Blog
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#OTD 26 March 1199 – Richard the Lionheart wounded at Chalus
Richard I of England had been at war with the French since his return from the Crusades and his captivity in Germany. While a truce had been signed with King Philip of France, Richard marched south to lay siege to the Viscount of Limoges’ castle at Chalus-Chabrol and to others at nearby Nontron and Montagut. This area…
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#OTD 25 March 1194 – Richard the Lionheart arrives at the Siege of Nottingham
King Richard I, the Lionheart, had taken the Cross and journeyed to the Holy Land in 1190. He led his army of approx. 15,000 men to within 12 miles of Jerusalem, but did not re-take the holy city. After a truce with Salah-al-Din, Richard attempted to return home, but was faced with enemies on his path.…
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Writing Medieval Lincoln – the Bishops’ Palace
I don’t get to travel across the Atlantic as often as I would like, so I am revisiting Lincoln today through this post. I could close my eyes to wander medieval Lincoln in my mind’s eye, but it would be hard to type! I had written about Lincoln Castle and Lincoln Cathedral in previous posts and…
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Writing Medieval Lincoln – Lincoln Castle
I wish I lived closer to Lincoln or could have the Enterprise transporter take me the 4000+ miles in a few seconds. While I am wishing for the transporter, I might as well add a time machine to the mix. Where is the TARDIS when you need it? I didn’t have a chance to visit Lincoln until…
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Writing Medieval Lincoln -Lincoln Cathedral
I am standing at the top of the observatory tower of Lincoln Castle eyeing the streets of Lincoln and the magnificent Cathedral. What a fine setting for a novel, don’t you think? Yes, so did I, which is how Sir Stephan l’Aigle ends up in Lincoln in 1193 in For King and Country. But, the…
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A Young Earl, A Bad Marriage
Some medieval arranged marriages were successful: Edward III & Philippa; William Marshal and Isabel de Clare. Love blossomed between couples brought together for political or business alliances. Last week on English Historical Fiction Authors I shared the story of a not-so-happily-ever-after. Constance of Brittany, the widow of Henry II’s son, married Ranulf de Blundeville, 6th earl of…
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My visit to Nottingham Castle
As part of my travels in September, I was able to return to Nottingham for a half day adventure to explore the Castle. I set several scenes of For King and Country there, so you can imagine how exciting it was for me to have an opportunity to see it from the perspective of someone with research interests…
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moments in Third Crusade history: 10 july 1190 – the bridge collapse on the River Rhône
From the archives… Read the original post about this not-so-well-known event…
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Chancellor, justiciar, and papal legate William Longchamp – my guest post on #EHFA
To his contemporaries, William Longchamp became “a man with three titles and three heads,” exercising power as justiciar, chancellor, and papal legate. His critics claim he was greedy, ambitious, and unscrupulous. Learn more about the man Richard the Lionheart left to attend to the business of his kingdom in my guest post on English Historical…