RICHARD AND RAGUSA

Penman

I have always been interested in the Croatian coastal city of Dubrovnik. I am not sure why, for I knew little of its history. It may have been the sheer beauty of the locale—the white medieval walls, the red tile roofs, the turquoise of the Adriatic Sea, the mountains rising up in the distance. Whatever the reason, for as long as I can remember, Dubrovnik has been on my Bucket List of places to visit before I die. In all honesty, I never truly expected to make it, though. But that may be changing, thanks to a man dead more than eight hundred years.

When he was attempting to make his way back to England after the end of the Third Crusade, Richard Lionheart ran into more drama in the span of weeks than most people do in the course of a lifetime—storms at sea, an encounter with pirates, two shipwrecks, a mad dash through enemy territory with just twenty men, and then betrayal and capture, an imprisonment that blatantly violated Church law. His first shipwreck was on the island of Lokrum, just outside the harbor of Ragusa. I was both surprised and intrigued to discover that Richard’s Ragusa was my Dubrovnik.

Ragusa was a fiercely independent republic, nominally under the suzerainty of what we today call the Byzantine Empire, known in Richard’s time as the Empire of the Greeks. It had an old and proud history that dated back to the seventh century, and during its Golden Age in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, it rivaled the much larger cities of Venice and Genoa. It was an oligarchy, ruled by a small elite of patricians—all male, of course. They served by turns on the great council and elected one of their own to serve as rector, limited to very brief terms. The office of rector was not formed until the fourteenth century, though; Richard would have met the Count of Ragusa. But the government structure was the same.

Richard would have found a prosperous, peaceful city. The streets were cleaner than those he’d have been accustomed to in Europe, and medical care was probably better, for the Ragusans imported physicians from the celebrated medical school at Salerno. Public order was an important aspect of life in the republic, and women could walk the streets in greater safety than in the other cities of Christendom, for any man who molested a woman was swiftly punished, even if she was a serving maid and he of high birth. But this protection was not extended to the home. While a female servant could not be accosted in public, she was fair game for her employer. The Ragusans were not concerned with protecting their women, but rather with the protection of children. The rationale was that a man would assume no responsibility for a child born of a street rape, but a child sired by a servant girl’s master would be taken care of by the household. This system worked so well that there was no orphanage established in Ragusa until the end of the fifteenth century. Nor was this medieval city-state a democracy in the sense that we would use that term. It was true that the benefits enjoyed by the patrician inner circle spilled over to the rest of the citizens. But it was also a city of slaves, 90% of them women; in fact, household slaves trained in Ragusa were highly valued in the Italian slave trade.

Ragusa must have seemed like the Tower of Babel to Richard and his men, for four languages would have been heard on the city streets. The local people spoke Slavic and an Italian dialect and what was known as “Old Ragusan.” Fortunately for the English king, Latin was still the official language, so he could communicate with the count and the great council. Even more fortunately for him, Ragusa was one of the few sites on the Adriatic coast where he would be given a friendly welcome. We do not know how long he stayed in Ragusa, but when he sailed away, he left behind a legacy that is remembered there even today.

As his ship was driven toward the rocky coast of Lokrum, Richard had made a desperate vow, promising God that if He spared them, he would pledge the vast sum of one hundred thousand ducats to build a church wherever he landed. English chronicles and Ragusan records say that Richard wanted to erect his church on Lokrum, but the townspeople convinced him to build it within the city. Richard agreed on condition that the Pope would approve this change to a holy vow and that some of the money would be used to rebuild the Benedictine monastery church on Lokrum. And so an English king became the patron of Ragusa’s great cathedral of St Mary. In appreciation for consenting to this change, the Lokrum abbot was permitted to don the archbishop’s mitre and preach a mass each Candlemas in the cathedral; there is a letter to the Pope from the town council in 1598 which explains the origin of this highly unusual custom. The cathedral was destroyed in the earthquake of 1667, but Richard’s memory burned brightly over the centuries in Ragusa. In 1916, a Serbian official publicly sought England’s aid, reminding the British that “Richard received our hospitality and built for us a beautiful church on the spot where our ancestors saved him from shipwreck on his way back from the Crusade.”

While researching Richard’s time in Ragusa, I stumbled onto another remarkable story, that of the Archbishop of Ragusa. We know very little of this enigmatic man. His name was Bernard and he is believed to have been of Italian or Dalmatian origin. In 1189, he was consecrated as the republic’s new archbishop and there is reason to believe he gave Richard a warm welcome. Two years later, though, his relationship with his flock was so fractured that he fled the city and steadfastly refused to return, claiming his life was at risk. He somehow found his way to Richard’s domains, where the English king repaid the hospitality he’d been given in Ragusa. By 1198, Bernard was in England, and after Richard’s death, he rose in the favor of the new king, Richard’s brother John. He would end his days as the Bishop of Carlisle, far from Ragusa.

I would love to know more about the mysterious Bernard, but that is so often the case with these historical snippets of information. We are told just enough to awaken our curiosity, not enough to satisfy it. But now when I think of the beautiful city of Dubrovonik and my Bucket List, I will also think of Coeur de Lion, a medieval cathedral, and an exiled archbishop who died far from home.

I’d promised that I would do another book giveaway for Devil’s Brood before the October publication date for Lionheart. So again—anyone who posts a comment on this blog will be eligible for the drawing. I probably won’t be able to tend to it until the conclusion of the Lionheart book tour, but upon my return home, I will send a signed copy of Devil’s Brood to the winner. Of course, by then I hope you all will be happily engrossed in reading Lionheart!

PS For those interested in learning more about the Republic of Ragusa, I recommend Susan Mosher Stuard’s A State of Deference: Ragusa/Dubrovnik in the Medieval Centuries. And we ought to remember, too, that Dubrovnik—like Sarajevo—suffered through a siege by the Serbian army in 1991-1992, its unfortunate citizens never dreaming that their medieval walls would one day help them to stave off an enemy invasion. I was writing When Christ and His Saints Slept during the siege of Sarajevo and I was chilled that civilians in our time could be enduring the same danger and deprivations that the siege of Winchester brought to the townspeople in 1141.

September 21, 2011

123 thoughts on “RICHARD AND RAGUSA”

  5. Again, I am left in awe, these little snippets remind me of how much I love the stories you write, and can not wait for Lion Heart. Thank you Sharon for giving me a peek at the past and the passion for Englands sons.

  7. Very interesting to learn about Ragusa/Dubrovnik, can’t wait to read Lionheart and follow Richard’s adventures there!

  10. Thanks, Sharon. Your blogs and Facebook notes are just as well written as your books, and always make me want to learn more!

  11. That place sound wonderful….it may have to go on my Bucket List too!
    Looking forward to Lionheart….thanks for the giveaway!

  12. Such a beautiful place! Your blogs on history are always so fascinating and just like with your fiction I feel like I’m there with Richard. I love all the background. I’m really looking forward to reading Lionheart!

  14. Thank you for not just an entertaining book,but something much deeper happens when we begin to turn the pages and enter into the life of some of the most interesting and unique men and women of history. Once again i thank you for awakening a place in me that i did not know was there.

  16. I especially love the little factoids that you add to your snippits, so much history, so little time.

  17. Books and Bucket lists……the two go hand in hand. Luckily I live in Gwynedd and originated from near York, but Ms SKP you are causing my hubby some travel headaches.
    The strange thing is, when I visit these places, I feel that I already know my bearings. Sharon, you breathe life into history :o)

  18. Fascinating! I love stories of the little states that survived – or even thrived – in the ‘gaps’ between the great empires. Ragusa survived until 1808, when it was conquered by Napoleon.

  19. Mike, you might like another book about Ragusa, then. I found the Susan Mosher Stuard book to be most useful, but another interesting book, though set a little later than Richard’s stay, is Age, Marriage, and Politics in Fifteenth Century Ragusa, by David Rheubottom. I was fascinated by Ragusa’s history. I just ordered a book called The Early Medieval Balkans, by John V.A. Fine, jr, which includes Ragusa in its survey of the 6th to the 12th centuries.

  20. Thank you, Sharon, for your website. I agree about learning from your blogs and facebook page. What a treasure. I, too, would like to visit Dubrovnik. I have friends that have been there and tell me it is not only a beautiful place, but the people are very friendly. Guess I need to add it to my bucket list, too. I better hurry up. When you are in your sixties there isn’t alot of time to fulfill the list!!!

  21. I hope this is all going to be part of the sequel to Lionheart. I found it to be extremely interesting. Please enter me in the drawing for a signed copy of Devil’s Brood. I love all of your books.

  22. Sharon, I very much enjoyed reading about Dubrovnik/Ragusa. I had the privilege of being there briefly (a cruise stop). I wish I had known more about it at the time. It was wonderful to walk the streets and also along the wall and look down at the tiled roofs. The thing that I remember is that you could tell which roofs were new (since the war) and those that were ancient.

  23. Someday I will get to to Dubrovnik. I am fascinated by the history. I am looking forward to the release of Lionheart here in the states. Please enter me to win Devil’s Brood.

  24. This was an amazing and informative blog post, I totally enjoyed it. You now have me dreaming about this intriguing coast and its citizens. Thank you Sharon for sharing your knowledge 🙂
    I wish you a great book tour and will look forward to hearing all about it 🙂

  25. Oh, how funny! I have just a few days ago returned from a trip to Croatia which included four days in Dubrovnik (where I read your Welsh trilogy and enjoyed it enormously, by the way!), and now I come on here to find that your Angevins got there a full eight hundred years before I did! I had come across a reference (in another book on the Balkans) to the fact that Richard was responsible for the building of the original cathedral, but didn’t find any reference to the fact in the cathedral itself, so I had begun to dismiss it as just another legend – nice to see it confirmed on here.
    By the way, if your travels do take you to Dubrovnik, it’s a very easy 15-minute boat journey to Lokrum island, today a popular destination for day trips. There are the ruins of a Benedictine monastery and a fortress on the island, though frankly I found it hard to tear myself away from the beach!

  26. What a coincidence, Katie. Richard initially stayed at the Benedictine monastery on Lokrum, but was apparently then invited to stay in the city. Such a shame that the cathedral from his time was destroyed in that earthquake. YouTube has some great videos of Dubrovnik and Lokrum, which has remarkably rocky beaches. And there is a satellite view of Lokrum on-line that is way cool, too. In your travels, did you get to Zadar, too? That is where we think Richard was going after he left Dubrovnik, but he was caught in a terrible storm again and swept all the way to the Italian coast, where his troubles really began. My Australian readers are currently having a contest to see who read one of my books in the most exotic locale; so far, the winner is Mongolia, but I’d put Dubrovnik on the list, too!

  27. My second newsletter. So glad I found you with thanks to a Norah Lofts’ fan on another site (as someone she had found who “comes close to Norah”) Now when this world just gets to be too much I can time-travel on your site. Lucky me.

  29. And on this date in 1515, Anne of Cleves was born. I just put up a brief Note about her on Facebook, recommending the wonderful BBC series, The Six Wives of Henry VIII, happily available on DVD. I think the Anne of Cleves chapter is the best of the lot. She was obviously a clever woman, who deserved a lot better than the Tudor Bluebeard.

  30. Like you, I wish we could know more about Bernard. Sounds like his adventures would make a great novel. I was also fascinated by the info about why slave women were better protected ‘on the street’ than within the home where they served. Great post!

  31. Your books are such wonderful, well-researched reading. I have read them all, and am so very delighted that you have continued the stories of the Plantagenets. I am so looking forward to this newest one! Thank you! (and your blog is as interesting as your novels!)

  32. Very interesting. It sounds like an amazing place.
    Today, Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany and Earl of Richmond, Henry and Eleanor’s son was born, and the first major battle in the Wars of the Roses, the Battle of Blore Heath took place, Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury, won a victory over the Lancastrians led by Lords Audley and Dudley.

  33. I’ve always wanted to see Dubrovnik and hearing that Richard I of England had been there is an added incentive. How wonderful it must be to be able to research all this historical detail and then see the modern city with medieval eyes. I hope you get there some day, it’s supposed to be a wonderful city, still clean and friendly. I can’t wait to read your latest book–it’s one of two on my “buy in hardcover” list, although I may try to convince my husband that it would make a fabulous Christmas present (Christmas in October, why not?)
    Pat

  34. Sharon,
    I should read all the comments before sending mine in; I missed the ones discussing books about Ragusa. I highly recommend John Fine’s works on the Balkans! I took his Balkan history classes back in 1981 (I think) at the University of Michigan when he was writing them. The class and the books were great and my only complaint (which he probably still remembers to this day, as I was very vocal and the class was very small) was that there were not enough maps. I love maps and really needed them for the medieval Balkans. I could go on and on about the history of this area, but I did want to second the recommendation for Dr. Fine’s books.
    Pat

  35. I agree, Patricia. I have his book on the Early Balkins and just ordered the one on the Later Balkins. The first said it covered the 6th to the 12th centuries, but it really didn’t, so I have hopes for the second. I did find some fascinating things about King Bela III of Hungary in the first one, though. The latter was married to Marguerite, Louis VII’s daughter, who’d been wed to Hal, Henry’s son. It seems he almost became the emperor of Byzantine through a betrothal to the emperor Manuel’s daughter Maria, but it fell through and he returned to Hungary when his reigning brother died. Maria was then offered to the young King of Sicily, but Manuel changed his mind at the last minute, leaving William with a king-sized grudge against Byzantium. Maria was then wed to Conrad of Montferrat’s youngest brother and they both were brutally murdered when the crown of Constantinople was usurped by Ancronicles, who would prove to be a bloody tyrant.

  36. Here is today’s Facebook Note, The Forgotten Son.
    Geoffrey, Duke of Brittany, was born on this date in 1158. I started writing what was intended to be a Facebook Note about Geoffrey, but the other Angevins crashed the party, and before I knew it, I had a blog! So I am confining myself today to commemorating Geoffrey’s birthday, and I will save “Thoughts about the Devil’s Brood” for my final blog before I leave on the book tour. I do want to mention something interesting that I recently came upon about Geoffrey’s tomb. He was given a state funeral by the French King Philippe and buried in Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. There is a plaque in the nave that identifies him as one of those entombed in the cathedral. Thanks to Malcolm Craig, friend and Geoffrey scholar, we were able to locate this plaque on our Eleanor of Aquitaine tour in June, and a photo of it can be found in my Paris photo album. But while doing some research about Isabelle of Hainaut, Philippe Capet’s first wife, who tragically died in childbirth at age twenty, I read that Isabelle and her twin stillborn sons were buried in a black marble tomb beside Geoffrey’s tomb. They were all visible until 1699, when Louis XIV’s renovations replaced their memorial stones with a decorative pavement. In 1858, the choir entombments were excavated and Isabelle’s coffin was opened; her remains were identified by a silver seal matrix, and she was surrounded by three small children’s coffins. The article does not mention anything about Geoffrey’s tomb, unfortunately, but when I have the time, I mean to track down the record of that 1858 excavation and see if there might be more details given. Meanwhile, Happy Birthday, Geoffrey, my favorite of the Devil’s Brood.
    Just a reminder; there is plenty of time still to post a comment on my Richard and Ragusa blog and thus be entered in the second Devil’s Brood book giveaway. Once I get back from the book tour, I will send a signed copy to the winner.

  37. I am so looking forward to receiving a copy of Richard Lionheart. I am frantically trying to figure out how to get to one of your stops, Sharon. It would be wonderful to meet you. Thank-you for your research, your drive to share your knowledge with us. Keep up the great work!!

  38. Thank you, Barbara! I hope you can manage it, though I wouldn’t want you to have to drive any great distance. For me, the best part of the book tours is getting to meet my readers, people who share my passion for the past, and who have very good taste in books!

  39. I am anticipating once again joining the Plantagenet circle via Richard Lionheart, but it will be a bittersweet read. Beginning the book, for me, will be akin to walking into the home of a favorite grand-parent after they have left us. Henry II has gone.

  40. I know what you mean, Maryanne. Henry is my favorite king, and after living with him for more than 15 years, the house seems rather empty these days.

  41. The mix of Venetian, Byzantine, and Caucasian influences creates a culture in the Balkans, especially around the Adriatic and the Black Sea, that is so very singular and unique. To call them simply medieval European would be disregarding at least 8/10ths of the other cultures that has colored this special region. In this strip of land once known as Illyria to the Romans, you have Roman Catholic lands and cities so close to Orthodox Greece. On the other hand, it boggles the mind that just a short trip across the Adriatic, one can go from Italy, the heart of Western Europe, and end up in a place that has always been oriented towards the “East.” It’s almost like crossing the International Date Line or some other invisible barrier that somehow changes everything about one’s surroundings.

  42. I agree with Bella, this blog is informative, interesting…there are always some delicious little tidbits in your notes!

  44. The description of Ragusa and what happened there makes me anxious to read A KING’S RANSOM which, of course, is over a year away. Anticipation. At least I won’t have to wait long to read about Richard in the Holy Lands—and considering some of the things that happened there, including why Richard is a legend (for those who don’t know what happened, that event happened shortly before he left for home)—LIONHEART should be an excellent read.

  45. Your books are all on my “keeper” bookshelf…Sunne in Splendour is one of my favorite all time reads. Can’t wait to get my hands on Lionheart! Thank you for all your hard work and dedication to your wonderful books.

  46. Sharon, I live in Northeast Wisconsin and am planning to make the eight-hour trek to Ann Arbor to see you, unless…. Is there any chance you’ll be having a second tour that takes you to Chicago/Milwaukee/Minneapolis???

  47. Hi, Tammy. Wow–that is such a long drive. Sadly, they are not sending me to the Chicago area. I have been to Mikwaukee and Minneapolis in the past and was really hoping to go again as a dear friend of mine, the writer Margaret Frazer lives in Minneapolis. But Putnam’s made other choices for the trip. I would love to meet you–getting to meet readers is the joy of such trips–but if you do come, safe driving. At least you won’t have to worry about the bad winter weather yet.

  48. I hadn’t been keeping track of your last tour and was really disappointed when I discovered too late that you had been in Milwaukee. (I missed it by about a week.) I have introduced your books to several friends whom I’ve asked to join me. One has a newborn and probably can’t/shouldn’t. The other might if she doesn’t have to work. Road trips are always fun when there’s a good friend and a worthy destination!

  49. Today, what is considered the last Viking invasion of England ended with defeat of Harald III Hardrada of Norway by Harold II Godwinson of England in the battle of Stamford Bridge.

  51. Here is my current Facebook Note, titled What Makes Me Happy. For the first and probably the only time, I did not mention the Middle Ages!
    I was feeling reflective today, so here are my thoughts on what makes me happy. That those two American hikers have been freed from an Iranian prison. That the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy has finally been buried, allowing gay Americans to serve in the military without being told they must live a lie. That women in Saudi, Arabia will finally be allowed to vote, though not till 2015, and they still can’t drive. That Facebook has enabled me to have such satisfying and fun interactions with my readers. That after losing Shadow, I was lucky enough to find Tristan. That I was fortunate enough to go on an Eleanor of Aquitaine tour with 36 kindred spirits. That I’ve been blessed with the same brilliant editor and agents for the past thirty years. That I will be able to see friends and meet readers on my upcoming book tour. That Buffy is back on television and has brought Ion Gruffudd along for good measure. That I have always been able to remain friends with the men I’ve loved even after we broke up. That summer is over. That my diet is working. That Echo White Shepherd Rescue does so much for dogs on death row like Tristan, and that my wonderful readers are willing to volunteer to help them. That I have a new Priscilla Royal mystery to read. That there are people in the world like that Texas family who were so touched by the story of another family about to lose their house after losing their jobs that they pledged to pay $2,000 a month for the next two years to keep the bank from foreclosing. That e-books are allowing writers to have options that we never had before. That Lionheart is selling so well in pre-orders. That my favorite television show, The Good Wife, returns for the new season tonight. That Peter Dinklage won a much deserved Emmy for playing Tyrion Lannister on the HBO series Game of Thrones. That I am able to read all of the medieval short stories written by my gifted friend, Margaret Frazer, because they are all available now in Kindle and Nook. That the Putnam’s art department came up with such a spectacular cover for Lionheart. That YouTube allows writers to see places we cannot visit in person. That I have been blessed with so many good friends and am able to keep making new ones. That my new cell phone arrived so quickly, for I was freaking out after my old cell phone mysteriously disappeared; passing strange, for I lived most of my adult life without a cell phone, but they are now almost as essential to my well-being as oxygen. That I no longer have to practice law and instead get to besiege castles and plot coups. And that the Angevins really existed so historical novelists do not have to invent them.
    So these are my thoughts on happiness on this September Sunday night. What about the rest of you? What makes you happy?

  53. Thanks for this information, Sharon. Dubrovnik sounds VERY familiar for some reason, but I cannot think why now. Croatia is part of a large area I’d love to see, but doubt I’ll ever manage to have the money for – mainly from buying your books and catching up with the people from our Aussie SKP fanclub. Can’t wait for Lionheart

  54. This is so interesting, I loved learning something new every time I read your blog. My book is pre-ordered and I can’t wait to see you at the Poisoned Pen!

  55. Today, William the Conqueror and his army set sail from the mouth of the Somme River, beginning the Norman Conquest of England, and Raymond VII, Count of Toulouse, who was the son of Joanna Plantagenet died. He was buried beside his mother Joanna in Fontevrault Abbey.

  56. Just read through all of the other comments. The little bit about “places we’ve read Sharon’s books” reminded me of when I first discovered her. It was the spring of 2001 and my husband and I were spending four days in Puerto Vallarta. I had checked out the Sunne in Splendour from the library, thinking since it was so big I’d only have to bring one book for the four days. But I couldn’t put it down! I wound up finishing it during the plane ride home.

  57. I have a story of my own involving Puerta Vallarta, Tammy. I was there on a genuine holiday about 20 years ago; usually my “holidays” are working vacations. We went into the gift store of our hotel and I was delighted to find a paperback copy of Here Be Dragons. Then we found a pirated copy of the British edition of Dragons. The Americans and British divide up the globe the way medieval rulers did in the 16th century, and Mexico was supposed to be in the American sphere of influence.
    Koby, thanks for another fascinating snippet of history.

  58. Can not wait for the release of Lionheart!!! I’m reading Sunne and Splendor now, but I miss Eleanor and the Devil’s Brood.

  59. Here is my Facebook Note about Raymond VII, thanks to Koby’s gentle reminder!
    And on this date in 1249, died Count Raymond VII of Toulouse, a sympathetic and rather tragic figure, for he knew nothing but war. He spent his life trying to preserve his heritage and to convince the Church to let his father be buried in consecrated ground; he’d died excommunicate. The Church took a hard line, even though they’d agreed to let a brutal bandit-baron like Geoffrey de Mandeville be given a church burial after his sons appealed to the Pope. Unlike de Mandeville, Raymond VI’s only sin was that he was tolerant of the religious practices of his Cathar subjects and held lands that others wanted, and so his son’s efforts on his behalf failed. Raymond VII was buried at Fontevrault Abbey beside his mother, Joanna, Eleanor and Henry’s youngest daughter who’d wed the King of Sicily and then the Count of Toulouse. Sadly, both Joanna and Raymond’s tombs have been destroyed and we do not know where they were buried. But they are definitely at Fontevrault with the other Angevins. Both Joanna and Eleanor took holy vows on their deathbed. Had John not lost so much of the Angevin empire to Philippe, it is possible that Fontevrault and not Westminster Abbey might have become the necropolis for the Royal House of England. Both John and his son Henry III had their hearts sent to Fontevrault for burial. And of course John’s queen and Henry’s mother, Isabelle d’Angouleme is buried there, too, although that was due to circumstances rather than choice; she’d fled to Fontevrault for sanctuary after a failed rebellion against the French king. When she died, she was buried modestly with the nuns, but when Henry III visited the abbey a few years later, he was upset by this and demanded that she be moved into the choir with his other royal relatives. I did a blog about Fontevrault this summer, which goes into its amazing history in greater depth for those who haven’t read it. Thank Heaven Napoleon decided it would make a good prison, for otherwise it might have been destroyed as so many other monasteries were. I’d not want to think of a world without Fontevrault!

  61. Today, the Battle of Tinchebray took place, where Henry I defeated his brother, Robert Curthose, Duke of Normandy, thus cementing his position as King of England.
    And, since tomorrow is Rosh Hashana, I wish everybody here a good year. Since I will not post in the next two days, I will also mention that on the 30th, Henry IV [V] was proclaimed King of England.

  63. I am currently reading “When Christ and His Saints Slept”, so I am getting the background. Fascinating story.

  64. I have a good friend who grew up in Dubrovnik–I never knew my favorite English dynasty had a connection there!! Thank you so much, Sharon, for filling us in on these backstories. Crossing my fingers for the giveaway.

  65. just posting…………….hoping to win a signed copy.
    I will see you next Tuesday at Chester County Book Company.

  66. Sharon, have a great and safe book signing tour. I really really wanted to go, but I would have to get to Scottsdale from Las Vegas and right now that is difficult. I will be there in spirit!!

  67. Sharon …
    Your books are always a learning lesson as well as a wonderful escape from reality. Each time I pick up one of your books, I am transported back in time and find myself standing along side Eleanor and Henry, or Richard, or even Llwelyn and Joanna. I have to keep my laptop next to me so I can google all the people and events that you write about and learn even more interesting historical facts. Thank you for such wonderful books!!!
    Have fun on your book signing tour. Wish you were coming near my town.

  68. I love these extra snippets of history, it shows there’s never just ‘one’ story, and keeps me eagerly looking forward to more information on all of Sharon’s characters. I would love to meet you again on another book tour – I have a signed copy of “When Christ and His Saints Slept” from St. Paul.
    I’d love to see another book about Llewelyn!

  69. Your blog is always such a breath of fresh air…so hard to find a kindred spirit when it comes to the MA and the Angevins! I have Lionheart coming my way next week…CAN’T WAIT!

  71. Hi, Vicki. Yes, this is the right place. As soon as I get back from the book tour, I’ll tend to it and the winner ought to have the book go out before October 15th.
    Thank you all who’ve said such nice things about my books. That means more to me than I could ever express–yes, even writers of 800 page books can be at a loss for words!

  72. The English word “argosy” comes from the city of Ragusa! Their merchant fleet was so powerful in its heyday that it became a noun in another language, a word we use to this day.
    It saddens me that their older language, Dalmatian, has become extinct. It’s quite similar to Italian.

  74. I just finished Devil’s Brood and it was wonderful. I have been a fan of your books for many years. I went to your blog for more on the “Brood” and was so pleased to see this piece on Ragusa. I was lucky enough to go to Dubrovnik for my 50th birthday the Summer of 2010. It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen, has delicious food and wine, and the people are all friendly and beautiful. The younger people all speak english fluently, and they love Americans! Hope you get there soon!

  76. My husband and I have always wanted to go there. Hope to plan a trip soon.am anxious to read Lionheart. I always enjoy your books as I like getting to know the people behind the history. i am looking forward to meeting you on tour.

  77. I wonder if I am too late for the giveaway? I hope not.
    I just finished reading The Sunne in Splendour and am absolutely hooked. Going to work my way through your entire body of work. Terribly excited. I can’t rush and buy them all at once, so will be doing it one or two per month. (Also, have already caused two people to begin The Sunne in Splendour since I finished a couple of days ago. Wondering also if you will be in NYC anytime soon. I saw on your schedule Princeton, which is not really all that close.
    I don’t know where–you may Richard III live for me. I quite fell in love with him and all of other characters in the book breathed for me as well. Thank you so much! It was a thrill to discover you–I know very late to the party! Hope I am not too late.

  78. Sorry for all the hideous typos above. I was in a mad rush out the door. Came home and the copy was still on my screen mortifyingly typo-ridden. I guess the points came across–loved The Sunne in Splendour and intend to read the rest.

  79. Sharon Kay Penman is my all time favorite historical ficton author.
    I live inside her books as I read each one and feel the depth of her characters has them living with me for some time after I put the book away on a shelf….. all her books are keepers!
    I anxiously await the discovery of Richard, with her new book, ordered today……. my family will see me disappear into its’ pages until I emerge, saddened to have reached the end.
    Thank you Sharon, please keep writing for all of us who look forward to every new book.

  80. Dear Ms. Penman,
    I write from Poland. Last summer, by pure chance, I came across Time and Chance. I read the synopsis and couldn’t resist. It took me three days to read it. On normal occasion I would have devoured it in a day but I desperately and deliberately tried to prolong the pleasure of reading it.
    From time immemorial Eleanor and Henry have been my favourite royal couple and their children the objects of my keen interest ( with Henry the Young King being my favourite- I find him my alter ego in many respects- I am not going to dwell on the subject- do not worry ).
    Richard’s Ragusa connection is a kind of revelation and despite the fact that I have made a solemn promise to myself never to visit Croatia I am on the verge of changing my mind. Let me explain. In Poland there are three favourite holiday destinations. These are Egypt, Tunisia and Croatia. I found it rather discouraging. I hate crowded beaches, crowded streets and crowded places in general. When I talk with my friends everyone was, is or is going to be in Egypt, Tunisia or Croatia. It is simply fashionable and I have always been at loggerheads with fashion.
    But reading about Richard and his foundation of the cathedral in Ragusa made me feel deeply moved. The traces of the Lionheart so close to my own country!!! I would be a fool not to visit the places he paid a visit to. And I am going to do it. Next year, I hope.
    I would also like to thank you for your notes on Geoffrey. I sincerely hope that thanks to you he will never be considered a forgotten son again. You have stirred up my interest in his story. There is something new and exciting waiting for me ahead. I can feel it in my bones. Thank you.

  82. I’ve just finished Lionheart and what a read it was. A very different take on Richard than when I was in a Medieval History class more than forty years ago. Of course, as some wag said history only teaches what historians permit. I have ordered several of your books and look forward to many a happy read.

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  85. Very late post to the blog about Ragusa/Dubrovnik. It is indeed a marvelous place, full of history. My husband and I stopped there while on a European cruise in the early ’80s. Funnily enough we were so enthralled we lost track of time and actually “missed” the boat and had to hop on the boat that was going to drop the pilot out at the big cruise liner….at the time it was not so funny as we were both active duty Army and getting stranded in Yugoslavia would not have been easy to explain.

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