It was a year ago on March 6th that I drove down to Maryland to meet Tristan, the elderly, frail white shepherd I was adopting from Echo Dogs White Shepherd Rescue. He was named Hank then, and he hadn’t had a lot of luck in his life; the evidence suggests that he was an outdoor dog for he wasn’t housebroken or neutered and panicked the first time he was taken onto a surface that wasn’t grass; he also tried to walk through a glass door in his foster family’s house. But his luck was about to change—win the lottery kind of change. Joan Alexander took him from a high-kill Florida shelter on his last day. She then found a good-hearted woman named Becky Dunne who agreed to foster him. People who are willing to foster dogs perform an invaluable service; they literally save lives by opening their homes to dogs in need, dogs like Tristan who’d probably never even been in a house before. The sad truth is that millions of dogs and cats are euthanized every year in US shelters. The Humane Society estimates that six to eight million dogs and cats are turned into shelters each year; the ASPCA has the numbers at five to seven million. Both organizations say that three to four million dogs and cats are put down every year. If not for Joan Alexander and Echo Dogs, Tristan would have been one of them.
Tristan is my third rescue shepherd. My first was Cody, adopted from the Gloucester County shelter in 2001. This young, intelligent, energetic dog was chained up in a back yard 24-7, and then was dumped at the shelter by his owners because they complained they “could not control him.” Cody was my once-in-a-lifetime dog; I wrote a blog about him titled Cody after his death in March, 2010.
A few months later, I adopted Shadow from the Burlington County Animal Alliance. Shadow was a young white shepherd who’d been brutally beaten, kicked, starved. He was terrified when he was brought into the shelter, but when one of the shelter workers went into his cage and sat down, he crawled over and put his head in her lap. She took him home that same day and a few weeks later I found him on the wonderful site Petfinder.com. I called Susan the next day and six days later, he was mine. I’d never had a dog who’d been so abused, a dog who had so little reason to trust people. But once he realized he was safe and loved, he blossomed. Shadow had the sweetest nature of any dog I’ve ever known. He was so happy for the first time in his young life; shepherds are usually aloof with strangers, but Shadow channeled his inner Golden Retriever and lavished love upon every one he met. As many of you know, I only had nine months with Shadow, for in January of last year, his tragic past caught up with him and he became quite ill. He was diagnosed with a diaphragmatic hernia, the result of blunt force trauma; two-thirds of his liver and spleen had migrated into his chest cavity. The vets were optimistic that it could be repaired, but it was not to be, for he developed pulmonary edema just a week after the surgery. He was the first young dog that I’d ever lost and it was very painful. But at least he did have nine good months in a life of much misery, and there was some comfort in that.
I found it hard to bring another dog into my home after losing Shadow, and finally decided to adopt a dog that would be difficult to place, a dog not many people would want, and that led me to nine year old Hank, half-starved when he was found, with bald patches and wobbly hind legs. A year later my frail senior shepherd has morphed into Godzilla! He was sixty-four pounds when I adopted him; today he is a robust ninety-four pounds. His skimpy, scarce coat is now so plush and thick that a polar bear might well envy it. And he found the Fountain of Youth in the Jersey Pinelands, for my vet is convinced that the Florida vet over-estimated his age because of his poor physical condition and he was actually about seven, not nine. So Tristan has thrived in his new life and I owe it all to Joan Alexander and Echo Dogs White Shepherd Rescue. Since most of my readers and Facebook friends are my fellow animal-lovers, I thought you would be interested in learning more about rescue work and what motivates people like Joan, whom I call, only half-in-jest, Tristan’s Echo Angel.
Joan, welcome and thank you for agreeing to this interview. Since my readers are familiar with Tristan’s rescue—many of them followed his pilgrimage up the East Coast to his new home last March—can you tell us how you happened to hear that there was a shepherd in dire need at the Orlando shelter and your first impression of “Hank.”
Hi Sharon, thank you for hosting me and bringing the subject of rescues to your readers. Let me first give you a little background on how the “rescue network” operates. As you probably know, the south is well-known for our pet over-population problem and the resulting abundance of high-kill animal facilities. Pets are often saved and transported north where the epidemic doesn’t seem to be so prevalent. In Florida, we have a dynamic network of rescue volunteers who spend countless hours scanning pets in need and posting them throughout the network and social media to increase their exposure, and ultimately save more lives. One lady, Ellen Manning, takes on the task of compiling the “Animals in Need” list from every central Florida animal control facility and distributes the list to every No-kill shelter in the state (and beyond). From that list (among others), we then get to work to network each pet and get as many as possible to safety, keeping in mind we often have less than 72 hours to locate a foster, arrange to “pull” the animal, then transport it out of the facility.
“Hank’s” plea came to me in the form of an email dated February 1, 2011 titled: “Stunning white older GSD! Fun-loving, beautiful, spunky. Application fell off… SOS!” For the next 3 days, dozens of emails flew back & forth – was he good with cats? Dogs? What was his heartworm & other medical status? Finding a foster who could take him in on short notice prompted another dozen-plus emails before we could officially commit to pulling him out of animal control. Hank was at Orange County Animal Services (OCAS) in Orlando, FL. Although their “save rate” is better than some, they too are a high-kill facility especially with older, less-adoptable dogs, and Hank’s “out date” (the date on which an animal can be put down) was February 4th. By the night of February 3rd, we had located a foster, and committed to picking Hank up the next day in the mid-afternoon.
OCAS is a very busy facility with people coming and going pretty much constantly. It took a long time to finally make it to a live person to complete Hank’s release papers, only to be questioned on why I would pull such a feeble old dog when there were “so many young, playful dogs” available. I was told they’d be putting him down in about an hour anyway, so why not choose another, more adoptable dog. I stood my ground and requested that they release Hank so we could be on our way to his foster mom Becky.
I was instructed to go to the back of the kennels as they didn’t want Hank coming through their office… Hmmm, what’s up with that? I drove around back and they brought him out of his kennel and started walking towards me. I don’t know how long it had been since he’d been out, but he stopped to relieve himself and did so for over 2 minutes! He was such a sight – I’ll never forget thinking about that original email… Beautiful? Stunning? Spunky? He was nothing of the sort. I would have to describe my first impression of him as sad, defeated, broken, and lonely. His hind quarters were covered in feces, matted into his tail and legs. He was missing fur on his legs, tail, and back where he obviously had some sort of skin condition, and he stunk to high heaven. He didn’t even attempt to get into my car – his head hung low, and he was far too weak to jump. My friend Tarina and I (holding our noses) hoisted him into the back of my SUV and drove him out of there.
Knowing we couldn’t possibly deliver a dog to a foster in this condition, we took him straight to PetCo for a much needed spa experience! I asked Tarina to walk him inside and find a crate large enough for him while I spoke to the groomers. Tarina led him through the automatic doors and the moment his feet hit the linoleum floor, all four legs came out from under him and he lay sprawled on his belly and wouldn’t budge. She carried him to the welcome mat, but he had the same reaction and refused to move. He’d obviously never set foot on anything but grass or pavement before! The groomers at Millennia PetCo were awesome and handled him with the utmost care & dignity. I don’t know if Hank had ever been bathed, but he really seemed to enjoy the attention.
We hoisted him back into the car and headed for Becky’s – almost 2 hours late. After being treated with respect and receiving a little affection, what I then saw in the back of my car was a beautiful, stunning, happy, and almost spunky boy – so thankful to be out of hell’s doors and on his way to safety. Somehow, his expression said “Thank You” and he knew he’d just been saved.
How did you first become involved in rescue work? In addition to your volunteer work with Echo Dogs, you have established your own rescue, Catnip Trails. Could you tell us how that came about?
I’d have to say my first rescue was a grey cat named “Charkie” when I was 4 or 5 years old. He wandered into our yard and my mom always teased me that my first words as a toddler were “Look what I found, can I keep him?” My family was very altruistic, and it seemed we often had stray dogs & cats that my dad brought home from work. My mother always found them good homes and they taught me respect & love for our furry-friends.
As an adult, I have simply carried on the way of life I was taught: Always help those in need. When I met my husband Alan – also an animal lover – we started saving strays, but rarely adopted them out. “Rescue” back in the early 90s wasn’t what it is today! We didn’t have the internet or networking tools we have now to connect with so many people and gain so much exposure for pets in need. We’d adopt out those we could, and the rest have lived out their lives with us. In the beginning, it was hard to distinguish that fine line between helping & hoarding, and honestly it took a lot of soul searching to find the happy balance and respect our own limitations. I think everyone in rescue goes through this and has equally a hard time finding their own balance.
By the mid-to-late 90s I’d become well connected in the rescue community, and decided it was time to spread the word to others. I wanted to help mentor new rescues, bringing the younger generation to the table to teach them how to be successful at saving lives. I wanted to bring humane education to our schools to help reduce abuse, over-population, and the general theme of ‘discarding’ pets. And I wanted to share my resources with pet-owners who needed help, those looking to adopt a new pet, and sadly those faced with surrendering their pet. So, we formed Catnip Trails in 1996 as a platform to build a name that the rescue community could trust.
In 2009, we adopted two beautiful white shepherd pups from Echo Dogs White Shepherd Rescue. Shortly thereafter, an Echo Dogs officer approached me to volunteer for them as their FL Foster Coordinator. Since the officers are all located in northern states, and there are so many white German Shepherds in need in the south, they knew they needed some help managing the incoming dogs – and foster families in Florida. Echo Dogs is a reputable and responsible rescue group, and I’m honored to be working with such a fine team of rescue angels.
I’d like to know more about Catnip Trails’ operation. Can you tell us what different kinds of help you provide and how that all comes about?
With a phone number of 439-PETS, I get all sorts of calls here. Most of the time, people call with the notion that I can dispatch a driver to pick up the pet they need to “get rid of” – for one reason or another. Little do they realize, I’m a “one-woman show” so to speak. Sometimes those calls have happy endings whereby the pet owner just really needed some guidance, training, and support. That was the case with a call from a young mother that went something like this:
Caller: I have to find a new home or shelter for my cat – it just scratched my daughter!
Me: Really? I’m sorry your daughter was hurt, is she bleeding? How old is she?
Caller: No, but she’s very upset. She’s 7 years old.
Me: Were you in the room when she got scratched, or do you know what happened?
Caller: No, I was in another room, but my daughter says she was just sitting on the couch and the cat came up and just reached out and scratched her for no reason.
Me: Hmmm, cats don’t normally scratch unless they are provoked. They are generally very content being independent or receiving affection, but they don’t like to be taunted. Is there any possibility that just maybe your daughter provoked a scratch?
Caller: Well, possibly… She does tend to taunt the cat sometimes.
Me: Do you have any other children?
Caller: Yes, I also have a 10 year old son.
Me: Have your son & daughter ever disagreed, played too rough, or had a fight where one of them ended up crying?
Caller: Yes.
Me: Did you ever consider “getting rid of” one of them because they had a fight?
Caller: [Laughing and a little embarrassed] Oh, I see your point.
Me: Ask your daughter to sit on the couch and gently bring the cat to her side. Ask her to make up with the cat and see if the two of them can be nice to each other in your presence. This is a golden opportunity for you to teach her how to resolve conflict. Please call me back and let me know the outcome.
She called back to thank me for being so understanding and helping her realize that maybe her daughter was being just a little dramatic. She then thanked me for helping her keep her cat.
While that story had a good outcome, the most difficult calls are from those people who have a real crisis and re-homing their pet is inevitable. And in this economy those calls are on the rise. With the extreme over-crowding in no-kill shelters, often times the only answer is a local SPCA or Humane Society with an open-admission policy. But sadly, those facilities are usually not No-Kill and cannot guarantee their pet will be safe. If the owner has enough time to let me help, I will then get to work on creating flyers and emailing them to every vet and pet related business in the area, and will heavily network their pet on social media. The most successful advertising we use is posting flyers at local vet’s offices. The people who go in their doors are usually already pet owners, and/or pet lovers and often contact their vets when they’re ready for another pet. Because these people are usually in such despair, I always provide my services for free.
Other times, I deal with irresponsible people who just want to transfer their problem to someone else without trying to find a resolution and keep their pet out of a shelter. They are generally the people that try to emotionally blackmail me into taking their pet with, “If you don’t take it I’m going to drop it at animal control.” I don’t take kindly to being emotionally blackmailed, and sometimes my response is not as diplomatic as I’d like. But regardless of the issue, I always try to offer advice or resources and talk them through it with the pet’s best interest in mind.
I often feel like I’m the Pets-411 line pointing people to the resources they need, from low-cost vet care, trainers, boarding facilities, and other pet related services to shelters that may be taking in pets. Luckily, our vet’s office takes in kittens and adopts them out for us, so I often refer people there, then urge them to get the mom cat spayed. I sometimes even pay for the spay surgery myself to stop the cycle, and ensure they don’t call me back in 6 months with another litter.
Sadly, the one thing I hear the most is, “Thank you for taking [or returning] my call. You are the only one who responded to me and offered me advice after leaving messages at dozens of other places.” It’s very frustrating that people in need can’t find the resources they’re looking for or at least get a call-back. I understand rescues are overwhelmed, I get the frustration of dealing with uncaring and irresponsible people, and I feel the despair that comes with the “job”. But I also know that a certain percentage of these callers/e-mailers just need advice that only comes from years of networking with local resources. So, while my family gets frustrated at the number of calls I take, or hours I spend answering emails, I find solace knowing that my time today has probably saved at least one life.
The other facet of my work with Catnip Trails comes in the form of emails. All rescuers receive the “Weekly Animals in Need” email I referred to earlier. These are the emails with hundreds of faces behind bars hoping their plea will be heard and someone will be out there looking for a pet with their qualities. These are the pets that have already ended up in animal control facilities that now have approximately 3-5 days to find a rescue angel to save them. They know it, they smell it, and they are the most grateful when rescued. It’s usually the moms & seniors that get to my heart first. Seems there are several “puppy brokers” out there calling themselves rescues that will sweep in to save the puppies because they are the easiest to adopt. But they often leave the moms behind to die. And the seniors are almost always over-looked and passed by for a younger more active dog or cat. Their fate is often sealed the moment they cross through the intake door at these facilities.
But, as the terms “Rescue”, “No Kill”, and “Adopt” become more prevalent and accepted in our society, I see more & more advocates stepping in to help however they can. Some angels spend their time forwarding emails, posting them on social media and contacting breed-specific rescue groups. Others offer free transport services, some provide foster services, yet others volunteer on the front lines – at the shelters – to ease the suffering of the pets inside. I always say it takes a village to save a homeless pet and nothing could be closer to the truth. It’s very sad that our society has deemed “homelessness” as an illness worthy of death. So as a member of this rescue village, I do all I can – from posting, emailing, pulling, fostering, transporting and adopting, to offering free resources & referrals to save as many lives as I can while I’m on this earth. Everyone who contributes their time, money, and/or energy to saving a life – is part of the solution, and part of my village.
I enjoyed this interview so much that I kept throwing questions at Joan and before we knew it, we were going for a world-record-length blog. I couldn’t bring myself to cut any of it, so I decided to make two blogs out of it; that worked well with Lionheart and A King’s Ransom, after all. So in the next installment, Joan will tell us about her adopted animals; not surprisingly, she has a full house. She will also relate some of her more memorable rescues and offer suggestions for what the rest of us can do to help animals in need. Meanwhile, you can visit her website at www.catniptrails.com and Echo Dogs White Shepherd Rescue’s website at www.echodogs.org to see their pets for adoption, to read interesting articles about animals, or to donate or volunteer or just to find out more about rescue work. In the next blog, I’ll post photos of Joan’s furry family. But it seemed a good way to end this one with a Before and After shot of Tristan, which really shows his dramatic transformation in just a matter of months. And without Joan, it would never have happened.
April 19, 2012
Sharon, Thank-you so much for recognizing Joan as an “Echo Angel”. She can’t save them all but, it sounds like she gives it her all!!! Tristan was very lucky, indeed, to have crossed her path. I am looking forward to your next installment about Tristan and his journey into your life.
Bravo and well done to Joan and to you Sharon, and indeed everyone who helps out animals in need! My rescue cats and bunnies are the joy of my life and my most time consuming hobby, with reading coming in a close second 🙂
Kudos to all. A wonderful service. Still mourning my rescue Beagle, Buddy, but hoping to resuce another canine friend soon. You’ve prompted my confidence to again search.
Sharon, I am truly moved. Had to fight back tears while reading about Hank/Tristan. I am the happy owner (or rather friend) of two-year-old she-daschshund, Bufka, and two cats, Mruczek and George. And I know something about children finding pleasure in teasing their pets. Usually I am the one to treat the scratches:-)
Sadly, in Poland, we do not have such well-organized institutions to help pets in need. Of course, there are shelters but overcrowded and in poor condition, and no foster families. I wish it could all change one day.
That is simply amazing. Sharon, there is no doubt that your description of Joan is perfect.
Today, Richard “Strongbow” de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke (known then as Earl of Striguil), father of Isabel of Pembroke died, as did Pope Clement V, reaping his reward for his conspiracy against the Templars. Lastly, one of my favorite speeches was given today by Oliver Cromwell when dissolving the Rump Parliament:
“Ye sordid prostitutes have you not defil’d this sacred place, and turn’d the Lord’s temple into a den of thieves, by your immoral principles and wicked practices? Ye are grown intolerably odious to the whole nation; you were deputed here by the people to get grievances redress’d, are yourselves gone! So! Take away that shining bauble there, and lock up the doors.
In the name of God, go!”
Of course, that is not all of it, merely the conclusion. Here is a full version: http://www.emersonkent.com/speeches/dismissal_of_the_rump_parliament.htm
Thank you so much, Sharon, for doing this blog interview and bringing the plights of these dogs and cats to a greater audience. Tristan’s story and photos say so much too. He is the luckiest boy to have been found by Echo and you!
Pauline, I am sorry for the loss of Buddy. I’m sure you’ll know when the time feels right to adopt another dog.
Koby, I love that Rump Parliament speech. Since our current Congress has a staggering 9% approval rating, I bet most Americans would like to use this speech for them.
Today’s Facebook Note.
On this date in 1181, the French king Philippe arrived at Acre, having fled Messina in haste on the same day that Eleanor and Berengaria arrived. You’d almost think he hadn’t wanted to meet his father’s former wife! And also on this date in 1314, Pope Clement V died; he was dependent upon the French king Philippe IV and had moved the papacy from Rome to Avignon. He is also remembered for the persecution of the Templars. When their last Grand Master Jacques de Molay was burned at the stake on March 12, 1314, legend has it that he predicted the pope and French king would die within a year. They did. I suspect many saw that as God’s judgment, just as many drew the same conclusion when the Holy Roman Emperor Heinrich died so suddenly and young and the Duke of Austria had a particularly grisly death in the same year that Richard I was freed. Medievals believed in divine retribution.
Correction. A typo in the above note; Philippe landed at Acre in 1191, not 1181.
Sharon-
Another embarrassing crying session at work; thank you for that! I actually want to thank you for introducing me to Echo because I have the most rewarding experiences. I have transported three dogs (2 in one trip) and each time I have bonded. Echo almost didn’t receive Hopper who was my first transport and who spent the entire trip with his head on my shoulder. I cried the whole way home after handing him over to the next transport driver.
You also introduced me to Maryland Westie Rescue, which I think is a fabulous organization. My husband and I have decided that after we get done traveling this year, we will be adopting a new brother or sister for Padfoot. We are very excited!
Thank you again Sharon and thank you Joan for all of your wonderful work! You are truly inspiring!
Bless you, Brenna, for all you’re doing for animals in need. It is people like you and Joan who are the inspiring ones! I haven’t even been able to volunteer as a driver for Echo because of my back problems, but at least I do have a forum on Facebook and my blog to help publicize the problem. Right now Tristan is sprawled on his bed with all four feet in the air, not very dignified but utterly relaxed, and Holly is curled up next to him. I can’t help smiling whenever I see them bonding like that.
Thank you, Sharon, for such a beautiful and emotional post. I have shared it with several other animal lovers. I think it is so admirable what you do and what ECHO does to save poor helpless animals.
I was a paralegal and the executor on an estate recently that is designated to the Humane Society and as it turned out is worth almost $90,000. Your post made me even happier about this donation. Thank you.
Today’s Facebook Note.
Sharon Kay Penman
On this date in 1142, Peter Albelard of Albelard and Heloise fame died. Wonder what his reaction would be today if he knew he was remembered primarily for his unlawful and tragic love affair with this remarkable woman?
And on April 21, 1509, Henry VII died; shedding no tears over old Henry. His son Henry thus became the 8th Henry to rule England since the Conquest. Though they really should count nine Henrys, for they are ignoring the young king, Hal in my books. He did not really reign, you say? True, buy neither did Edward IV’s son and namesake, who is known to history as Edward V. Young Edward was not even crowned, whereas Hal was crowned twice! The only reason for this bizarre inconsistency is that the Tudors made it happen–they deliberately chose to count Edward as a reigning king in order to cast more mud on Richard III’s name. To add insult to injury, the respected Oxford Biography of National Biography has not even given Hal’s queen, Marguerite an entry of her own. The woman was crowned Queen of England and she deserves at least to be mentioned. My cause for the day:-)
I apologize for all the spam that has begun to infiltrate the site. I am trying to find out what has happened and hope to correct it soon.
Meanwhile, here is today’s Facebook Note.
On April 22, 1451, Queen Isabella Of Castile was born. She is considered one of the most important medieval Spanish queens, but may be better known to a non-Spanish audience as the mother of Katherine of Aragon and Juana la Loca. Fortunately, C.W. Gortner’s new novel, The Queen’s Vow, will fill in any gaps in our knowledge of Isabella; we’ll have to wait for it till June, though. 🙁
Happy Earth Day, everyone. Sadly, the past year was not a good one for Mother Earth or those of us who live on it.
Kasia, Yes, I found him! I was annoyed with him for having disappeared for so long, but instead, to my astonishment, he had a real go at me! Accused me of wasting his time by asking him for so much information on his life over the last three years and then (according to him) abandoning him! Ungrateful wretch that he is. After all, I told him, its only thanks to me that he is being resurrected him after 800 years!
Oh, well, we settled all that over a bottle of good white wine from Savoy that he recommended and he’s back in my computer.
Sharon, I started Lionheart last night and the amateur researcher in me directed me first to the Author’s note! I saw your comment about ‘firing’ an arrow and I recalled that I was one of those who commented (not on one of your books, but on a Blog comment) that an archer would not say that he had ‘fired’ an arrow.
You mentioned that you could not just use the verb ‘shoot’ and I agree. There is nothing wrong with saying for example, that men were ‘under fire’ from arrows as ‘under fire’ means under attack. Apart from ‘shoot, ‘one can also use ‘loose,’ ‘let fly,’ ‘release’ and possibly other verbs. That being said, I would not be too pedantic about it as I guess the number of archers reading your books are probably in the minority!
Happy St George’s Day! I’m sure Sharon and Koby will write more about Edward III’s whereabouts on this day in 1348. And about the one who was born and supposedly died on this day, the one Ben Jonson called “sweet swan of Avon” and “star of poets”, the one who “didst Lyly outshine, or sporting Kyd, or Marlowe’s mighty line”.
In Poland we celebrate St Adalbert’s /Wojciech’s Day, the patron saint of Bohemia, Poland, Hungary and Prussia. On this day, in 997, Wojciech (originally Vojtech, as he came from a noble Czech family) was martyred during his mission to convert the Baltic Prussians. We can still learn more about Vojtech’s life and deeds from the bronze Gniezno Doors of Gniezno Cathedral (Gniezno was the cradle of the Piast dynasty and the first capital of Poland), the only Romanesque church doors in Europe to contain a cycle illustrating the life of a saint.
Ken, I envy you:-) Mainly the settling of your “dispute”, over a bottle of wine from Savoy:-)
Well, Kasia has said it all, hasn’t she? But I will be clarify, for those who did not understand. Today, Adeliza of Louvain, Queen of England died in the abbey of Affligem, and Edward III founded the Order of the Garter.
Today’s Facebook Note.
April 23rd seems to have been a very popular day in history. In 1014, the Irish king Brian Boru was killed; Morgan Llywelyn wrote a novel about this remarkable man called The Lion of Ireland. Koby reminded me that in 1151, Adeliza of Louvain, the widow of King Henry I, died at the nunnery of Affigem. I always found her to be a sympathetic figure and was glad she had a second act after Henry’s death, wedding the Earl of Arundel and becoming a mother. She only appeared in one chapter in Saints, but she is a prominent character in Elizabeth Chadwick’s Lady of the English, sharing star billing with her stepdaughter and friend, the Empress Maude. In 1348, Edward III created the Order of the Garter. In 1445, the fifteen year old Marguerite d’Anjou wed Henry VI. William Shakespeare died on April 23, 1616 and is traditionally said to have been born on this date in 1564. That wasn’t medieval, of course, but Will definitely deserves a mention. And I’ve always had a soft spot for Charles II, who was crowned today in 1661.
Kasia, I love your comments about Polish history; keep them coming! You and Koby are educating us all.
Today’s Facebook Note.
Unlike yesterday, this date in medieval history was a very slow one. So I am posting about one of history’s luckiest horses, who was given a prosthetic leg, only the second one in the US to receive one. The first was a miniature horse named Midnight and you can see the video on YouTube where he was able to run for the first time in his life; it’s hard to watch, though, without tearing up. Here is the video of the mare; in some ways, this is more impressive since she is full-size. http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-780023?hpt=hp_bn1
The link above didn’t go through, so here it is again.
http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-780023?hpt=hp_bn1
Kasia, I just checked and none of the your posts are in the spam folder, so that wasn’t the problem. Maybe your computer was just having an off day? Mine lovves to play name games with me.
Today’s Facebook Note. Koby must be sleeping in this morning. 🙂
What do an 8th century pope, an Angevin king, a queen’s lover, an unhappy English king, a sainted French one, and Oliver Cromwell have common? April 25th. Let’s start with 799, when the new Pope, Leo III, was viciously attacked by political enemies who sought to blind him and cut out his tongue; these guys would have been right at home in Showtime’s The Borgias. Fortunately, Leo was able to escape and fled to Charlemagne for protection. Thanks to my friend Paul for initially bringing Leo to my attention; let me know, Paul, if I got any of these facts wrong. (As shocking as it may be, I do that from time to time.)
On April 25, 1199, John was crowned Duke of Normandy. Some felt his reign got off to an inauspicious start because he was apparently clowning around with friends during the ceremony and dropped the lance bearing the banner of the dukes of Normandy; some saw this as a portent that he’d be able to hold neither the lance nor the duchy—or so they claimed with the advantage of 20-20 hindsight.
Thanks to Tracy-Anne and Kathryn for letting me know that Edward II was born on this date in 1284 and, oddly enough, his queen’s lover and enemy, Roger Mortimer, was born on April 25th three years later.
And in 1214, a man considered one of France’s great medieval kings (but no favorite of mine) Louis IX, later canonized as St Louis, was born. His mother was Blanche, Eleanor and Henry’s granddaughter.
Lastly, on this date in 1599 was born another historical figure that I have never found sympathetic, Oliver Cromwell—although I love the speech he made to the Rump Parliament; here is a link to it. http://softwarenerd.blogspot.com/2008/12/cromwells-speech-to-rump-parliament.html With the American Congress’s approval rating at an unprecedented 9 %, I suspect there are many who’d like to address Oliver’s scathing commentary to them, too.
Thanks for the compliment, Sharon, but no, I was not sleeping. I considered mentioning all these, but in the end, decided to concentrate on my private occasions today. Today is Memorial Day in Israel (and since we’re mentioning Memorial Days, it’s also ANZAC Day), and I decided to contain myself until tomorrow where I would mention Israel’s Independence Day, which begins at sundown. But it is good to know there are others who can do my work for me.
Koby, one of my readers on my Australian Facebook page posted about ANZAC Day there. I’m curious as to why Israel selected this date for its Memorial Day. I know the one in the UK is linked to the end of WWI; in the US, our Memorial Day is in late May. Is your Independence Day a national holiday?
Yes, Sharon, Independence Day is a nation holiday; the date chosen was not the Gregorian one, but the Hebrew one, the Fifth of Iyyar (the 7th month). On that date in 1948, David Ben-Gurion, Israel’s first Prime Minister declared the Israeli declaration of independence. In true Jewish tradition, it was decided that Memorial Day (which is also a national holiday) should take place the day before, the 4th of Iyyar, to symbolize the cost and sacrifice independence required and still requires. In order to allow all to participate, it was decided that if the 5th of Iyyar is on Friday/Saturday, Independence Day is moved back two days (and Memorial day accordingly); and if the 5th of Iyyar is a Monday, it is moved forward a day (and Memorial day accordingly), so as not to exclude the religious Jews and cause conflict with the Sabbath.
I just wanted to thank you for this lovely, moving interview.
I read your blog via RSS to my Livejournal, so have never commented before, but I always enjoy your posts and often find myself going to hit the comment button to say something to you, only to be reminded by its absence that it isn’t an actual LJ post–anyway, this was all a very long-winded way of letting you know that I was so moved by your post that I followed it back to the source to say thank you, and to say that Tristan is gorgeous and I’m so happy that he found his way to you, please give him a hug from me and my two lovely Australian cattle dogs.
PS: I am loving Lionheart, unfortunately life is too busy for me to sit and devour it as I would like, and I’m having to content myself with reading for a short while each night, but (as always) it is wonderful.
Corinna
Sharon, it’s just a test. To check my computer’s mood:-)
Apparently my problems must have had something to do with my e-mail address.
I’ve just used my brother-in-law’s one (he lives in the UK) and it has worked.
In Polish medieval history April 26th was a slow day, but I read an interesting study by Laura Ashe entitled William Marshal, Lancelot, and King Arhur: Chivalry and Kingship, with William playing Lancelot’s part and Hal playing Arthur’s:-).The author discussed at length both men’s largesse pointing out the differences. I couldn’t help laughing on the very image of Hal sneaking with his entire household from castle to castle early in the morning to avoid his creditors. By God’s sword! This must have been a sight!
I must have been a sight too, by the way: sitting in front of my computer screen with a beatific expression spreading all over my face, bedazzled just like an every single girl on the roadside when Hal was passing by.
PS Sharon, I cannot agree with you when it comes to Hal’s intelligence or, in your view, the very lack of it. Apparently he lacked his father’s and younger brothers’ political skills but, IMHO, to be charming also requires some inborn intelligence, don’t you think?
I can only guess that, to a great extent, it must have been a kind of child’s ability to get what he wanted, and his charm, as well as impressive displays of the Angevin rage, was a very clever way to achieve his own ends. You showed it perfectly in Devil’s Brood, and it must have been quite simillar in reality. Regarding how easily and how often Henry became deluded when it came to his eldest son and heir.
Well, Happy Yom Ha’Atzamut to me and any who celebrate. I will only mention that Shakespeare was baptized today, and offer this interesting video about preforming his plays in their original pronunciation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPlpphT7n9s&feature=youtu.be
I’m glad you can post again,Kasia. I was worried that we’d lost you for good!
Here is today’s Facebook note.
April 26, 1478 was the date of an assassination attempt against Lorenzo de Medici and his younger brother Giuliano, which would become known to history as the Pazzi Conspiracy. It occurred in the Duomo, the cathedral church of Florence, during High Mass, and the most shocking aspect of it was the identities of the conspirators. They included Pope Sixtus IV, his kinsmen, the Archbishop of Pisa, and the Duke of Urbano. Lorenzo was wounded but he managed to escape. The twenty-five year old Giuliano was not as fortunate and was stabbed nineteen times. The Florentines rioted and killed the archbishop, among others. The link below offers an interesting account of this astonishing event; there is also a detailed account in Wikipedia. I will be remembering the Pazzi conspiracy the next time I find myself thinking that the Borgias series on Showtime is too far-fetched for credibility!
http://italy.library4history.org/Yriarte-Medici-Painting/MEDICI/LORENZO-THE-MAGNIFICENT/PAZZI-CONSPIRACY.htmlhttp://italy.library4history.org/Yriarte-Medici-Painting/MEDICI/LORENZO-THE-MAGNIFICENT/PAZZI-CONSPIRACY.html
Our Sharon is ‘top of the pops!’
http://awriterofhistory.com/2012/04/26/hf-survey-top-20-authors/
For some reason, the link above doesn’t work. This one will. The article is very interesting and I found myself thinking someone ought to write a novel about the tragic young Giuliano de Medici.
http://italy.library4history.org/Yriarte-Medici-Painting/MEDICI/LORENZO-THE-MAGNIFICENT/PAZZI-CONSPIRACY.html
I read Lorenzo’s biography a few years ago and I was truly shocked by the account of what had happened that day in Florence. The murders commited in a church, safe and sacred place as it should be, the asylum, seem especially hideous to me. Like the one of Count Charles of Flanders in 1127. He too knelt at morning prayer in the Church of St Donatien in Bruges when he was assassinated (although without this seemingly unrelated event we wouldn’t have had Henry II:-)). Is there anything or anyone more innocent than a man or a woman at his/her prayers? That’s why the events like Giuliano’s violent death always leave me shaken to the bone.
Well, no major medieval events on this date in history; not even any minor ones. So this is probably a good time to explain that I may be incommunicado for a while, as I am deep into one of Ransom’s most important and challenging chapters–Richard”s trial before the Imperial Diet at Speyer. But Richard and I will re-surface eventually.
Godspeed you both, Richard and Sharon! In your strivings! Richard, to free yourself, and Sharon to set Richard free:-)
Ken, how is your quest? Fruitful, I hope. And I do hope that Othon is waiting around every single corner, always ready to be found:-)
Sharon, today it’s Saturday and Koby is not going to write until after sunset, that’s why I suggest you should leave Richard for a while, and drop in at Tyre of 1192 (actually in this case you don’t have to abandon Richard, rather travel back in time with him:-)), and then at Rouen of 1442:-). I would love to read your vivid accounts of what happened there on this day.
I am not having a good day, Kasia. First I could not access my own blog for hours and now my message disappeared in a puff of smoke. I haven’t time to recreate it, either. I did indeed plan to post about those events, as you guessed. But no vivid descriptions–sorry. Readers can read about Conrad’s fate in Lionheart, though!
So I will try again to post the Facebook Note.
I am making a brief escape from Speyer for on this date in 1192, Conrad , Marquis of Montferrat and King-elect of Jerusalem, was slain in Tyre by two member of the Assassin sect led by Rashid al-Din Sinan, known as the Old Man of the Mountain. I deal with Conrad’s murder in Lionheart, of course, and I am currently dealing with it again as that was one of the charges made against Richard when he was put on trial at Speyer in March, 1193; amazingly enough, this crusader king was also charged with betraying the Holy Land to Saladin. Conrad’s death occurred off-stage in Lionheart, but I hope to be able to write about it in all its gory detail if I get to do the book I’d like to write about the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Rest in peace, Conrad. He was a man with a healthy ego and probably wouldn’t have liked it much to learn that he is mainly remembered today for his connection with Richard. But I found him fun to write about in Lionheart and I’d like to give him more time on center stage. Now back to Speyer, Coeur de Lion, and the Emperor Heinrich, who has the dubious distinction of probably being the worst person I’ve yet ridden about—and I’ve written about some less than admirable people in these past decades.
Sorry, I almost forgot. April 28, 1442 was the birthdate of one of my favorite kings, Edward IV. Now I’m really going back to Speyer.
Sharon, I am shocked, I tell you, shocked! I understand Richard is demanding your attention, but you forgot about the first Richard you wrote about. In addition to what you mention above, today Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland was killed by a Yorkist mob led by Sir John Egremont. The motivation is usually said to have been vengeance for abandoning Richard III to his fate on Redmore Plain.
Wow, Koby, how could I have forgotten that? I always was tempted to celebrate that date, too!
Can I put your post on Facebook?
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Here is today’s Facebook Note, with an especial thanks to you, Koby. How often do I say that?
Koby reminded me that I forgot an important event yesterday, at least significant to those of us who are still fighting the Wars of the Roses. Henry Percy, the 4th Earl of Northumberland died on this date in 1489. His father had died at Towton, fighting for Lancaster, but Edward IV later decided to restore the earldom to Percy, hoping that would win him over to York. The law of unintended consequences came into play with a vengeance, though, for to return the earldom to Percy, Edward had to take it away from his cousin, John Neville. John was already suffering from conflicted loyalties, for it was obvious that John’s brother, the Earl of Warwick, was on a collision course with his cousin the king. Losing the earldom would make John receptive to his brother’s blandishments, and his switching sides would send Edward and Richard into exile. Edward would, of course, return to claim his crown, and John Neville would die at Barnet Heath with Warwick, said to have worn the colors of York under his armor. Meanwhile, the new Earl of Northumberland kept to the north, playing no role in these monumental events.
Fast-forward to the brief reign of Edward’s brother, Richard. Facing Henry Tudor at Bosworth Field, Richard could only hope that Henry Percy would remain loyal to York. He was given command of Richard’s reserves, and his failure to enter the battle played a major role in Richard’s defeat and death. While he was briefly imprisoned by the perpetually suspicious Henry Tudor, he soon regained his freedom, and was allowed to retain his earldom and his high offices. Yet the mills of the gods grind slowly but exceedingly fine. Percy had been sent to put down a Yorkshire riot sparked by the high taxes being imposed by Henry Tudor, and there were many in the North who had never forgiven him for abandoning Richard at Bosworth. He was seized and slain by the rioters.
Thank you, Sharon. Today, Richard Beauchamp, 13th Earl of Warwick, the father on Anne Neville and father-in-law of Richard Neville, Ear of Warwick died. Edmund de la Pole, the son of John de la Pole Duke of Suffolk and Elizaveth of York, Richard and Cecily’s daughter was executed on the orders of Henry VIII [IX].
No significant events concerning Polish medieval history today but I have found the information that on this day in 1174, in the course of the Great Rebellion, Henry II, taking with him only two companions, namely Alured de Vavaci and Geoffrey Esturmi, as a test of their loyalty to him, entered Maine and was received enthusiastically by the inhabitants who offered him their allegiance against the war. I would be grateful if you could confirm this information since my source is Old Ralph again:-). I wrote all the dates I could find in his Images down in my notebook, but it was before the episode with Hal’s escape:-). Now I’m more cautious with the dates and facts he took for granted.
I never came across that story or don’t remember it, Kasia. Ralph de Decito is considered one of the more reliable medieval chroniclers–don’t fault the poor guy if he occasionally gets a date wrong 🙂 After all, they heard the great majority of their stories second-hand.
Today’s Facebook Note.
A Yorkist event today, with Games of Thrones foreshadowing. On April 30, 1483, Richard III met his nephew and Anthony Rivers at Stony Stratford. He took the boy into his custody and placed Anthony under arrest. We had a Facebook discussion a while back over who the characters in Game of Thrones are supposed to be; I imagine most know by now that Martin based his books “loosely” upon the Wars of the Roses. I think everyone agrees Robert Baratheon is meant to be Edward IV and Cersei is Elizabeth Woodville, but after that, all bets are off. I tend to think Ned Stark is Richard III, but one of my Facebook friends made a very interesting comment about this. She said Ned was Richard if Richard had not gotten to his nephew at Stony Stratford. Any thoughts on that?
Kasia, Othon is here and is currently sitting next to me while I read the story of a king who lived in the 12th century who was also something of a crusader. The author is probably well known to fans of this blog!
Othon really appreciates the story of this king’s exploits in the Holy Land as Othon himself is something of a crusading strategist, having written (while in Armenia) his ideas on how the Christian West could successfully conduct a crusading campaign.
We are on page 360 and will finish this evening. Following that, he has promised to behave himself and stay in my computer.
Glad to hear that Othan is being so co-operative, Ken. I always figured it would be Edward who’d be the one to give you fits, for Othan sounds like a paragon of chvalry and all-around nice guy. I am so happy that you plan to share his story with the world!
Aw, Sharon, Edward was such a nice guy! If you don’t believe me, just ask Owen!
I first read that as “Othan,” Ken! What did your Othan think of his liege lord? Being so loyal, I imagine he closed his eyes to Longshanks’s less admirable qualities.
Loyalty covers a multitude of sins indeed. Though Divine Mandate helps in that as well.
Today, Edith (Matilda) of Scotland, Henry I’s first wife, and mother to Empress Matilda died. And while not directly connected to your books, Sharon, the Treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton was signed today, where the Kingdom of England recognized the Kingdom of Scotland as an independent state. And 379 years later (to the day) The Act of Union joined the Kingdom of England and Kingdom of Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain.
And also, Koby, on this date in 1576, the King of Poland, Stefan Batory, was crowned. I believe he is considered to be one of the greater Polish kings; am I right, Kasia?
Today’s Facebook Note.
On May 1, 1118, Matilda of Scotland, the consort of Henry I, died at Westminster. She was known as “Good Queen Maude,” very popular with the English, and there was talk after her death of sainthood, although she was never canonized. Dare I say that she must have been saintly to put up with Henry’s philandering? (He is known to have had at least 20 illegitimate children) Of course there would not have been much she could have done about it. Medieval kings did as they pleased, Henry more than most. “Good Queen Maude” was the mother of “my” Maude in Saints, so although she was summoned back to England after the unexpected death of her husband, the Holy Roman Emperor, she never saw her mother again, having been sent to Germany to be an imperial bride at the young age of 8.
This was usually the fate of medieval princesses; with a few exceptions, they rarely got to see their families again once they were wed to foreign kings. Our Eleanor’s daughters were more fortunate than most. Her daughter wed to the Duke of Saxony (Tilda in my books) got to see both her parents again after her husband had been sent into exile and they took refuge at Henry’s court, where he welcomed them warmly. Richard became very fond of their children in consequence, and was instrumental in the selecting of Tilda’s son Otto as Holy Roman Emperor after the sudden death of his nemesis, the Emperor Heinrich. Otto’s reign did not end well, unfortunately, but that is a story for another day. Joanna, of course, was reunited with Richard and Eleanor in Sicily, and returned to the Angevin empire to start a new life. And Leonora, Queen of Castile, was able to spend several months with Eleanor when she came to Castile to take one of her granddaughters back to wed the son of the French king, Philippe. Eleanor suffered what must have been a mother’s worst nightmare, outliving all but two of her ten children; by the time she traveled to Spain, only Leonora and John still survived. I like to think that her time with Leonora and her grandchildren was healing for her—at least a little.
Othon had many ‘falling outs’ with Edward. Firstly about Edward having ‘bedded’ the 13yr old Eleanor resulting in Eleanor giving birth to a still born child and resulting in Othon’s banishment from Edward’s service for having challenged Edward over his broken promises to his parents to refrain. After having been ‘received once more into Edward’s peace’ he tried to prevent Edward teaming up with his Lusignan uncles against his parents and against the Provisions of Oxford, again earning Edward’s displeasure.
Personally, I think he decided to remain loyal to Edward, or at least at his side, because of his life-long love for Eleanor -he never married (highly unusual for a knight/baron of that time) although he was betrothed to a daughter of the Duke of Burgundy. The betrothal was ended following his receipt of a letter from Edward which, although not absolutely forbidding the marriage, expressed disappointment that Othon would think of marrying without Edward’s agreement and presence. My book will say that this letter was promoted at the insistence of Eleanor!
Finally, though, he seems to have accepted Edward for what he was – (as Marc Morris puts it) ‘A Great and Terrible King!’
Yes, Sharon, you are right, Stefan Batory was a great king, but it is his wife, Anna Jagiellonka (Ann of Jagiellonian), the last princess of the Jagiellon dynasty, who remains of even greater interest to me, not only as a woman but also as a capable ruler in her own right:-)
The reign of her father, Zygmunt Stary, marked the golden age of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. And thanks to Anna’s Italian mother, Bona Sforza, and her worldly (read Italian) taste, we can admire our dearest Wawel Castle (Kraków- Cracow)-the very heart of Poland- in a today’s shape.
Unfortunately, Anna’s brother, King Zygmunt August, died without heir, which lead to the long line of kings -elects, with Jan III Sobieski, the greatest amongst them (see the Battle of Vienna- Odsiecz Wiedeńska, in 1683).
Sharon, as for Old Ralph, it’s not only about Hal’s escape. You give 13 March, 1194, as the date of Richard’s landing in England after his involuntary stay in Germany (and so did, for example, Marion Meade in her Eleanor of Aquitaine) whereas Ralph gives 20 March.
Ken, writing about Marc Morris biography of Edward, is it a good one?
I wanted to order it but I resigned in the end.
What’s more, I still have your recommendation, The Hawk Quest, to buy:-)
Kasia, thank you–that was very interesting about Queen Anna. I don’t want to pick on Ralph, for he was a reliable source most of the time. But Richard’s intinerary seems to bear out the March 13th date. The very trustworthy Roger de Hoveden says he sailed for England on March 7th, and the equally conscientious William of Newburth said that he landed at Sandwich on the 13th. Another chronicler, Gervase, says that he met the archbishop of Canterbury on the 14th near Rochetsr, and he was in London by the 16th. Ralph of Coggeshall says he was at Bury St Edmunds by the 18th. So four separate chroniclers take issue with Ralph on the date. But when you consider that they had to depend upon word of mouth for much of their information and often had to wait long stretches to get that information, I think it is amazingt that they were as accurate as they were.
And today, Richard I gave Portsmouth its first Royal Charter, and more importantly (in my opinion), William de Braose was hanged by Llywelyn Fawr.
Heree is today’s Facebook Note, which covers a lot of ground and centuries.
What do a 12th century Marcher lord and a 16th century queen have in common? They were both undone by their lack of caution. William de Braose, the grandson of one of King John’s most notorious victims—his grandmother and uncle were starved to death at Windsor Castle—was hanged on this date in 1230 by the great Welsh prince, Llywelyn ab Iorwerth, after being found in compromising circumstances with Llywelyn’s wife, Joanna, in his own bedchamber. What could have been more reckless than that?
Recklessness also helped to doom that Tudor queen, for Anne Boleyn ought to have known the sort of man she’d married; had she continued to cater to his monstrous ego and bloated pride, perhaps he might not have turned on her with such terrifying suddenness, giving her time to produce the male heir that would have been her salvation. But she was too proud, too quick-tempered, and she paid a high price for that. This is a sad day for anyone who cares about justice, for on May 2, 1536, Anne was arrested at Greenwich Palace, thus setting in motion the events leading to her execution on Tower Green. I always thought one of the bravest men in the world was the Lord Mayor of London, who’d dared to say after her trial that he was convinced of her innocence. Imagine the courage that took when he’d just seen the lengths to which Henry would go to rid himself of an unwanted wife. One of the many reasons why I love the two brilliant novels about Anne’s daughter—Susan Kay’s legacy and Margaret George’s Elizabeth I—is the way both authors showed how traumatized Elizabeth was by her mother’s beheading.
Moving on, an indisputable genius died on this date in 1519, Leonardo da Vinci.
Lastly, we often talk about history trumping fiction, and nowhere is that more obvious than in Joanna’s mad affair with Will de Braose. What writer would have dared to send a woman into the bed of the man whose grandmother had been starved to death by her own father? I could not possibly make something like that up!
Kasia, Marc Morris’s book on Edward I is excellent. I have used information from it extensively in my own book and will acknowledge that in my AN. Do yourself a favour, buy ‘Hawk Quest’ soon.
A very important day in Polish history. Something we, the Polish, should be proud of. Today in 1791 what was to become known as the Konstytucja 3 Maja (The Constitution of May 3) was adopted as a “Government Act” by our Polish (and Lithuanian, since it was still Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth) parlament (Sejm). In this we were the second, after the United States of America, in the world, and the first in Europe. The Constitution was a milestone in Poland’s – and the world’s – legal history, as well as in the history of democracy. Sadly, as two of its authors, Ignacy Potocki and Hugo Kołłątaj, put it “it was the last will and testament of the expiring Country”. What followed was the darkest period int the history of our country: the Second and Third Partitions, and the loss of independance for 123 years. When Poland regained independence in 1918 the anniversary of the Constitution’s adoption has become Poland’s most important civil holiday.
That’s why: “Vivat Poland! Vivat the Constitution! Vivat His Majesty, King Stanisław August Poniatowski!’ (our last Polish King who, according to Edmund Burke, thanks to the Constitution of May 3, has earned a place among the greatest kings and statesmen in history).
And today, Matilda of Boulogne, Queen of England died. Long later, Cecily Neville, mother of Edward IV and Richard III was born. She also gave birth to her daughter, Margaret of York, Duchess of Burgundy on the same day 31 years later. One of my favorite writers was also born today: Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli. And if Kasia doesn’t mention what happened in Poland today, I will eventually do so as well. Until then, though, I think that’s enough.
Ken, I’ve just read an excerpt of Hawk Quest on Amazon, and I’m already hooked on it 🙂
Koby, our cooperation is perfect today, isn’t it? It’s just like reading in thoughts:-) What a perfect morning! A rarity these days. At least when I’m concerned.
Good Day, everyone!
Koby, one more thing:-) It so exhilarating and heartening that two people, in two distant countries, are doing exactly the same, at exactly the same time, don’t you think?
Oh, yes indeed. Kasia. It’s a good example of how shared interests and communications prove how alike people are worldwide.
A fascinating post, Kasia.
Today’s Facebook Note, where you get more laurels than usual, Koby.
Anyone who enjoys my history updates owes a debt to my friend Koby, for he is always there to jog my memory when need be. For example, I managed to forget that today was a very important date for three women who got significant “screen time” in my novels. Stephen’s queen, Matilda of Boulogne, died on May 3rd in 1152; I don’t think Stephen ever recovered from her death. And in 1415, the matriarch of the House of York, Cecily Neville, was born. Thirty-one years later, in 1446, she received a special birthday gift in the birth of her daughter Margaret, Duchess of Burgundy. My own mother and grandmother shared the same birthday, so I always thought it was rather cool. Anne Easter Smith has written two novels about the Yorkist women, Queen by Right and Daughter of York. And on May 3, 1469, Niccolo Machiavelli was born. I have to say, though, that when it came to being devious and cold-blooded, Machiavelli was a babe in the woods when compared to the Holy Roman Emperor Heinrich VI, who is surely the most treacherous historical figure I’ve ever written about. He has just pulled off a monumental double-cross of his hapless prisoner, the Lionheart, which was only the first of many. And his unconscionable treatment of a crusader-king is not the worst of his sins—not even close.
Any subject would be a happier one than dwelling on Heinrich’s cruelties, but here is a particularly heart-lifting story of two dolphins in Turkey who were kept for years in a small, horribly polluted pool so their owners could make money off them with tourists. They were finally rescued by an animal rights group and for the past year have been nursed back to health with the aim of returning them to the wild. Here is their video. http://www.cnn.com/video/?hpt=hp_t2#/video/world/2012/05/02/turkey-dolphin-rescue.cnn
Sharon, this looks like a book that would interest you, about Eleanor of Aquitaine’s great-grandmother who was a female ‘lord’ in 11th Century France:
Tracey Warr will give a talk on researching and writing her first novel Almodis: The Peaceweaver, which is based on the extraordinary life of a medieval female lord who ruled substantial parts of southern France and northern Spain in the 11th century. Almodis de La Marche was the Countess of Toulouse and Barcelona. She was the great-grandmother of Eleanor of Aquitaine, Queen of France and then Queen of England. Tracey Warr is a writer and art history lecturer based in Laguepie, France and Oxford, UK. Her research included looking at works by medieval writers and historians, inspiration from medieval objects, poetry, manuscripts and cooking recipes, as well as visits to many of the sites she writes about in and around Limoges, Toulouse and Barcelona. Her next novel is set in 10th century Limoges, Norway and the Isle of Man, focussing on contacts between southern French and Viking cultures.
And today, the battle of Tewkesbury place, where the Yorkists under Edward IV decisively defeated the Lancastrians. Among the dead on the field were John Beaufort, Marquess of Dorset, the Earl of Devon, John Wenlock, and Prince Edoard of Lanacaster.
And we cannot forget about Richard, who, at that time in 1179, was busily occupied with besieging Geoffrey de Rancon’s supposedly impregnable fortress of Taillebourg:-)
Sharon, I love your description of the very event in Devil’s Brood.
Kasia, thank you so much for reminding me of Richard’s capture fo Taillebourg; it had slipped my mind. Later I will post a Facebook Note about it and give you full credit, of course.
Meanwhiile, here is my first Facebook Note.
On May 4, 1471, the battle of Tewkesbury was fought between the Yorkists and Lancastrians. The victory would go to Edward and the hopes of Lancaster would die with their prince, leaving Marguerite d’Anjou to endure a living death for the next eleven years. When she finally did die, few noticed. The French king did ask for her dogs, though; Louis XI loved dogs.
As odd as it may sound, I enjoyed writing about the battle of Tewkesbury. The battle itself and the events leading up to it were very dramatic and most writers are hopelessly addicted to drama; it is in our DNA. I got to write about the wild race—with Marguerite determined to cross the River Severn to safety and Edward just as determined to stop her from joining with Welsh rebels and postponing their reckoning. The battle itself included an ambush, rather rare in medieval battles, a betrayal, which was not so rare, and a bloody confrontation between two of the Lancastrian leaders, which was beyond rare. Edward showed why he is considered a superior medieval general, Richard showed why Edward had entrusted him with the vanguard despite his youth, and George…Well, George was George, taking credit for ordering his men to kill the young Lancastrian prince.
Tewkesbury is one of my favorite English towns and I have loved its cathedral since my first visit so many years ago. I have never entered it without feeling a strong sense of the past, without envisioning the ghosts of those long dead soldiers as they huddled in the shadows and listened as the abbot sought to keep Edward from entering in pursuit of them. He would pardon the men who’d sought sanctuary in the abbey church—all but the Earl of Somerset and thirteen Lancastrian captains who were taken by force and tried for treason before the Earl Marshal and the Lord Constable, Edward’s eighteen year old brother Richard—who grew up in a hurry even by medieval standards. They were found guilty, of course, and beheaded the next morning in the town’s market square, in the shadow of the stone high cross. Edward waived the penalty of disembowelment, the gruesome death for treason since Edward I had ordered it for the Welsh prince, Davydd ap Gruffydd. Unlike the first Edward, the fourth one was capable of showing mercy to his enemies—and sparing a man a drawn and quartered death was definitely a mercy.
Sharon, thank you, but the siege is still in progress, and both sides do not know the outcome yet. And while Richard’s confidence remains unshakeable, Geoffrey’s begins to quiver:-)
I just like the very thought of imagining what was going on there, day by day, step by step. It is like travelling in tiime:-) That’s why I have written about it today.
According to Ralph the siege began on May 1st and ended on May 10th. So you are in perfect agreement this time:-)
Kasia, you’ll see that in the Facebook Note below, I give you full credit for reminding me of Richard’s triumph at Taillebourg. 🙂 Old Ralph is a little off with his dates, though. Richard launched his assault upon the castle on May 4th or 5th and it fell to him on the 8th after he’d lured the defenders into leading a foray outside the walls and he and his men then fought their way into the town. Maybe Ralph means the 1st was when he invaded de Rancon’s lands. The poor civilians in the MA must have felt like the ants crushed when the elephants fought.
Here is the Facebook Note.
One of the many things I love about the Internet is that it is an international phenomenon, enabling me to make friends with people all over the globe. One of my friends, Kasia, is Polish, and she often posts very interesting items about Polish history on my blog. She also reminded me that yesterday was an important event in the life of Richard I. On May 4, 1179, Richard assaulted Taillebourg Castle, held by the Poitevin rebel baron, Geoffrey de Rancon, which was considered so impregnable that no one had even tried to lay siege to it. Richard took it in just four days. The significance of Taillebourg’s fall was that this was the first time Richard—then 21—displayed the battlefield brilliance that would later make him one of the best known of the English kings. Henry was very proud of his son’s impressive achievement, but I wonder if he had any misgivings about Richard’s sudden emergence as a military force to be reckoned with, for he’d won the Great Rebellion of 1174 because he was facing untried youths—his sons—and an incompetent foe—the French king Louis Capet. While Henry has been overshadowed by Richard’s fame, he was a highly competent general himself, so I am guessing he thought himself capable of dealing with Richard should it come to that. Sadly, it did, in great measure because Henry, a highly intelligent man, nonetheless never learned from past mistakes where his sons were concerned. I don’t think he could ever have enjoyed the same trust and close bond with Richard that Eleanor did, in great measure because of Richard’s bitter resentment that she was still being held as Henry’s prisoner. But it needn’t have come to outright war had Henry only named Richard as his heir. He stubbornly refused to do that, though, doubtless because crowning Hal had ended so badly. Had he only been able to see that Richard and Geoffrey were very different men than Hal, he might not have driven both of them into rebellion with the French king. I think it must have been very frustrating to Eleanor, having to watch helplessly as her family tore itself apart, for she obviously was able to learn from her past mistakes. Of course she had sixteen years to mull them over. Henry remains my favorite English king and one of my favorite characters, but there were so many times when he reached a family crossroads and invariably took the wrong turn. If only he’d had the benefit of 20-20 hindsight like me!
Sharon, thank you! Talking about Polish history:
One of my favourite Polish kings died on this day in 1194, namely Kazimierz II Sprawiedliwy (Casimir II the Just- the honorific title wasn’t contemporary; it only appeared in the 16th century). I’m going to write a book about him and his elder brother Duke Henryk Sandomierski (the only Polish crusader of the Piast dynasty) one day.
At first nothing heralded Kazimierz’s bright future. The last son of Bolesław Krzywousty and his wife, Salomea of Berg, born already after his father’s death, provided with no suitful inheritance, he was brought up by his elder brothers, and used as a political pawn by them. In 1157, as a part of the treaty between his brother Bolesław and Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, Casimir was sent to Germany as a hostage in order to secure the loyalty of his brother to the Emperor. He spent four years there. Although Kazimierz himself could not have been happy with the arrangement, I think it must have been the most extraordinary experinece for the young Duke. The German court was far more sophisticated and cultured than Polish one (still in his „cradle”) and Kazimierz must have seen and learned a lot. Later he used that knowledge in ruling his own country, first as the Duke at Wiślica (1166-1173) and Sandomierz (since 1173) and later as the High Duke of Poalnd (in 1177).
You may laugh but I have even managed to trace back a link- although a very indirect one, I admit:- between Kazimierz and Hal. Namely- attention please- Marguerite! In the course of his Russian campaign (1180-1189), Kazimierz had to deal with his powerful neighbour King Bela III of Hungary, Marguerite’s second husband, whom she had married four years after Hal’s death.
And talking about Hal, on this day in 1162, Richard Bishop of London died. A date important to me since it was Richard who baptized Hal in 1155.
Sharon, IMHO, the Great Rebellion, and, consequently, the rebellion of 1183, was solely Henry’s fault. As you once wrote: making Hal the associate-king was Henry’s grevious mistake. I do agree with you but I also think that had it been Richard or Geoffrey, despite all their political talents, they would have done exactly the same what Hal actually did. They would have poured out their greviances and complaints, enhanced the effect by means of impressive demonstrations of the Angevin rage, and eventually sparked off the rebellion against their stubborn father.
Fascinating. I will mention one event the two of you missed: the rebel barons renounced their allegiance to John, proclaiming themselves ‘the Army of God and England’ with Robert Fitz Walter at their head, and marched on London, beginning the preliminary conflicts to the First Baron’s War, eventually leading to the Magna Carta first being signed at Runnymede on June 15.
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