Henry II

Eleanor of Aquitaine, the “mother-in-law from hell”….?

Apr 1, 2022

anniversaries, battles, buildings, genealogy, religion

Anne of Bohemia, Berengaria, Crusades, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Fontevraud Abbey, Henry II, Isabella of Angouleme, John, l’Epau Abbey, le Mans, miscarriage, Navarre, Richard I, Richard II, royal marriages, royal tombs, sexuality, taxes

There are two King Richards of England whose marriages are always called into question: Richard I and Berengaria of Navarre, and Richard II and Anne of Bohemia. Richard II’s sexuality is cited as the reason he and Anne had no children. Either he was sexless…or his interests went to the male of the species. Therefore…
More technology reveals …

Dec 29, 2021

anniversaries, art, buildings, religion

“Canterbury Ancestors”, Canterbury Cathedral, fire of Canterbury, Henry II, Norman buildings, St. Thomas Becket, stained glass, technology, windolyser

… that Canterbury Cathedral has some of the world’s oldest stained glass. The “windolyser”, which is a new non-destructive technique designed to date windows in situ, has placed some of the “Canterbury Ancestors” some years before both Becket‘s matyrdom and the fire, four years later, that destroyed the building around them, showing that they were…
The Kingmaker’s Anger

Nov 22, 2021

anniversaries, battles, buildings, genealogy, sources

Alexander Neville Archbishop of York, anarchy, Anne Beauchamp, Anne Neville, Barons Latimer, Calais, Captain of Calais, Cardiff Castle, Catherine Parr, Catherine Woodville, Countess of Shrewsbury, Countesses of Arundel, daughters, de Veres, Duchess of Somerset, Duchess of Warwick, Dukes of Buckingham, Dukes of Norfolk, Earls of Arundel, Earls of Kent, Earls of Northumberland, Edmund Duke of Somerset, George Duke of Clarence, George Neville, George Neville Duke of Bedford, Henry Fitzhugh, Henry II, Henry IV, Henry of Buckingham, Henry VI, Henry VIII, Isabel Neville, Joan “Beaufort”, John Mowbray Duke of Norfolk, Losecoat Field, marriages, Matthew Lewis, Monthemer family, Nevilles, Percies, Ralph Earl of Westmorland, rebellions, Richard Duke of York, Richard Earl Rivers, Richard III, Richard of Warwick, Rous Roll, sibling double marriages, Sir John Woodville, summary executions, the Beauforts., Thomas Lord Stanley, Wakefield, Wars of the Roses, William de Longespee, William Lord Hastings

I’m working on a biography of Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick – the man best introduced as The Kingmaker. I have written on the Wars of the Roses, on Richard, Duke of York, and Richard III. Warwick has been a constant presence throughout. I spent some time in an earlier dispute over the throne of…
“Historically accurate” movies as voted for in 2017….

Sep 14, 2021

battles, films, religion

A Night to Remember, Black Robe, Cate Blanchett, Charles Lightoller, Elizabeth I, executions, Gettysberg, Glenda Jackson, Henry II, Jeanne d’Arc, Katherine Hepburn, Kenneth More, Peter O’Toole, The Lion in Winter, Titanic

Well, it’s interesting to see the top 33 “historically accurate” movies , as voted for in 2017 by IMDb readers. I confess to being disappointed that only three of the medieval period made it to the list (which is in number-of-votes order). Well, three if Elizabeth actually counts as medieval. This last of the Tudor…
Three lions on a shirt….English football and Richard the Lionheart….

Sep 3, 2021

anniversaries, battles, heraldry

“Three Lions on a shirt”, “Tudor” rose, coronations, Eleanor of Aquitaine, football, Henry II, lions, Richard I, royal arms, songs, Third Crusade

“….He spent little time in England but one very famous king’s emblem is now on the lips of millions in the country he ruled but rarely visited. Football fans across the land are singing ‘Three Lions on a Shirt’ and it’s all thanks to Richard I….” Well, that’s about all for which England has to…
London’s Greatest Bridges (with Rob Bell)

Sep 1, 2021

buildings, Science, television reviews

America, architectural history, bascules, Blitz, bridges, Channel Five, Charles Barry, church of St. Magnus, Claudius, concrete, engineering, Gothic facade, Haberdashers, Henry II, Horace Jones, houses, Isambard Brunel, John Barry, London, London Bridge, Marc Brunel, Parliament, Port of London, River Thames, Rob Bell, Roman Britain, Rotherhithe Tunnel, shops, steel, stone, Tilbury, Tower Bridge, towers, wood

The series began at London Bridge itself. From an engineering perspective, Bell explained that the wooden Claudian bridge was the first across the Thames , built on no fewer than twenty-nine artificial islands, making it very difficult to negotiate. It was replaced with a very similar stone unit by Henry II. The Haberdashers were very…
Digging up our monarchs; no, not Richard III this time….!

Aug 17, 2021

anniversaries, archaeology, buildings, religion, Science

Anne Boleyn, Anne of Bohemia, Banqueting House, burial, Catherine de Valois, Charles I, childbirth, death, Edward I, Edward IV, Edward V, Edward VI, executions, Exhumation, George IV, Greenwich Palace, Henry II, James VII/II, John, King’s Langley, Leicester, Newark Castle, Old St. Paul’s, Pontefract Castle, Richard II, Richard III, Samuel Pepys, Society of Antiquaries, St. Edward the Confessor, St. Peter ad Vincula, St. Thomas Becket, Tower of London, Victoria, Westminster Abbey, Windsor Castle, Worcester Cathedral

I’m told that even now, if you purchase a plot of ground in which to put your loved ones to rest, the chances are they’ll only lie in peace for eighty years, at which time they are removed and new occupants move in. Well, for centuries our dead haven’t always been left to enjoy their…
LOUIS IX OF FRANCE–THE BONES SPEAK

Jul 14, 2021

anniversaries, archaeology, genealogy, religion, Science

Blanche of Castile, bones, crusaders, diet, DNA analysis, dysentery, Edward I, Egypt, Eighth Crusade, France, Henry II, Henry III, kings, Louis IX, Notre Dame, radio carbon dating, relics, saints, scurvy, Seventh Crusade, St. Denis, teeth, Tunis, Tunisia

It is not just King Richard III who has had numerous scientific tests done on his mortal remains. Tests have also recently taken place on the jawbone of Louis IX of France who died in 1270 while on Crusade in Tunisia. Louis is also known as ‘The Saint’ and was the husband of Margaret of…
The origins of the White Rose of York?

Jul 7, 2021

anniversaries, buildings, genealogy, heraldry

Caroline Halsted, Clifford Castle, Fair Rosamund Clifford, Henry II, Mortimers, royal mistresses, Walter Clifford, white rose, Wye, Yorkists

According to Caroline Halstead in Richard III As Duke Of Gloucester And King of England, the White Rose derives from Clifford Castle (near Hay-on-Wye). It therefore came to the York family as part of their inheritance from the Mortimers, who had themselves inherited Clifford Castle. But why is Clifford Castle associated with a white rose?…
Eleanor of Aquitaine is to get the Starz treatment….!

May 18, 2021

Alternative History, anniversaries, films

Eleanor of Aquitaine, Henry II, Katherine Hepburn, Peter O’Toole, Starz, The Lion in Winter, The Spanish Princess, Weir

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…