Eleanor of Aquitaine
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Eleanor of Aquitaine needs to keep her head down, I fear – Starz is coming after her, aided and abetted by Alison Weir this time. See this link. Has Philippa Gregory had the elbow? Whatever, we can batten down the hatches for another storm of misinformatiion! And one thing’s certain – it won’t be even…
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Eleanor the Crusader
Anjou, annulments, Antioch, Aquitaine, books, Byzantine Empire, consanguinity, Constantinople, Damascus, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Eugenius III, France, Geoffrey Plantagenet, Henry II, Jerusalem, John, Louis VII, Matt Lewis, Normandy, Plantagenets, Power of a Woman, Raymond of Poitiers, Richard I, Robert S.P. Fripp, Second Crusade, TurksMy next book – due for release in October, all being well – is about Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine. They were one of Europe’s most fabulous power couples, ruling lands that spread from the North Sea to the Mediterranean. Eleanor was nine years Henry’s senior. When they married in 1152, he was a…
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Dismal Sewage
“Lambert Simnel”, “The Last White Rose”, alleged homosexuality, Charles II, Croyland, de la Pole family, Defoe, Desmond Seward, Eleanor of Aquitaine, howlers, Jacobites, Lord Derwentwater, misogyny, Moll Flanders, More, Nell Gwynne, religious persecution, Richard I, Richard III, spell check, von PoppelauThey say every writer should find a niche. Unfortunately, certain ‘popular historians’ seem to have leapt onto ‘gimmicks’ than a niche and write all or most of their books in similar vein, often to the detriment of their work and a growing lack of credibility with each further tome. A trend amongst several notable authors…
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SARUM LIGHTS–A COMMEMORATION
“Pillars of the Earth”, Battle of Bosworth, Buckingham rebellion, Ela Countess of Salisbury, Eleanor of Aquitaine, executions, Gothic architecture, Henry II, Henry III, Iron Age, Ken Follett, Lionel Woodville, Magna Carta, Margaret of Salisbury, Normans, Old Sarum, Richard III, Salisbury Cathedral, Sir John Cheney, stained glass, William Longspee2020 is the 800th Anniversary of the founding of Salisbury Cathedral. Before ‘New Salisbury’ came into existence, the town stood on the windy cone of Old Sarum, a huge iron-age hillfort with massive earthen ramparts. There was a particularly forbidding Norman castle on the height, with a windswept bridge over a deep moat–here, Henry II…
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Well, I have to say that the above carving is very startling. It is believed to be of Eleanor of Aquitaine, and has just been discovered at Bradwell Abbey, Milton Keynes. There is nothing in this article to say why they are so certain it’s Eleanor, but they seem in no doubt. The first thing…
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There are many, many false ideas and funny beliefs about the Middle Ages and some of the notable figures who lived in those times. Alfred and the cakes, Edward II and the hot poker, Eleanor of Aquitaine flinging poisoned toads on Fair Rosamund… And of course, almost everything you can think of about Richard III. …
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The Greatest Knight and Richard III
Barons’ War, Battle of Newbury, Bruces, Cartmel Priory, Crusades, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Henry II, Henry III, Isabel de Clare, John, jousting, Lincoln, Louis VII, Maud de Braose, Papal Legate, Pembroke Castle, Plantagenets, regent, Richard I, Richard III, sieges, Stephen, Stewarts, Templars, Temple Church, William Marshall, Worcester Cathedral, Young King Henry
I have previously posted about my family history connections with Richard III here and I have since found out more interesting links. One such is William Marshall. Called by some the greatest ever knight, he is one of my direct ancestors and also the direct ancestor of Richard III. William had an eventful life. He…
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