Sharon Kay Penman's Blog, page 11

A famous siege, a king's birthday

Well, I am late in posting about Richard III’s birthday, but since Richard had to wait over five hundred years to receive a proper burial, I think he’ll cut me a few days slack. Actually, October 2nd is an important date on the medieval calendar for several reasons. On this date in 1187, the city of Jerusalem surrendered to Saladin after Balian d’Ibelin convinced him to agree to a peaceful takeover rather than to take the city by storm as he’d vowed to do—vengeance for the blood bath staged by the men of the First Crusade when they captured Jerusalem in 1099. Balian saved thousands of lives and spared thousands from slavery when he persuaded Saladin to allow the people to ransom themselves; he also contributed greatly to Saladin’s reputation by keeping the sultan from carrying out that blood-vow. Had Saladin massacred the city’s inhabitants, it is unlikely that his legend would have burned so brightly, for one of the aspects of that legend was his generosity to fallen foes. Balian really deserves considerable credit for what he accomplished via pleading and threats, but history has generally ignored him. Well, he did attract the notice of Ridley Scott, but the director did him no favor, transforming one of the most powerful lords of Outremer into an illegitimate French blacksmith.

Getting back to the last Plantagenet king, the future Richard III was born on October 2nd in 1452 at Fotheringhay Castle, better known as the site of Mary, Queen of Scots’ execution—but not to Ricardians, of course.

And on October 2nd, 1470, Edward IV and Richard were forced to flee England when John Neville switched sides, declaring his loyalty to his brother, the Earl of Warwick. It had to be a great shock for Edward, going from King of England to fugitive in one dizzying turn of Fortune’s Wheel. And for his young brother Richard, it must have added insult to injury that this day of such desperation was his eighteenth birthday. As they sought refuge in Burgundy, few in England expected them to return. But it was always dangerous to underestimate Edward of York, who was at his best in adversity. He would defy all odds by coming back to reclaim his crown, and Richard would be at his side through it all, sharing betrayal, exile, and then the battles that would restore the House of York to power.

And on October 2nd, 1501, Catherine of Aragon landed in Plymouth, England, as the promised bride of the young Tudor heir, Arthur. She would, of course, be widowed early, and eventually become the queen of Arthur’s brother, Henry. Yet another of those moments in history when I wish there was someone there to whisper in the lamb’s ear as she went blithely off to the slaughter---“Don’t do it, Catherine. Stay on the ship and sail back to Spain!”

Today’s actual date, October 3rd is a very significant one in medieval Welsh history, for it was on this date in 1283 that Davydd ap Gruffydd, the last Prince of Wales, was executed by Edward I in the most brutal way possible. I will return tomorrow to write more about this, for October 4th was a slow news day in the MA.

Free copies of Judith Starkston's new novel

I will be back later to do a Today in History post; I would hardly ignore Richard III’s birthday, would I? But right now I wanted to share some good news. I will be interviewing Judith Starkston on my blog sometime this month about her new novel. That is the good news. The really good news is that her novel, Priestess of Ishana is free on Amazon starting today through October 6th, so it's an excellent time to start on her award-winning series. Judith's historical fantasy is based on a forgotten Hittite queen who ruled for decades over one of the most powerful empires of the world and came up against Ramses II--the Pharaoh in the Exodus story. https://amzn.to/2DXpdXt

Bernard Cornwell fans, rejoice!

Thank you all for the kind thoughts and sympathy in response to yesterday’s post. I am delighted to be able to reward you with good news—at least for my fellow Bernard Cornwell fans. He has a new Uhtred novel coming out! My British readers and friends will be able to get it on October 3rd, while in America, you’ll have to wait till late November. Unless you want to buy an audio book edition, for Amazon starts selling that on the 3rd, too. Here is the link.
https://www.amazon.com/Sword-Kings-No...

I am winning the war!

I am very happy to report that my chiropractor and I are finally winning the war against my recalcitrant body parts, mainly the hip and knee. I’ve really missed visiting you all on Facebook, and am optimistic about making much more frequent visits as the calendar turns to my favorite season and my favorite month. A quick note about The Land Beyond the Sea; I hope to be able to show you the British book cover very soon. They are perfecting it at the moment, so I have to wait till I get the okay from my editor at Macmillan. I can say it is very dramatic. I am so lucky that both of my LBS covers are ones I really like. Sadly, that was not always the case over the years. One day I’ll have to do a post about cover horror stories, both for me and writer friends.
I am also about to renovate and update my website, which has been long covered in cyberspace cobwebs. I was wondering if you guys had any ideas about what you’d like to see on the new website. Are there any features you like on other websites that you’d like to see incorporated on mine, too? I’d love to get your feedback on this as we go forward with the renovations.
I hope all of my friends and readers in the UK are not too badly affected by the current stormy weather. Photos of the flooding are very scary. Now I will close with one of my Today in History posts, which I’ve missed doing.
A mixed bag for September 29th in history. In 1227, the pope excommunicated the Holy Roman Emperor, Frederick II, son of Constance de Hauteville and the unloved and unlovable Heinrich von Hohenstaufen. It was a bit embarrassing since he was on crusade at the time, but Frederick liked nothing better than embarrassing the Church; he was excommunicated at least four times if my memory serves and one pope even called him “the Anti-Christ,” which probably amused him greatly.
And in 1328, Joan, Countess of Kent and future Princess of Wales was born. She would marry Edward, the Prince of Wales, and was the mother of a king, Richard II. She and her husband also have two of the coolest medieval nicknames: the Fair Maid of Kent and the Black Prince, although neither one was contemporary.
In 1547, the brilliant Spanish author of Don Quixote, Miguel de Cervantes was born. Did anyone see the film with Peter O’Toole and Sophia Loren, The Man of La Mancha? It did not get good reviews at the time, but I really liked it. And in 1564, the love of Elizabeth Tudor’s life, Robert Dudley, became Earl of Leicester. I think another Earl of Leicester, Simon de Montfort, had a far more forceful personality than Elizabeth’s Robin, but Dudley did manage to banish Simon’s shadow from Kenilworth Castle, which now seems very much a part of the Tudor past.

A great bargain for this weekend only

A quick note since I am still having to limit my computer time as I heal. Some of you were kind enough to alert me that my personal Facebook page was hacked, and yes, I put the curse of the cat people on the culprit. I have changed my password, of course, but I wanted to warn you all that if you get a friend request from me, delete it. Fortunately, you guys seem very savvy about such things, so I am sure that is what you’ve already done. And I have good news for those of you who share my love of David Blixt’s writing. David’s latest novel is a fascinating account of the life of one of history’s more intriguing women, Nellie Bly, and for this weekend only, you can buy the Kindle edition for only $0.99. Here is the link below. If you have not read any of David’s books yet, you are in for such a treat. But plan on letting real life come to a screeching halt while you are immersed in one of his fictional worlds. I was so engrossed in Master of Verona that I did not even notice when our plane encountered severe turbulence as we prepared to land at Denver’s airport. Most of the other passengers on board probably headed for the closest bar to steady their shredded nerves, but my main concern was having to tear myself away from medieval Italy, at least long enough to get to my hotel. So you’ve been warned!
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07...

My latest disappearance and a chance to tour a Welsh prince's manor house

I want to explain the reason for my latest disappearing act. A few weeks ago, I took a bad fall in my back yard. My motion sensor light had stopped working and I don’t do well in coal-mine darkness. 😊 Usually my chiropractor is very successful in putting Humpty Dumpty back together again, but this injury has proven to be a bit more challenging. He gets all my wayward body parts back where they belong, only to have them go wandering off at the first opportunity. Since my hip and knee are in cahoots, this is never a good thing and I’ve had to severely limit my computer time while I heal.
I’ve gone through this before, as my long-time Facebook friends know. As frustrating as it can be, I need only think of Richard III to put my own problems in perspective. Richard and I are both scoliosis sufferers, though I did not know of his ailment when I wrote Sunne, of course. Judging from his spine’s curvature, Richard had a more serious case than I do, yet he still earned a reputation as a formidable fighter, a dangerous man to encounter on the battlefield. So, from time to time, I remind myself that at least I never had to put on plate armor and then ride a fiery destrier into battle.
I will be back as soon as my chiropractor wins the war against my rogue hip; fortunately, he always prevails in the end. In the meantime, here is a fascinating link for you all. It leads to a virtual reality tour of Owain Glyndwr’s fifteenth century manor house
https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-wales-...

September 2nd in history

I hope all of my American readers and friends are enjoying the Labor Day holiday and that it is a nice weekend in the UK, which I think is enjoying a bank holiday. Please pray for the people in the Bahamas, now experiencing the worst of Dorian’s wrath, and for others unlucky enough to be in its path. My chiropractor says my back injury should have improved enough to allow me to use the computer again this week. Meanwhile, I’ll cut and paste an old post about the historical events for tomorrow’s date.

On September 2nd in 31 BC, the battle of Actium was fought in the Ionian Sea between the fleets of Octavian and Antony and Cleopatra. Antony’s crews were already undermanned because of a malaria epidemic and his chances were certainly not helped when one of his general s defected to Octavian with his battle plan. When Cleopatra fled, he concluded all was lost and followed. They both escaped, but they were already on borrowed time and I suspect they knew it. Octavian is one of those historical figures who seem to have had ice rather than blood flowing through their veins, but to his credit, he did his best to save the men on the burning ships. This is not at all medieval, of course, but who isn’t interested in the death throes of the Roman Republic and the enigma that was Cleopatra? Margaret George has written an excellent novel about Cleopatra and Michelle Moran has written one about the fates of Cleopatra and Antony’s children, Cleopatra’s Daughter.

On September 2nd, 1192, the Third Crusade came to an end with a peace treaty between Saladin and Richard I. It was actually a truce, to last for three years and eight months, and Richard hoped to come back and fulfill his vow to retake Jerusalem. But he’d not bargained upon his German captivity. One of the first things he did upon regaining his freedom was to send a message to his nephew, Henri of Champagne, assuring him that he still intended to return, but it was not to be. He spent the last five years of his life in a bitter war with the French king, unable to leave his lands for another crusade. And of course peace in the Middle East was as elusive and ephemeral then as it remains today. But on that September day 820 years ago, there was genuine joy that the war was over. Baha al-Din, a member of Saladin’s inner circle, reported that “It was a day of rejoicing. God alone knows the boundless joy of both peoples.”

And lastly, another non-medieval event—on September 2, 1666, the Great Fire of London started. It would burn for four days, and destroyed all of the medieval sections of the city. While the casualties were surprisingly light for a catastrophe of this magnitude, the damage was extensive. Over 13,000 houses and 80 parish churches were burned, including the great cathedral of St Paul’s, scene of some dramatic episodes in my novels. Human nature being what it is, the panicked people looked for scapegoats and there were lynchings of French and Dutch immigrants. The Museum of London has an inter-active scale model of 17th century London, showing the path of the fire, which broke out in a bakery shop. It also has a website devoted to the fire, but it is aimed at a student audience. Here is a link to a BBC radio program about the fire that is quite interesting. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00ft63q

Apologies to Richard III

I always write something about Richard III on the anniversary of his death at Bosworth. I owe Richard a great deal; if I’d not become fascinated with his story, I’d probably have continued to practice law until I finally cracked and ran screaming for the hills. I think yesterday was the first time that I’ve missed doing a Bosworth post, though I do have an excuse, another nasty flareup of back pain that has kept me off the computer this week. For many years, an In-Memoriam message was placed for Richard in the New York Times and the Times of London on August 22nd. I am not sure if this is still being done; does anyone know? Richard will never escape from Shakespeare’s shadow, but at least he has not been forgotten.
Another historical figure who deserves to be remembered is William Wallace, who was put to death in the most brutal manner possible—drawn and quartered—on August 23, 1305, after being charged with treason by Edward I. And as if that were not bad enough, he’d later be played by Mel Gibson in Braveheart.
And on August 23, 1358, Isabella of France, queen of Edward II, lover of Roger Mortimer, and mother of Edward III, died at Hertford Castle; she was 63 and had been in poor health for a while. She asked to be buried in her wedding mantle and with the heart of her husband, Edward II. Our Edwardian expert, Kathryn Warner, is one of those who have cast doubts upon whether Edward really died at Berkeley Castle as reported. I do find it strange that Edward’s half-brother, the Earl of Kent, tried to free him three years after his death had been announced, paying for that abortive rescue mission with his own life. So he must have believed that Edward was still alive. But I just don’t know enough about that era of British history to draw conclusions of my own.
And the notorious St Bartholomew’s Day massacre began in Paris on the night of August 23rd, 1572; thousands of French Huguenots were slain before the madness stopped. My favorite French king, Henri of Navarre, the future Henri IV, escaped being murdered because of his new bride, Marguerite de Valois, sister of the ruling French king; Henri would later convert to Catholicism to gain the French crown and is famously said to have quipped, “Paris is worth a Mass.” Some historians have questioned whether he really said that, but it certainly sounds like him. If only I had nine lives like a cat, I’d have loved to tell Henri’s story. C.W. Gortner dramatizes the St Bartholomew’s Day massacre in his novel, The Confessions of Catherine de Medici, who was Marguerite’s mother.

Good news about Wine of Violence and a belated look at August 14th in history

I want to thank all of you who asked Amazon to tell Priscilla Royal’s publisher that you wanted to read the first book in her medieval mystery series, Wine of Violence, as a Kindle. For reasons that still puzzle us, it was suddenly banished from the Amazon mother ship as an e-book. This is always frustrating for writers; I can speak from experience here, remembering how long it took for my novels to be offered as Kindles on Amazon.uk. But score one for readers and writers, for Wine of Violence is once more available as a Kindle on Amazon!
Since I am so far behind in my Today in Medieval History posts for the month of August, I just picked a date at random for today.

On August 14, 1040, King Duncan of Scotland was killed in battle against Macbeth, who would rule Scotland for the next seventeen years and would be unlucky enough to attract the attention of an Elizabethan playwright named Shakespeare. The result would be a great play, but not an accurate portrayal of the flesh and blood Macbeth. When the truth comes up against genius, the latter usually prevails, as the victim of another immortal Shakespearean play can testify.

On August 14, 1473, Margaret Pole, daughter of George, Duke of Clarence, and Isabel Neville, was born. She would later wed the Earl of Salisbury and meet a gruesome death at the age of 68, brutally executed by Henry VIII’s axman on a trumped-up charge of treason. Her judicial murder was one of the darker stains on the Tudor record; she would later be beatified as a martyr by the Roman Catholic Church. Hazel Pierce has written a biography of this interesting woman, Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury, 1473-1541.

And on August 14, 1479, Catherine of York, the sixth daughter of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville was born. She would later wed Edward Courtenay, son and heir of the Earl of Devon; widowed at 31, she took a vow of chastity and—unlike another king’s daughter, John’s daughter Eleanor (My Nell in Falls the Shadow)—Catherine would hold to hers, dying in 1527.

Then, on August 14, 1561, Mary Queen of Scots left her beloved France for her alien homeland, Scotland. As we all know, this would not end well. I think Mary never met a bad decision she did not run to embrace, so she has never been a favorite of mine. But nevertheless, there is something sad about this date, as the young, naïve queen sails off to her new life, doubtless with a mixture of unease and excitement. I think Margaret George does a fine job of bringing Mary to life in her novel, Mary Queen of Scots.

Thoughts on my birthday, elephants, and my favorite medieval king

Thank you all for the wonderful birthday good wishes. You always do so much to make my birthday special each year. I am sorry I could not get on-line until today, but I am hoping that life will settle down from now on, she says optimistically.
How many of you knew Monday was World Elephant Day? I confess I did not. But this gives me another opportunity to thank everyone who signed my petition on behalf of Happy, called “the world’s loneliest elephant” by the New York Times; she has been kept in solitary confinement at the Bronx Zoo for more than a decade and animal lovers have been trying to convince the zoo to let her spend her twilight years with her own kind in an elephant sanctuary. Please let me know if any more of you would like to sign the petition and I will be happy to re-post it.
Here is one of my catchups for my Today in History posts. I picked August 6th, not because anything dramatic happened on that date, but because I really miss writing about my favorite king, Henry II, and seize any opportunity I can get to bring him back on center stage, however briefly. That is why I so enjoyed writing the scene in A King’s Ransom when Richard is being held in harsh conditions at the notorious Trifels Castle and has a fevered dream in which Henry appears to show that he is still as snarky in the Afterlife as he always was.
On August 6, 1171, Henry II returned to England for the first time since the murder of Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral. He did not linger for long. After paying a dutiful courtesy call upon the dying Bishop of Winchester, the scheming brother of King Stephen, who’d lost his sight and gained a conscience in his last years, and who was said to have lectured Henry for the part he’d played in Becket’s death, Henry sailed for Ireland, where he lay low waiting for the furor over Becket’s killing to die down. He would return to England in April, 1172, which also marked the beginning of Devil’s Brood.
On August 6, 1195, Heinrich der Lowe—Henry the Lion—the former Duke of Saxony and Bavaria died. He was the husband of Henry and Eleanor’s daughter Matilda (Tilda in my books to avoid a surfeit of Matildas) and was buried at her side. Their daughter Richenza was a character in Devil’s Brood and Lionheart and again in A King’s Ransom, along with her brother Otto, both of whom were very close to their uncle Richard. I really liked Richenza and not just because she was the only Richenza in any of my books!