Richard II
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It’s said that green is the colour of the Devil; it’s also my favourite colour, so I don’t know what that says about me. All I know is that when I was growing up, green was almost always declared to be unlucky. In my teens, I was invited to be a bridesmaid for a…
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The Earliest Roots of the Wars of the Roses: Edward II and Thomas of Lancaster?
Bannockburn. Boroughbridge, Blanche of Lancaster, Boniface IX, canonisation, Chris Given-Wilson, cults, Despencers, Dukes of Lancaster, earls, Edmund of Langley, Edward II, executions, Henry IV, Henry of Lancaster, Ireland, John of Gaunt, miracles, Piers Gaveston, Pontefract Castle, popes, Richard II, Shrewsbury Parliament, Thomas Despenser, Thomas Mowbray Earl of Norfolk, Thomas of Lancaster, Waltheof, Wars of the RosesIt may seem bizarre to go back to the reign of Edward II (reigned 1307-27) when talking about the Wars of the Roses, but bear with me. Edward and his cousin, Thomas Earl of Lancaster, got on together quite well in the early years of Edward’s reign. Gradually, though, a feud between them grew…
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We all know of Dr John Argentine, who attended Edward V, with such grave results for Richard III’s reputation. But was he from a family line of physicians/astrologers? I am reading The Rise of Alchemy in Fourteenth-Century England: Plantagenet Kings and the Search for the Philosopher’s Stone, by Jonathan Hughes, and in the Bibliography is…
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Tudorites are always very keen to claim the introduction of the Renaissance to England as their territory. Anyone who went before the blessed Henry VII had nothing whatsoever to do with it. Right? No, very wrong. Lady and gentlemen, I give you the Wilton Diptych (see here and also this video), which was created for…
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Gloucester on 28th October, 1378, 1483 and 1967….
Brecon, Buckingham rebellion, coronations, Edward II tomb, Finchampstead, Gloucester, Gloucester Cathedral, Gloucester Mourning Sword, Gloucestershire archives, Gnosall, Henry of Buckingham, John Morton, John Russell, Old West Gate, Parliament, Ralph Bannaster, Richard II, Richard III, River Severn, Royal Progress, royal visits, Saracen’s Head, Tewkesbury, Tewkesbury Abbey, Wales28th October is a notable day for me because of three events in Gloucester’s history:- (1) It was the day my second favourite king, Richard II was in Gloucester and Tewkesbury—well, he was from 20th October 1378 until mid-November, so had to be in one or the other on the 28th. (2) It was also…
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We definitely do have set beliefs about medieval horses, mostly incorrect. Just because we see illustrations of medieval lords riding what look like ponies too small for them, we think it must be the fault of the illustrator. But no, for journeys they really did have small trotting horses that could keep going on and…
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Edwardtide—a Celebration of Edward the Confessor, Saint and King….
Bayeux Tapestry, Bishop Gundulf, Chapel of St. Edward the Confessor, Edith of Scotland, Epiphany, Henry I, Henry II, Henry III, High Altar, House of Wessex, jewellery, Life of St. Edward the Confessor, martyrs, Octave of St. Edward, pilgrim’s ring, Richard II, royal saints, St. Edward the Confessor, Thomas Becket, Westminster Abbey, Wilton Diptych“….Remembering St Edward, 13th-18th October 2020….During Edwardtide, we celebrate the life of St Edward the Confessor, King of England 1042–1066 and the re-founder of Westminster Abbey. St Edward was canonised in 1161, and to this day, pilgrims come to pray at his shrine…” The above extract is from the website of Westminster Abbey (specifically from this…
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The caption of the above illustration gives a mild flavour of what follows in this review and this one and of the BBC’s The Hollow Crown series. The reviews are the work of Hello Tailor, and really had me giggling. They’re sharp and witty, but naughty too, so be warned. They’re also the work of…
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“….To provide the castle’s inhabitants with fresh water, wells were dug into the rock. One at 370 feet (113 m) deep, is one of the deepest castle wells in England. According to legend, it was the hiding place of Richard II’s treasure which he stashed before leaving England in 1399 to quell the rebellion in Ireland. The treasure has…
The New Murrey and Blue blog 