Blog
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#OTD 6 April 1199 – Richard the Lionheart dies
Richard was crowned king in September 1189, succeeding his father Henry II. He ruled less than 10 years. Histories written in the 19th-20th centuries complain he spent only 6 months of his reign in England, but Richard was a man of his times and should be judged according to 12th century standards. See the full…
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#OTD 25 March 1194 – Richard the Lionheart arrives at the Siege of Nottingham
See the original post in my blog archives…
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Joanna Plantagenet
Joanna Plantagenet was Queen of Sicily, and the Countess of Toulouse. She was the daughter of King Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, born in October 1165. She died on 4 September 1199. At age eleven, Joanna (or Joan) wed William II, King of Sicily. Widowed at 24, she was held under house arrest for…
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#OTD 8 June 1191 – King Richard I’s fleet arrives in Acre
What a momentous day it must have been when Richard the Lionheart’s fleet finally sailed into the harbor at Acre in the Holy Land. Many of the crusaders (called ‘pilgrims’ in their own time) had been on the journey for more than a year. King Richard’s troops had gathered in Tours in present-day France to…
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Third Crusade History – Highlights of Junes 1190-1194
I thought I would highlight some significant events that occur during the month of June in the years of my novels, Battle Scars I & II. Battle Scars I: Men of the Cross takes place from March 1190 – March 1193; book II, For King and Country, is in England from April 1193 – April 1194. (This was originally posted on…
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#OTD 27 May 1199 – John crowned King of England at Westminster
Richard I, the Lionheart, died on April 6, 1199. His brother John was in Brittany at the time visiting a possible rival to the crown, the young Duke Arthur, son of Richard and John’s late brother Geoffrey. John fled the Breton court secretly after a messenger delivered the news. Had the Bretons heard it earlier, we might…
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Right to Reply – the 12th Century
Author Annie Whitehead invited E.M. Powell, Edward Ruadh Butler and me to “slug it out” on her blog, Casting Light upon the Shadow a few weeks ago as part of her “Right to Reply” series. Our topic — one near and dear to each of our hearts — The 12th Century. Annie asked us E.M.…
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#OTD 6 April 1199 – Richard the Lionheart dies
Richard was crowned king in September 1189, succeeding his father Henry II. He ruled less than 10 years. Histories written in the 19th-20th centuries complain he spent only 6 months of his reign in England, but Richard was a man of his times and should be judged according to 12th century standards. His realm stretched…
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#OTD 29 March 1194 – Richard the Lionheart visits Sherwood Forest
The siege of Nottingham ended, so what’s a king to do? Relax! Go hunting in Sherwood Forest. “On the twenty-ninth day of March, Richard, king of England, went to Clipston and the forests of Sherwood, which he had never seen before, and they pleased him greatly; after which, on the same day, he returned to…