Blog
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Research Gems: The Murder-Fine
I am continually surprised by the fascinating bits of information I uncover while doing research for my medieval fiction. For Book III of Battle Scars I have been reading (or re-reading) biographies of Richard I and John, and stumbled across this gem in England Without Richard, 1189-1199 by John T. Appleby: the “murder-fine.” This form of…
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Save Your Beloved, Conquer a Country, Get Married – a busy May 1191 for Richard I
After wintering in Messina, Sicily, the fleet of King Richard I finally sailed for the Holy Land in early April 1191 with more than 150 ships. De Hoveden writes, “a dreadful wind arose from the south and dispersed his fleet.” Richard initially landed in Crete not knowing the fate of all his ships, including a buss…
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Talking about the book: The Holy Lance
Title: The Holy Lance Author: Andrew Latham A tidbit about the authorScholar-turned-historical-fiction-writer. Andrew Latham was born in the UK, raised in Canada, and currently lives and teaches in Minnesota. He has a dog named Max who obviously has good taste in books. The storyThe year is 1191. A daring counterattack against the Saracens’ last-ditch effort to relieve the…
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Research gems: not everyone liked Richard the Lionheart
We know Richard the Lionheart had any number of detractors and outright enemies. In this case, I’m not talking about King Philip of France, Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor, John, Count of Mortain (Richard’s brother, the future King John of Magna Carta fame), or other contemporaries of Richard. As I work through through final checks of…
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Andrew Latham – The Holy Lance
Andrew Latham shared an advance copy of The Holy Lance with me, and all I have to say is “When will book 2 of his English Templars series be released?” The Holy Lance, first in this trilogy, is a gripping historical adventure set during the Third Crusade. Latham’s protagonist is brutal killer and pious monk,…
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York Castle in the 12th century
Somewhere in the midst of plotting Book II of Battle Scars, For King and Country, I had a brilliant idea: Stephan l’Aigle must deliver a message to the Sheriff of York. If you’ve been to York, you’ll recognize Clifford’s Tower. It is one of the few visible remains of York Castle. A menacing keep on a motte…
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Pirates, shipwreck, and the capture of a king . . . December 1192
On this anniversary of the surrender of Richard the Lionheart to Duke Leopold of Austria on December 20 (or the 21st), I thought I would take a look at the events in the Fall of 1192 and other historical background leading up to that day. The Third Crusade ended with a truce in September. King Richard set sail…