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These days, any mention of Melusine might conjure thoughts of Jacquetta of Luxemburg, Elizabeth Woodville, witchcraft and the like. But the story of Melusine was around before then. On browsing through John Gardner’s Life and Times of Chaucer, I came upon the following anecdote, which begins with Gardner’s rather precise description of Edward himself: “He…
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The sword was a vital weapon in the medieval period (as can be seen in the hand-to-hand combat in the illustration of Bosworth above) and there would not have been a knight, lord, magnate or king who did not possess a minimum of one. Most would have had a number. We will never know how many…
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BERMONDSEY ABBEY AND ELIZABETH WYDEVILLE
“Lambert Simnel”, Arthur “Tudor”, Bermondsey Abbey, Catherine de Valois, Cheneygates, David Baldwin, Edward IV, Edward V, Elizabeth of York, Elizabeth Wydeville, Francois de Luxembourg, Henry V, Henry VII, James III, Lady Margaret Beaufort, London, marriage plans, Polydore Vergil, PreContract, Richard III, Richard of Shrewsbury, sanctuary, Sauchieburn, Sheen, Thomas Grey Marquess of Dorset, Titulus RegiusUPDATED POST ON sparkypus.com A Medieval Potpourri https://sparkypus.com/2020/07/01/bermondsey-abbey-and-elizabeth-wydevilles-retirement-there/ Elizabeth Wydeville, by an unknown artist, Royal Collection. If anyone today wandering around Bermondsey, South London, should find themselves in redeveloped Bermondsey Square they may be surprised to find that they are standing on the spot where once stood the quadrangle of the Abbey of Bermondsey, the…
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Where better to start this time than Colchester, with its John Ball connections, of course? Here, in a beer advert, a centurion has edited some graffiti to remind the natives of the Roman Empire’s authority. Perhaps he will enter a pub with four colleagues and order some, raising two fingers when asked how many? He…
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On a whim, I acquired a copy of The Medieval Mystical Tradition in England, edited by Marion Glasscoe. It concerns the papers that were the proceedings of the Exeter Symposium IV: Dartington 1987. And the first of these papers concerns The Mystics and the Early English Printers, and is by George R. Keiser. I confess…
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Here is a link to another WordPress site, The Dragonhound. It contains an exceedingly interesting and thought-provoking article about Anne Neville’s portraits (and those of a few others). The writer puts forward a very good case for the lady in blue, on the right of the illustration above, being Richard III’s elusive queen. There is…
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(A Merry May Yesterday to you all! But before I begin, let me confess that I have gathered information for this article from the work of others, and the relevant webpages/sites are listed in the text and at the end.) Yes, one of the above illustrations is of Joan of Arc, perhaps the most famous…
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Why is it that one particular image will capture the perceived essence of a medieval king in one’s mind? When one hears music for the first time, it will be that first rendition/interpretation that stays, and by which one will judge all others. At least, that is how it is with me. No matter how…
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