Edward III
-
We all know of Nottingham Castle, perched high on its rocky hill overlooking the city. It was the lair of the wicked Sheriff, and has legendary connections with Robin Hood. It also has amazing caves through which Mortimer escaped, and that “It was from Nottingham Castle that news was announced to the people of England…
-
Ten medieval scandals….!
Alice Perrers, Bal des Ardents, Banquet of Chestnuts, Benedict IX, Borgias, Cadaver Synod, Charles VI, Charles VIII, cross-dressing, Edward II, Edward III, Formosus, France, Heloise, Ingeborg of Denmark, Isabella de Valois, Italian Wars, Italy, John Rykener, Louis d’ Orleans, Medici bank, Papacy, Peasants’ Revolt, Peter Abelard, Phillip II, Phillip IV, Piero de Medici, prostitution, Richard Lyons, scandals, Stephen VI, Tour de Nesle, Vatican City, William Latimer“….What are the scandals that made headlines in the Middle Ages? Kings and Popes would be involved in some of the craziest stories of sex and corruption that would make today’s news seem quite tame. From a cross-dressing prostitute to the trial of a dead Pope, here are ten almost-unbelievable medieval scandals….” Well, you’ll find…
-
From the Lizard to Deptford Bridge – a guest post
“Perkin”, Arthur “Tudor”, Blackheath, Bodmin, Charter of Pardon, Cornwall, Deptford Bridge, Duchy of Cornwall, Edward III, Edward the Black Prince, executions, Exeter, fines, Giles Daubeney, Goonhilly Downs, Henry VII, James Lord Audley, John, John Allan, John Arundell, John Rosewarne, John Tresynny, John Trevenor, John Trevysall, Kent, Lizard Peninsula, London, Michael Joseph, pardons, Ralph Retallack, Richard Borlase, Richard Flamank, Scotland, Sir John Oby, St. George’s Fields, St. Keverne, Stannaries, statues, Taunton, taxes, The Cornish Rebellion, Thomas Erisey, Thomas Flamank, Thomas Polgrene, Wells, William Antron, William HamAn Gof and the Cornish Rebellion 1497 As the early summer sun seared upon Bodmin Moor, sweeping south westwards to Goonhilly Downs , which straddles a swathe of the Lizard Peninsula , the tortured arid landscapes weren’t the only features of 1497 Cornwall, threatening to ignite in a blaze of fiery agitation. In 1337 the…
-
I can’t say that this article is all that informative, or, indeed, erudite, but it is about Bestwood Park, which as we all know was a favourite hunting park for many of our monarchs. Including Richard, of course, and he does get a mention. If nothing else, the wintry illustrations show what it may have been…
-
Given her huge notoriety at the time, it’s odd that Edward III’s mistress, Alice Perrers, has (as far as I can ascertain) only garnered one biography. This is Lady of the Sun by F George Kay, 1966 (and seemingly never reprinted). There are no surviving contemporary likenesses of Alice, nor even a description of her.…
-
We all know of the Order of the Garter, and the legend of how it began, but what do we actually know about this, Britain’s oldest and most noble order of chivalry? If you visit this page, you will learn a great deal. I wish the illustrations were enlargeable, and thus more detailed, but they’re…
-
I have just watched a truly aggravating documentary from this 2014 series. In particular the episode called “Secrets of Westminster”. It starts with the tomb of Edward the Confessor…for which they show the correct tomb, yes, but then include a lot of lingering close-ups of the tomb effigy of Richard II. The implication is, it seems,…
-
The following excerpt, concerning royal badges, is from here: “. . .Richard I, John, and Henry III. are all said to have used the device of the crescent and star (Fig. 680). Henry VII. is best known by his two badges of the crowned portcullis and the “sun-burst” (Fig. 681). The suggested origin of the…
-
There was once a royal house, sometimes referred to as a palace, in the street named The Riole in London’s Vintry Ward, and Richard III granted it to his good friend and ally, John Howard, 1st Duke of Norfolk. The great house was called the Tower Royal, and, like so much of medieval London, it…
-
Here is a question that has bugged me for some time now. If, during medieval centuries, a journey could be made around the English coast, rather than across country, was the sea option likely to be chosen? I will take a particular example. It’s from the 14th century, but could be from the 13th or…
The New Murrey and Blue blog 