Sharon Kay Penman's Blog, page 133

A gruesome hunting accident

November 13, 1143 was the date of death of Fulk, Count of Anjou and King of Jerusalem, husband to Queen Melisende; I’ve always been interested in this capable, strong-willed woman and I am delighted to report that Sharan Newman is working on a biography of Melisende. (No pressure, Sharan, but I would say to you what his fans say to George RR Martin, “Write like the wind!”) Fulk died as the result of a gruesome hunting accident. His skull was crushed by the saddle when his horse stumbled and fell on top of him. According to my favorite medieval historian, William of Tyre, “his brains gushed forth from both ears and nostrils.” (I hope no one is reading this while eating breakfast.) Fulk lingered in a coma for three days before finally dying. Coincidentally, I just finished the chapter in which Richard’s nemesis (one of them, anyway) Leopold, the Duke of Austria, died as the result of another riding accident. His was just as grisly as Fulk’s, but I’ll let you all read about that one in Ransom. Fulk was, of course, the father of Geoffrey of Anjou and thus the grandfather of Henry II. One of his daughters wed the Count of Flanders and a second daughter was widowed by the sinking of the White Ship and later became Abbess of Fontevrault. By Melisende, he was also the father of two Kings of Jerusalem and was therefore the grandfather of Isabella, who appears in Lionheart.
November 13, 1160 was the wedding date for Louis VII and Adele of Blois, who would later do what his first two wives could not, give him a son. Louis’s second wife had died the month previously, after giving birth to his unfortunate daughter Alys, so he did not have much of a mourning period. By marrying Adele, Louis thus became brother-in-law as well as father-in-law to her brothers, for they were betrothed to his daughters by Eleanor. I had fun doing a scene in Lionheart in which Henri of Champagne tried to explain his convoluted family tree.
And November 13, 1312 was the birthday of the future Edward III. This must have been a very happy day for Edward II and Isabella, who did not have many of them---at least not together.

Veteran's Day

Veteran’s Day, a time for remembrance. I feel it particularly keenly this year, as I’ve been doing a lot of reading about PTSD, which makes it painfully clear what a high price men and women and their families may pay for serving their country. War should always be the last resort, for there is too much truth in Albert Einstein’s observation that older men start wars and younger men fight them. Above all, I think we need to do more to support veterans when they come home, if they are lucky enough to come home.

The reluctant nun

Some interesting birthdays today. On November 10, 1433, Charles the Bold (or the Rash) was born; he was the husband of Margaret of York and reluctantly gave refuge to Edward and Richard when they were forced to flee England. He has the dubious distinction of being the only great prince to be eaten by wolves; after his death at the siege of Nancy in 1477, by the time his body was found, it had been partially devoured by animals. He appears in one scene of Sunne and I am sure he is a character in Anne Easter Smith’s novel about Margaret, Daughter of York.

On November 10, 1480, Bridget, the youngest daughter of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville was born. She was sent to Dartford Priory to become a nun in 1487 at the painfully young age of seven years. When I was checking her birth date on Wikipedia, I discovered something fascinating, something that was definitely not known when I wrote Sunne three decades ago. Apparently Bridget was a reluctant nun, for she may have had an illegitimate daughter in 1498, Agnes of Eltham. I know Wikipedia can be hit or miss, but they do cite a new history of the Plantagenets as the source. As I’ve often explained, I could not keep up on Ricardian research if I wanted to write other novels. Anyone who is more current on Ricardiana than me know anything about Bridget and Agnes? We certainly know there were many unwilling nuns in the MA, girls sequestered at an early age like Bridget or Gwenllian, others compelled by family to take vows to in squabbles over inheritances, some who were compelled by circumstances or sudden poverty. The histories mention runaway nuns. This case seems unusual in that if it is true, Bridget had her baby while still a nun and continued to remain a nun until her death. Being a king’s daughter and the sister of Elizabeth of York probably played a role in her more lenient treatment. But wouldn’t we love to know more about all this?

On November 10, 1483, Martin Luther was born, to the grief of popes everywhere. And although it is not medieval, on November 10, 1566, Robert Devereaux, the Earl of Essex was born, to the subsequent grief of Elizabeth I.

A remarkable young queen

November 9, 1389 is the birthdate of a young woman whose appeal continues to shine across the centuries—at least to me. Isabella of Valois was the daughter of a French king and at age six she became Queen of England when she wed Richard II. Richard was still grieving for his late wife, Anne of Bohemia, and it is likely that he saw this marriage to a child bride as a way to avoid having to form a marital bond before he was emotionally ready for one. Whatever his motivation, he apparently treated little Isabella very kindly and she became quite attached to him, as she would soon prove. Four years after their marriage, Richard was deposed by his cousin, who then claimed the English crown as Henry IV, the first Lancastrian monarch. Henry thought the ten year old Isabella would make a good bride for his son, the future Henry V. But Isabella would have none of it. This brave child defied the new king, refused to wed his son, and once she became convinced that Richard was dead, she went into deep mourning. Eventually she proved to be such an embarrassment that Henry agreed to allow her to return to France. I have encountered too many stories over the years of medieval women who were married off against their will, so I have always been impressed by Isabella’s resolve and courage, especially in light of her age. In 1406, Isabella, then seventeen, wed her cousin, Charles, the Duke of Orleans. Sadly, she died in childbirth at the age of nineteen.
Her younger sister was treated more kindly by fortune. Catherine wed the man spurned by the young Isabella, Henry V, and gave him a son, the future Henry VI. The widowed Catherine then took up with a dashing Welshman, Owain Tudor, and her grandson would eventually claim the English throne as Henry VII.

Another Berengaria

I was lucky again, did not lose power during this Nor’easter, which was primarily a snowstorm in my corner of NJ. But they say 100,000 more people are now in the dark. New Jersey’s governor spoke for us all when he asked when we can expect the locusts and the plague.
On November 8th, 1246, Berenguela of Castile died. She was the daughter of Alfonso and Leonora of Castile and therefore Henry and Eleanor’s granddaughter. She was born in either 1179 or 1180 and was betrothed or wed in 1188 to Conrad, Duke of Saxony, the fifth son of the Holy Roman Emperor, Frederick Barbarossa and younger brother of the hated Heinrich. Conrad came all the way to Castile, but the marriage was not consummated since the little bride was only about 8. Frederick Barbarossa’s interest in this union was that Berenguela was then the heir to Castile. He lost interest in the marriage when Berenguela’s parents then had a son. Berenguela’s family got the Pope to annul the marriage contract in 1189. She had a close call here, for Conrad of Honehstaufen was a thug. He had a very bad reputation according to the German chroniclers and he would be murdered in 1196, purportedly by the husband of a woman he’d raped.
Berenguela then was wed to King Alfonso of Leon, her first cousin once removed; she was only about 11 or so at the time, but apparently they did not consummate the marriage until she was older, for she did not have her first child until 1198, when she was 18. She and Alfonso then had five children in rapid succession—1998, 1200, 1201, 1202, and 1203. But in 1204, something outrageous (at least to me) happened. One of my least favorite popes, Innocent III, declared the marriage was void for consanguinity. What makes this outrageous is that Berenguela and Alfonso had secured a dispensation from the previous pope, Celestine. They tried desperately to get Innocent to change his mind, but he refused to give them a dispensation. The most he would agree to do was to declare their children legitimate. So this obviously compatible young couple was forced to separate and Berenguela returned to her parents in Castile. Apparently she took their children with her.
When Berenguela’s parents died within a month of each other in 1214, the crown of Castile passed to her brother Henry. She acted as regent since he was underage during a period of turmoil in which Castile was threatened by civil war. But then young Henry died in a freak accident (hit by a roof tile) in 1217. Berenguela was now Queen of Castile, but she abdicated almost at once in favor of her 16 year old son, Ferdinand. She acted as his closest adviser, and arranged a marriage for him with Elizabeth of Hohenstaufen, the daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor Philip (youngest brother of the horrible Heinrich and the only good Hohenstaufen..) She showed herself to be no less shrewd than her more famous grandmother and was a great asset to her son during his reign, ruling on his behalf when he was away fighting the Saracens during the Reconquista. She also showed her Angevin family’s interest in literature and music, proving herself to be what we’d today call a patron of the arts. Like the Lionheart’s better known Berenguela, she is often called Berengaria, but Berenguela was her actual name. She sounds like a strong, highly capable woman, one whom I am sure would have gotten along splendidly with Eleanor. Well, a few differences—she was esteemed by the chroniclers for her virtue.  And unlike Eleanor, she had no interest in being a queen in her own right. But I think they would have discovered that they had much in common, both of them survivors who proved to be resilient, courageous, and devoted to their sons.

The Day After and Ice and Fire

Today's Facebook Note.

I have no comments on the election since I try very hard to stay away from politics here, though it isn’t always easy.  But my readers’ views span the political spectrum (rumor has it that even a few Tudorites have infiltrated our ranks) and I want everyone to feel at home here. Also, as we all well know, nothing can turn a discussion toxic more quickly than politics! So I will confine myself to saying what I know we all fervently believe---Thank God it is over!
Please send some positive vibes toward the East Coast, which is getting battered by another Nor’easter today. For people who’ve been shivering in the cold and the dark since Sandy, this is the last thing they need.
Lastly, I know this has been posted here before, several times in fact. But no one can listen to this without smiling, even those who are not fans of the Ice and Fire series. It probably can apply to any writer whose readers think he/she takes too long to produce a book. I think it is hilarious and very clever. So, Write Like The Wind, George RR Martin.
http://youtu.be/j7lp3RhzfgI

An "adoption," a bridge catastrophe, a mad queen, and oh, yes, the election

November 6th is a day I could not possibly ignore; it would be like neglecting Mardi Gras or the day the swallows come back to Capistrano. Several eventful happenings on this date, at least eventful to my books.
On November 6th, 1153, the Treaty of Wallingford was signed. This momentous treaty ended the civil war that had torn England asunder for almost two decades. Under the terms, the young challenger, Henry Fitz Empress, recognized Stephan as king and Stephen agreed to name Henry as his heir. We probably have some eels to thank for this, as I doubt Stephen would have agreed if his eldest son Eustace had not died so conveniently back in August; I suspect it was easier for Stephen to rationalize disinheriting his younger son William, since he’d not been raised with the expectation of becoming king one day. I think that Stephen was exhausted, emotionally and physically, still grieving the loss of his queen and son, worn down by the demands of a kingship that he may never have wanted all that much. (I tend to see his wily brother, the Bishop of Winchester, as the moving force in that usurpation.) It is possible, even likely, that this treaty was the cause for the rumor in later centuries that Henry was Stephen’s son, for surely it is the only time a civil war ended with an adoption! Once again, Henry’s fabled luck came through for him, as it would until the last year of his life. Stephen could easily have lived for another ten years. He did not survive the Treaty of Wallingford by even a year, dying on October 25th, 1154, at age 58, and a month later, Henry Fitz Empress became King of England at just 21.
November 6th was also the day of a significant battle in 1282. Edward was holding the island called Mon by the Welsh and Anglesey by the English, and he meant to build a pontoon boat bridge from the island to the mainland so he could launch an attack into the heart of Llywelyn ap Gruffydd’s Gwynedd. On November 6th, John Peckham, the Archbishop of Canterbury, had come to Llywelyn’s palace at Aber under a flag of truce in an attempt to convince the Welsh prince that he ought to submit to the English Crown. It was on this day, though, that the English on the island, led by a brash knight, Luke de Tany, crossed their bridge onto the mainland. They’d ventured several miles inland when the Welsh struck. The English seem to have been taken by surprise, oddly enough, and fled back toward their bridge. Here is what happened next, as described in The Reckoning, page 506.
* * *
“Llywelyn!” Davydd reined in his roan beside his brother, sending up a wild spray of sand….Davydd’s face was streaked with sweat and a smear of blood that did not appear to be his; his eyes were blazing with excitement, greener than any cat’s. “I’ve an idea,” he panted. “Let’s see if we cannot set fire to the bridge!”
That same thought had occurred to Llywelyn, and he’d just put some of his bowmen to the task; several men were searching for wood that would be quick to kindle, as others hastily improvised makeshift fire arrows, knotting them with cloth that could be ignited. Turning in the saddle now to see if they would have time before the English reached the safety of the island, Llywelyn caught his breath, transfixed by what had just occurred out in the straits. “There is no need,” he said, “not now. Look!”
Davydd swung his mount around to see. “Jesus God,” he murmured softly, almost reverently, for the bridge was breaking up.
* * *
The bridge had not been made to withstand the panicked rout, and it was dangerously overloaded. It was also high tide and the currents in the Menai Straits were treacherous. When a large section of the deck collapsed, the sinking boats rapidly took on water, and the straits were soon filled with floundering men and horses. The Welsh then sealed the bridge’s doom by prying up the grappling hooks that had been meant to anchor the bridge, which then snapped sideways, flinging the last of the soldiers into the water. At least one hundred and fifty men died. Fifteen knights drowned that day, including Luke de Tany, and while that may not seem like much to us, it was a shock to their world. Knights did not expect to die in battle in the 13th century; at the worst, they expected to be captured and ransomed, not to drown in icy waters as Welsh arrows seared the air overhead.
November 6th, was the date in 1429 when the young Henry VI was crowned; although he’d actually become king at nine months after the premature death of his father, his coronation was not held until he was eight. This was also the birthday in 1479 of Juana of Castile, sister of Katherine of Aragon, who would tragically be known in history as Juana la Loca, Juana the Mad. Christopher Gortner’s The Last Queen does justice to Juana’s sad story, and I highly recommend it.
Two final thoughts. November 6th is a very important day in the US, and I hope everyone votes, even in the Sandy-ravaged states; people in NJ can even vote today by e-mail! And Happiest of Birthdays to Ellyn, who picked a very good day on which to be born. You share your birthday, Ellyn, with the brilliant American director, Mike Nichols; also with Sally Field.

The Sanctity of Hate

I am sorry I’ve been flying under the radar recently, but I couldn’t help it. History has cooperated by making early November a “slow time” for historical events, births, or deaths, so I don’t feel too guilty about skipping my Today in Medieval History posts.  Tomorrow is a much more interesting day, though, and I promise to make up for all this lost time.
If anyone heard a whoop of delight this afternoon, that was me. I got an early Christmas present today—an advance copy of Priscilla Royal’s new medieval mystery, The Sanctity of Hate. I am a huge fan of Priscilla’s series; her plots are always suspenseful and surprising and she excels at bringing thirteenth century England to vibrant life and in capturing the medieval mind-set. Her characters are always firmly rooted in their time—no Plantagenets in Pasadena in any of Priscilla’s books! This new one looks particularly intriguing as it deals with the ugly underside of medieval life—anti-Semiticism. Unfortunately, The Sanctity of Hate does not hit the book stores until December 4th, but I have no doubt it will be well worth waiting for.
I hope those who were affected by that accursed storm are coping as best they can, which may be all we can hope for right now. As strange as it sounds, Sandy may have done us a favor, forcing us to have a serious, long-overdue public discussion about climate change. And believe it or not, we are bracing for a new Nor’easter along the East Coast. All this battered, water-logged region needs is more heavy rain and high winds.
Meanwhile, back in the 12th century, Richard finally was reunited with his wife. I am sorry to report it did not go all that well. And the Duke of Austria, finding himself the chief scapegoat for the scandalous imprisonment of a crusader king, is making some very ominous threats.

Fake Sandy photos

Here is an interesting article about separating the wheat from the chaff, that is the fake Sandy photos from the real ones. What is spooky is that so many of these shocking photos are real. I was very glad the one with the shark was a fake, though!
http://www.theatlantic.com/technology...
On the historical front, November 2nd is another important day on the medieval Church calendar, All Soul’s Day. And two of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville’s children were born on November 2nd, their ill-fated son Edward in 1470 and their fifth daughter Anne, later the Countess of Surrey, in 1475.

All Saints Day and an utter rogue

I hope you all will understand if I am not on Facebook as much for a while. Between the stressful deadline for Ransom and the heartbreaking aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, I may have to limit my time here, at least for a while. Please send good wishes, prayers, and positive vibes to all those whose lives were turned upside down by this monster storm.
November 1st was a very important medieval holiday, All Saints Day. It was also the date in 1179 that Richard’s nemesis, Philippe Capet, was crowned King of France. Since everyone knows my view of Philippe if they’ve read Devil’s Brood or Lionheart, I don’t really have much to say about him today. November 1st was also the birthday in 1500 of one of the more remarkable men of the Renaissance, the talented goldsmith and sculptor, Benvenuto Cellini. His work was bought by kings, popes, and cardinals, but he was a total rogue. Luckily for us, he wrote a fascinating and shameless autobiography about his thoroughly disreputable life, which included murders and rapes and God only knows what else. There is no better way to time-travel back to sixteenth century Florence than to read his life’s story. You can get it for your Kindles at only $3.99, and paperback copies are also very reasonably priced. Check it out here. http://www.amazon.com/Autobiography-B...