicle of Magnus of Reichersberg says only: “For on 10 June, a Sunday, our most august Emperor Frederick suddenly at about the hour of Vespers ended his days and paid his debt to death. All the pilgrims who were following him lamented and shed tears inconsolably.” The Chronicle of Otto of St Blasien says, “For as the mighty Caesar Frederick marched near Tarsus, he entered a certain river in the hope of cooling down for it was extremely hot and he was a good swimmer. But the sudden cold extinguished his natural heat and he was drowned. “ And here is a letter from one of the crusaders, believed to have been written to a German bishop: “The lord emperor had crossed these valleys and mountains through a short cut and on this same day he traversed the fast-flowing river and reached the other side in safety. He had lunch there and decided to bathe in the same river, for he wanted to cool down with a swim. But by the secret judgment of god, there was an unexpected and lamentable accident and he drowned.” All of these translations are in G. A. Loud’s wonderful The Crusade of Frederick Barbarossa.
Frederick’s death was to have great repercussions, for his son Heinrich then became emperor, with dire consequences for Tancred, King of Sicily, and the Sicilian people. Moreover, had Frederick survived to reach the Holy Land, it is at least possible that he could have kept the animosity between Richard and Philippe in check, for he was much older than they were and an extremely respected figure throughout Europe. It is said Saladin was greatly relieved to hear of Frederick’s death, which was a mortal blow to the German army. Many deserted and many more died in a plague at Antioch; his son and namesake managed to get the survivors to Acre, only to die himself of illness soon thereafter. This meant that when the Duke of Austria arrived that spring, he was the senior representative of the German-speaking contingent and Richard’s brusque, arrogant rebuff would reverberate through their ranks. Had Frederick survived, that episode would never have happened, of course, and Heinrich would not have dared to abduct one of his father’s fellow crusaders.
And on this date in 1258, the Provisions of Oxford were reluctantly accepted by Henry III. Readers of Falls the Shadow will remember that these government reforms were a major source of contention between Henry and Simon, who was determined to curb some of the power of his inept brother-in-law. Here is a link to the Provisions for those who have not read Shadows. (Please consider remedying that straightaway ) Henry and Simon had agreed to submit their differences to the French king’s arbitration, but he was not supposed to pass judgment upon the validity of the Provisions themselves. When in January 1264, the French king declared the provisions were invalid and absolved Henry of his past promises to adhere to them, this made civil war almost inevitable. http://historymedren.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ&zTi=1&sdn=historymedren&cdn=education&tm=22&gps=549_58_984_507&f=22&su=p284.13.342.ip_&tt=2&bt=1&bts=1&st=9&zu=http%3A//www.infoplease.com/ce6/history/A0840343.html
Lastly, my friend Kasia reminded me that on this date in 1128, Henry I knighted young Geoffrey, Count of Anjou, preparatory to wedding his very reluctant bride, Henry’s daughter, Maude. Kasia also recommends Uberto Eco’s Baudolino, saying it is an excellent novel about Frederick Barbarossa.
On this day, in 1183, Henry the Young King, aged 28, died at Martel.
Well, Kasia has preempted me on one matter, but no fear, there is still much to say: today, Troy was sacked and burned, according to Eratosthenes’ calculations. The Miracle of Rain took place, where Marcus Aurelius defeated an army of Quadi that had encircled his army with the help of a violent thunderstorm. Henry [III] the Young King died. The Battle of Jargeau began, which was the start of the French Offensive under Joan of Arc following the raising of the Siege of Orleans. Lastly, Anne Neville, Princess of Wales, Duchess of Gloucester and finally Queen of England was born.
Koby, that very matter is the only matter that really matters today:-).
At least when I’m concerned.
This is for you, Kasia.
The young king was dying in a manor house at Martel in the Limousin, stricken with what they called the bloody flux and we call dysentery. He’d sent word to his father, but Henry did not believe him, for he’d lied again and again and twice Henry had been shot at when trusting to a flag of truce.
P. 527 of Devil’s Brood. The Count of Perche and the Bishop of Agen have arrived with a message from Henry.
“King Henry bade me tell you that he freely and gladly grants you full forgiveness for your sins, and that he has never ceased to love you.”
Hal’s lashes swept down, shadowing his cheeks like fans as tears seeped from the corners of his eyes. “Thank you,” he whispered, although the bishop was not sure if it was meant for him, for Henry, or for the Almighty.
“I bring more than words,” he said and, taking a small leather pouch from around his neck, he shook out a sapphire ring set in beaten gold. He started to tell Hal that this was Henry’s ring, but saw there was no need, for Hal could not have shown more reverence if he’d produced a holy relic.
“He does forgive me, then!” he cried and gave the bishop such a dazzling smile that for a moment the ravages of his illness were forgotten and they could almost believe this was the young king of cherished memory, the golden boy more beautiful than a fallen angel, able to ensnare hearts with such dangerous ease. Then the illusion passed and they were looking at a man gaunt, hollow-eyed, suffering, and all too mortal. Too weak to do it himself, Hal looked entreatingly at the bishop, saying, “Please….” When the bishop slid the ring onto his finger, he smiled again and closed his eyes.
Hal lingered for a while longer, drawing his last breath at twilight on Saturday, the eleventh day of June, 1183, the festival of the blessed St Barnabas the Apostle. Despite having lived his last weeks as little better than a bandit, he was genuinely mourned.
Koby reminded me that June 11, 1456 is also the birthday of Richard III’s queen, Anne Neville. Oh, and I am having major computer troubles again, having lost all of my e-mail yesterday. Lowell, my computer genius, is trying to recover it for me. Please wish us luck.
Kasia, Elizabeth Chadwick asked on one of my Facebook pages about the scene in which Hal asks to be dragged from bed and put on a bed of ashes to atone from his scenes. She said she was sure it came from one of the chronicles, but couldn’t remember which one. I thought it was Roger de Hoveden and when I checked, sure enough, there it was. In case you haven’t read it, I thought I’d mention this. Hal’s death scene occurs on p. 26 of the second volume of his Annals.
The description of Hal beginning with “and gave the bishop such a dazzling smile……” is such a beautifully written phrase—perfection! also very touching & one of my fave in this book, where, for an instant we can forgive Hal his folly because we see him as the boy who had it all & more, but never could manage to cross over to manhood, except perhaps with his last breath.
Sharon, thank you. Actually, I’ve been prepering my own “deathbed” gift for Hal, but the family matters I’ve mentioned have brought about a small delay. I just want to ask if I could possibly send a link tomorrow. Of course if I manage to finish what I have started.
As for Roger de Hoveden, yes, I have read it. Anyway, you’ll see tomorrow. Of course “if I manage to finish what I have started” 🙂
Joan, I cannot agree more! And the “heart-breaking” effect is increased by the jest Hal greets Rotrou and Bernard with.
Thank you, Joan, and Kasia. I was surprised to realize that I’d given Hal one of the longest death scenes of any of my characters in any of my books. But there was so much detail available from the chroniclers that I couldn’t resist it. And whatever his flaws, he made a very ‘good death.” And by all means, do post tomorrow, Kasia. We do not worry about exact dates here!
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