Wales
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Here’s how the great House of Mortimer petered out and was supplanted by a Lancastrian usurper who killed the reigning king and stole his throne. Then, under the House of York, the House of Mortimer triumphed again….until, in 1485, along came another Lancastrian usurper to kill the reigning king and steal the throne….. Never trust…
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One of the greatest of Arthur’s knights was Sir Gawain, hero of (among other legends) the tale of the Green Knight. There is some very interesting information about Gawain here: I always knew that the Welsh tradition has Gawain (Welsh – Gwalchmai) buried as follows:- “The grave of Gwalchmai in Peryddon, as a disgrace to…
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STATEMENT IN STONE
Anne of Gloucester, Battle of Shrewsbury, Bohun inheritance, Calais, Caldicot, Caldicot Castle, Edmund Earl of Stafford, Eleanor de Bohun, executions, France, Henry IV, Henry of Buckingham, Humphrey Duke of Buckingham, Lionel of Antwerp, Lords Appellant, Mary de Bohun, Merciless Parliament, Northampton, Pleshey Castle, regent, Richard II, Roger Mortimer 4th Earl of March, Salisbury, Thomas of woodstock, Wales, Woodstock TowerMost old castles will have graffiti both old and new pecked into their stonework somewhere. People like to leave A symbol for posterity (often unfortunately.) Very few ancient buildings, however, have the owner’s name graven into them for for eternity. Not so at Caldicot in Wales. If you walk around to the back of the…
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Um, where’s Lionel of Clarence in this scheme of things….?
“Lambert Simnel”, “Perkin”, “Princes”, “Tudors”, Bosworth, Edmund of Langley, Edward III, Edward of Warwick, Edward the Black Prince, Elizabeth of York, genealogy, Henry IV, Henry VII, Innocent VIII, John of Gaunt, Lady Margaret Beaufort, Lancastrians, Lionel of Antwerp, Mortimers, Norman conquest, propaganda, Richard II, Richard III, Richard of Shrewsbury, Wales, Wars of the Roses, William I, YorkistsWell, well, this author appears to have expunged Lionel of Clarence and his line from the annals of history, in order to make the Lancastrian claim to the throne senior to that of York. When, thanks to Lionel, it ended up the other way around. Lionel was the 2nd son of Edward III, Lancaster the…
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If you are looking for a pleasant medieval weekend away you could do worse than staying at the manor house of St Pierre, near Chepstow in Wales. The deerpark may be a golf course now but there are still acres to walk, an ancient church, and a handsome twin-towered gatehouse surrounded by a courtyard. The…
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Yet again, I tell you the old story of looking for one thing and happening on something else. This time an article that questions the ultimate effectiveness of Henry VII’s reign. Well, rather it raises questions that historians don’t seem to have asked before now. It is well worth reading, especially as there are links to other…
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While doing some research, I came upon a beautiful 15th century scroll of Edward IV on the website of the Philadelphia Free Library, showing the King’s full line of descent with stunning imagery and symbolism. What was particularly interesting was that Edward also used, as did Henry Tudor, the image of the Red Dragon in…
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Men of Harlech
“Men of Harlech”, Barmouth, Dafydd ab Ifan ab Einion, Denbigh, Earl of Pembroke, Edward I, Edward IV, France, Harlech Castle, Hedgeley Moor, Henry VI, Hexham, Hundred Years War, Jack Cade, Jasper “Tudor”, John Oxenford, Margaret d’Anjou, Matthew Gough, Northampton, Richard III, Rouen, Scotland, siege of harlech, Sir Richard Herbert, Sir Richard Tunstall, Towton, Wales, Wars of the Roses, William Herbert Earl of Huntingdon
In March 1461, the Lancastrian forces of King Henry VI were decisively thrashed at Towton, the Yorkist army of King Edward IV winning the day after a bitter and close-fought battle. After that, England fell into the hands of the first Yorkist king. At least, that is what Edward would have liked. In truth, repeated…
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