Sharon Kay Penman's Blog, page 134
October 31, 2012
Sandy, a king's son and Eleanor's daughter
It is hard to focus on mundane things like my Today in History posts when we are facing destruction of such magnitude throughout so much of the East Coast. But I will try, for two characters important to my Angevin saga died today. On October 31st, 1147, Robert Fitz Roy, the Earl of Gloucester, brother and mainstay to the Empress Maude, died. He was an honorable man who probably would have been a much better ruler than either Stephen or Maude, but he was, of course, barred from the throne because he was born out of wedlock. I liked writing about Robert and I missed him after he died.
On October 31st, 1214, Henry and Eleanor’s daughter Leonora, Queen of Castile, died, less than a month after her husband’s death. She was said to have been so devastated by his death that she’d been unable to attend his funeral and it is hard not to conclude that she died of a broken heart—for science now says there is indeed such an affliction. She was fifty-three, and only she and John outlived Eleanor. Henry and Eleanor’s Devil’s Brood were not long-lived; none of them lived as long as either of their parents. Their first son, William, was just three when he died. Hal was twenty-eight and Geoffrey just a month shy of his own twenty-eighth birthday. Matilda was thirty-three and Joanna a month shy of her thirty-fourth birthday. Richard was forty-one and John two months shy of his fiftieth birthday. Henry, of course, was fifty-six when he died at Chinon and Eleanor lived to be an amazing eighty, which may not have been a blessing given the grief she endured in her last years. (She outlived her two daughters by Louis, too, Marie dying at fifty-three and Alix probably forty-six, for we can’t be sure of her exact date of death)
On October 31st, 1214, Henry and Eleanor’s daughter Leonora, Queen of Castile, died, less than a month after her husband’s death. She was said to have been so devastated by his death that she’d been unable to attend his funeral and it is hard not to conclude that she died of a broken heart—for science now says there is indeed such an affliction. She was fifty-three, and only she and John outlived Eleanor. Henry and Eleanor’s Devil’s Brood were not long-lived; none of them lived as long as either of their parents. Their first son, William, was just three when he died. Hal was twenty-eight and Geoffrey just a month shy of his own twenty-eighth birthday. Matilda was thirty-three and Joanna a month shy of her thirty-fourth birthday. Richard was forty-one and John two months shy of his fiftieth birthday. Henry, of course, was fifty-six when he died at Chinon and Eleanor lived to be an amazing eighty, which may not have been a blessing given the grief she endured in her last years. (She outlived her two daughters by Louis, too, Marie dying at fifty-three and Alix probably forty-six, for we can’t be sure of her exact date of death)
October 30, 2012
Sandy, the day after
I am one of the lucky ones, for I came through the storm unscathed; miraculously I did not even lose power. But my brother had a monster tree fall on his house and two other relatives who live in Atlantic City had severe flood damage to their houses. I hope every one in the path of this Frankenstorm got through it okay. For so many people, this was a nightmare experience and it isn't over yet, for the winds are still strong enough to knock out power and cause more damage.
October 29, 2012
Hurricane Sandy update
So far, so good in my little corner of NJ. Heavy rain and high winds, but I still have power. The hurricane/nor'easter comes ashore at midnight, so things will get interesting as the day goes on. It is staggering how many people are impacted by this monster--60 million! I hope all in the line of fire stay safe.
October 28, 2012
A maligned count and a monster hurricane
I hope that all in the path of this monster storm will be able to stay safe. For NJ, it will get really bad tonight. I am very concerned, too, about an extended loss of power. When South Jersey lost power after that surprise Derecho that struck us in June, life was miserable for so many, especially families with young children. I bought several battery operated lamps after that ordeal and a car charger for my cell phone. Next on my wish list is a generator, though it is likely too big to fit into a Christmas stocking. As alarming a thought as it is, this is our future worldwide, with storms of savage intensity becoming the norm. Take care, everyone in the line of fire.
I forgot that yesterday was the birthday of one of history’s most maligned figures, Raymond, the Count of Toulouse. Thanks, Rania, for reminding me, though he was born on October 27, 1156, not 1056! Raymond’s reputation was totally trashed by the Church as a means of justifying the Albigensian Crusade which destroyed the way of life in the south of France. I’ve discussed this travesty of justice often this year, so won’t go into it again. But Raymond’s day should not go unnoticed. He was denied a Christian burial in a particularly shameful act of vengeance by the Church, which used his son’s desperate desire to see him buried in consecrated ground as leverage to squeeze more concessions from that unhappy young man. But at least he can be remembered. Raymond, of course, was the second husband of Eleanor and Henry’s daughter Joanna, and so the young Count Raymond was her son. He asked to be buried with her at Fontevrault, but sadly both of their tombs were later lost.
As for today, October 28th, in 1216, John’s nine year old son, Henry, was crowned as King of England.
This is likely to be my last post for a while, but I am sure you all can take up the slack.
I forgot that yesterday was the birthday of one of history’s most maligned figures, Raymond, the Count of Toulouse. Thanks, Rania, for reminding me, though he was born on October 27, 1156, not 1056! Raymond’s reputation was totally trashed by the Church as a means of justifying the Albigensian Crusade which destroyed the way of life in the south of France. I’ve discussed this travesty of justice often this year, so won’t go into it again. But Raymond’s day should not go unnoticed. He was denied a Christian burial in a particularly shameful act of vengeance by the Church, which used his son’s desperate desire to see him buried in consecrated ground as leverage to squeeze more concessions from that unhappy young man. But at least he can be remembered. Raymond, of course, was the second husband of Eleanor and Henry’s daughter Joanna, and so the young Count Raymond was her son. He asked to be buried with her at Fontevrault, but sadly both of their tombs were later lost.
As for today, October 28th, in 1216, John’s nine year old son, Henry, was crowned as King of England.
This is likely to be my last post for a while, but I am sure you all can take up the slack.
October 27, 2012
Katherine of Vaois and Hurricane Sandy
This may be my last Today in History post for a while, as NJ is in the bull’s eye of the Frankenstorm bearing down upon us. Losing power will likely be the least of our troubles up and down the East Coast; the hurricane/nor’easter is so huge that it will affect people hundreds of miles from its eye.
On October 27, 1401, the French princess Katherine of Valois was born. Katherine had an interesting life. She wed the English king Henry V, and then as a young widow, took up with the dashing Welshman (is there any other kind?) Owen Tudor. So I guess we have Katherine to blame for the Tudor dynasty, but we have to cut young lovers some slack, right? I have not read it, but I believe Rosemary Harley Jarman wrote a novel about Katherine. Readers, anyone read it or know the title?
Also on October 27, 1469, the scholar, theologian, and humanist Desiderius Erasmus was born.
And on October 30th, 2012, Hurricane Sandy comes calling. Please wish all of us in its path lots of luck.
On October 27, 1401, the French princess Katherine of Valois was born. Katherine had an interesting life. She wed the English king Henry V, and then as a young widow, took up with the dashing Welshman (is there any other kind?) Owen Tudor. So I guess we have Katherine to blame for the Tudor dynasty, but we have to cut young lovers some slack, right? I have not read it, but I believe Rosemary Harley Jarman wrote a novel about Katherine. Readers, anyone read it or know the title?
Also on October 27, 1469, the scholar, theologian, and humanist Desiderius Erasmus was born.
And on October 30th, 2012, Hurricane Sandy comes calling. Please wish all of us in its path lots of luck.
October 26, 2012
Agincourt again, King Alfred, a medieval serial killer, and Ben Franklin
On October 26, 899, King Alfred the Great died. Alfred is a character in Bernard Cornwell’s wonderful Saxon series. Uthred, the major character, doesn’t like Alfred all that much, but his sardonic observations of the pious king are always entertaining.
On October 26, 1440, Gilles de Rais was executed for an appalling series of crimes against children. He was not your typical mass murderer, assuming there is such a creature. A Breton lord, a Marshal of France, he’d fought with Joan of Arc against the English and won a reputation for reckless courage. Once he retired to his own estates, he began to sexually assault and murder children, with the help of a cousin and servants. His victims are said to have numbered at least 80, possibly more than 200. An investigation by the Bishop of Nantes exposed his crimes and he and his partners in crime were all hanged. He confessed and was allowed to be buried in consecrated ground, which I admit surprised me very much.
This next one is not medieval, but on October 26, 1776, my hero, Benjamin Franklin, sailed for France in a successful attempt to seek French aid for the fledgling American Revolution. I am totally convinced that if not for Ben and George Washington, we’d have lost the war. It also would have been great fun to have an ale with Ben at the local tavern.
Lastly, my friend Koby had a marvelously detailed post yesterday about Agincourt and agreed to let me repost it here:
“Lastly, and most importantly, the Battle of Agincourt took place today. I need not explain much about this famous battle, I am sure, where the English defeated the French despite being outnumbered by odds of between 4-1 to 6-1.
Among the many dead: Charles I d’Albret, Count of Dreux, the Constable of France; Jacques de Châtillon, Lord of Dampierre, the Admiral of France; David de Rambures, the Grand Master of Crossbowmen; Antoine of Burgundy, Duke of Brabant and Limburg, and consort Duke of Luxembourg; John I, Duke of Alençon-Perche; Edward III, Duke of Bar; Philip of Burgundy, Count of Nevers and Rethel; Frederick of Lorraine, Count of Vaudémont; Robert of Bar, Count of Marle and Soissons; John VI, Count of Roucy; Waleran III of Luxembourg, Count of Ligny-Saint-Pol; Edward II, Count of Grandpré; Henry II, Count of Blâmont; Jean de Montaigu, Archbishop of Sens; John of Bar, Lord of Puisaye; Jean I de Croÿ, Lord of Croÿ-d’Araines; Jean de Béthune, Lord of Marueil; Jan I van Brederode.
Among the captured: Jean Le Maingre, the Marshal of France; Charles of Artois Count of Eu, the French Lieutenant of Normandy and Guyenn; John of Bourbon Duke of Bourbon-Auvergne-Forez; Charles of Orleans Duke of Orleans-Blois-Valois; John of Orleans Count of Angoulême-Périgord; and Louis de Bourbon, Count of Vendôme.
Arguably more significant than the dead were the prisoners, since by the laws of chivalry the property of a prisoner could not be seized. This meant that (in theory) great parts of France could not be called upon for military resources.
On the English side, the notable dead were Edward of Norwich, 2nd Duke of York, Michael de la Pole, 3rd Earl of Suffolk and Dafydd Gam, a Welsh hero who saved Henry V’s life during the battle. “
On October 26, 1440, Gilles de Rais was executed for an appalling series of crimes against children. He was not your typical mass murderer, assuming there is such a creature. A Breton lord, a Marshal of France, he’d fought with Joan of Arc against the English and won a reputation for reckless courage. Once he retired to his own estates, he began to sexually assault and murder children, with the help of a cousin and servants. His victims are said to have numbered at least 80, possibly more than 200. An investigation by the Bishop of Nantes exposed his crimes and he and his partners in crime were all hanged. He confessed and was allowed to be buried in consecrated ground, which I admit surprised me very much.
This next one is not medieval, but on October 26, 1776, my hero, Benjamin Franklin, sailed for France in a successful attempt to seek French aid for the fledgling American Revolution. I am totally convinced that if not for Ben and George Washington, we’d have lost the war. It also would have been great fun to have an ale with Ben at the local tavern.
Lastly, my friend Koby had a marvelously detailed post yesterday about Agincourt and agreed to let me repost it here:
“Lastly, and most importantly, the Battle of Agincourt took place today. I need not explain much about this famous battle, I am sure, where the English defeated the French despite being outnumbered by odds of between 4-1 to 6-1.
Among the many dead: Charles I d’Albret, Count of Dreux, the Constable of France; Jacques de Châtillon, Lord of Dampierre, the Admiral of France; David de Rambures, the Grand Master of Crossbowmen; Antoine of Burgundy, Duke of Brabant and Limburg, and consort Duke of Luxembourg; John I, Duke of Alençon-Perche; Edward III, Duke of Bar; Philip of Burgundy, Count of Nevers and Rethel; Frederick of Lorraine, Count of Vaudémont; Robert of Bar, Count of Marle and Soissons; John VI, Count of Roucy; Waleran III of Luxembourg, Count of Ligny-Saint-Pol; Edward II, Count of Grandpré; Henry II, Count of Blâmont; Jean de Montaigu, Archbishop of Sens; John of Bar, Lord of Puisaye; Jean I de Croÿ, Lord of Croÿ-d’Araines; Jean de Béthune, Lord of Marueil; Jan I van Brederode.
Among the captured: Jean Le Maingre, the Marshal of France; Charles of Artois Count of Eu, the French Lieutenant of Normandy and Guyenn; John of Bourbon Duke of Bourbon-Auvergne-Forez; Charles of Orleans Duke of Orleans-Blois-Valois; John of Orleans Count of Angoulême-Périgord; and Louis de Bourbon, Count of Vendôme.
Arguably more significant than the dead were the prisoners, since by the laws of chivalry the property of a prisoner could not be seized. This meant that (in theory) great parts of France could not be called upon for military resources.
On the English side, the notable dead were Edward of Norwich, 2nd Duke of York, Michael de la Pole, 3rd Earl of Suffolk and Dafydd Gam, a Welsh hero who saved Henry V’s life during the battle. “
October 25, 2012
Geoffrey Chaucer or Agincourt?
If I disappear for a while again, it is because my computer curse continues. Last night the new backup, Lionheart, stopped working after just three days, is going back to Best Buy this morning. And an hour ago, Melusine froze up and took half an hour to unfreeze, the second time this has happened in the two weeks since I got her back. You do not want to hear what I think about all this.
Today’s Facebook Note.
Some very interesting events occurred on October 25th. Here we go.
On October 25, 1102, William Clito, Count of Flanders, was born. He was the son of Robert, the Duke of Normandy, and thus nephew to Henry I. Henry was not a loving uncle, though, and after he captured Robert in 1106, he made several attempts to get William Clito into his hands; luckily for William, he did not succeed. But William’s fortunes changed dramatically with the sinking of the White Ship, for many then saw him as the obvious male heir and preferred him to Henry’s daughter Maude. It is hard to say what may have happened had William not been wounded in July 1128 at the siege of Aalst. Gangrene set in and he died at only twenty-five, thus making it easier for Henry to force Maude upon his reluctant barons. His father, Robert, survived him by six years, dying in 1134 after over 28 years as Henry’s prisoner.
On October 25, 1147, the Seljuk Turks decimated the army of the German king Conrad at Dorylaeum, which definitely got the fiasco known as the Second Crusade off to a terrible start.
On October 25, 1154, Henry II’s Angevin luck continued to hold. Stephen died on that date, thus allowing Henry to claim the English crown at the age of 21. It probably would have been very difficult for the impatient Henry to have to wait around if Stephen had lived another decade or so after the peace pact that named him as Stephen’s heir.
On October 25, 1400, the great poet and story teller, Geoffrey Chaucer, died. As a writer, I admit I find this the most interesting happening on October 25th. But there was one more event, admittedly better known.
The battle of Agincourt took place on October 25, 1415, one of the great battles of the MA. Henry V was the victor, of course, and the French suffered a calamitous defeat. I highly recommend Bernard Cornwell’s Agincourt for a dramatic account of this battle.
Today’s Facebook Note.
Some very interesting events occurred on October 25th. Here we go.
On October 25, 1102, William Clito, Count of Flanders, was born. He was the son of Robert, the Duke of Normandy, and thus nephew to Henry I. Henry was not a loving uncle, though, and after he captured Robert in 1106, he made several attempts to get William Clito into his hands; luckily for William, he did not succeed. But William’s fortunes changed dramatically with the sinking of the White Ship, for many then saw him as the obvious male heir and preferred him to Henry’s daughter Maude. It is hard to say what may have happened had William not been wounded in July 1128 at the siege of Aalst. Gangrene set in and he died at only twenty-five, thus making it easier for Henry to force Maude upon his reluctant barons. His father, Robert, survived him by six years, dying in 1134 after over 28 years as Henry’s prisoner.
On October 25, 1147, the Seljuk Turks decimated the army of the German king Conrad at Dorylaeum, which definitely got the fiasco known as the Second Crusade off to a terrible start.
On October 25, 1154, Henry II’s Angevin luck continued to hold. Stephen died on that date, thus allowing Henry to claim the English crown at the age of 21. It probably would have been very difficult for the impatient Henry to have to wait around if Stephen had lived another decade or so after the peace pact that named him as Stephen’s heir.
On October 25, 1400, the great poet and story teller, Geoffrey Chaucer, died. As a writer, I admit I find this the most interesting happening on October 25th. But there was one more event, admittedly better known.
The battle of Agincourt took place on October 25, 1415, one of the great battles of the MA. Henry V was the victor, of course, and the French suffered a calamitous defeat. I highly recommend Bernard Cornwell’s Agincourt for a dramatic account of this battle.
October 24, 2012
Jane Seymour
Jane Seymour died on October 24, 1537 of the complications of childbirth, twelve days after giving birth to Henry’s longed-for son. Jane may have been lucky to go out on a high note, exiting at the top of her game, if you will, given her husband’s increasingly erratic, unpredictable nature. (See Parr, Katherine) But imagine if she had survived. How would that have changed history? I can immediately think of three women who’d have had much happier lives—Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard, and Katherine Parr. Her son would certainly have benefited from having his mother around. Maybe even her grasping, ambitious brothers, who could conceivably have avoided their fatal over-reaching, although I rather doubt it. Of course if Henry had only three wives, subsequent Hollywood screenwriters and historical novelists would have been deprived of some of their best material.
October 23, 2012
Tewkesbury Abbey and Battle of Philippi
On October 23rd, 42 BC, the second battle of Philippi was fought between the forces of Octavian and Mark Antony and Brutus. The latter suffered a decisive defeat and committed suicide, which was considered an honorable death in ancient Rome. I know this isn’t medieval, but who isn’t interested in Roman history? But I definitely would not have wanted to live then, even though the lifestyle for highborn Romans was higher than for medieval nobility. (Much better plumbing!) Yet it was such a brutal society in so many ways—at least it was once the Republic was destroyed and the Empire established. One of the most appalling aspects of life under the Empire was that if a politician fell from favor, his family paid the ultimate price with him. I am sure you all remember what happened to Maximus’s family in Gladiator, right? One of the most chilling scenes I’ve ever seen was in the wonderful BBC series, I, Claudius. When Sejanus (played by a young Patrick Stewart) ran afoul of the emperor and was put to death, his children were doomed, too. One of the soldiers ordered to kill his 8 year old daughter was reluctant to do so, telling his sergeant that it would bring bad luck to Rome to kill a virgin. The sergeant responded, “Then make sure she is not a virgin by the time you kill her.” No, I wouldn’t have wanted to live in Rome. But it is always fun to watch and read about. I highly recommend Colleen McCullough’s Masters of Rome series about the twilight of the Republic. At one time, I seriously thought about writing of the Gracchi brothers, who lived in the second century BC, but that is another story, for another time.
Moving on to the MA, on this date in 1123, Tewkesbury Abbey was consecrated. I love this church; the past feels very close to me there. Standing in the nave and listening to the whispered echoes of its ghosts, it is so easy to envision the Lancastrian soldiers lying bleeding in the shadows, listening fearfully as the abbot tries to stop the Yorkists from entering the church to take their vengeance. I am very pleased that we will be visiting Tewkesbury on our Richard III Tour next September.
Moving on to the MA, on this date in 1123, Tewkesbury Abbey was consecrated. I love this church; the past feels very close to me there. Standing in the nave and listening to the whispered echoes of its ghosts, it is so easy to envision the Lancastrian soldiers lying bleeding in the shadows, listening fearfully as the abbot tries to stop the Yorkists from entering the church to take their vengeance. I am very pleased that we will be visiting Tewkesbury on our Richard III Tour next September.
October 22, 2012
Eleanor's grandfather
October 22, 1071 was the birth of one of the more colorful medieval figures, Guillaume, ninth Duke of Aquitaine and Count of Poitou. He is remembered today more for his bawdy poetry than for his ruling abilities, and is often called the first troubadour. His turbulent life included two wives, a live-in mistress, numerous scandals, a stint in the Holy Land during the First Crusade, and two excommunications. When he was excommunicated the first time, he threatened the Bishop of Poitiers with death if he carried it out. The bishop called his bluff and it was said that Guillaume sheathed his sword, saying he did not love the bishop enough to send him to paradise. His second excommunication was for carrying off the wife of his vassal, the Viscount of Chatelleraullt, the aptly named Dangereuse or Dangerosa. He installed her in his palace at Poitiers, which was the final straw for his long-suffering wife, Philippa, who left him to spend her remaining years at Fontevrault Abbey; since his first wife occasionally lodged at the abbey, they may have had some interesting conversations on those long winter nights. Guillaume refused to put Dangereuse aside even after being excommunicated. He had her image painted on his shield, explaining that he wanted her to bear her in battle as she’d often borne him in bed. He then arranged for his eldest son to wed Dangereus’s daughter Aenor by her first husband. The result of this unconventional marriage was our Eleanor.
In Saints, I have a scene in which Henry and Eleanor are discussing their families on their wedding night and Henry is delighted by Eleanor’s stories about her notorious grandfather, laughing that “I am still mulling over the fact that your grandfather was having an affair with his son’s mother-in-law!” Eleanor tells him that her grandfather liked to joke that he planned to establish his own nunnery and fill it with women of easy virtue and that when he was rebuked for not praying as often as he ought, he composed a poem, “O Lord, let me live long enough to get my hands under her cloak.” Henry then exclaims, “Between the two of us, we’ve got a family tree rooted in Hell! Once Abbot Bernard of our marriage, he’ll have nary a doubt that our children will have horns and cloven hooves.” And indeed Bernard of Clairvaux would later proclaim that the Angevins came from the devil and to the devil they’d go, but Henry and Eleanor’s sons were highly amused that they could claim descent from the Demon Countess of Anjou, which happens to be the name of my computer—Melusine. In Saints, I have Eleanor tell Henry that she adored Guillaume, but we now know that she was actually born in 1124, not 1122, so I think it is unlikely that she’d have had any memories of him. However, she would have heard many stories about him, stories that had soon passed into legend, and from what we know of Eleanor, I think we can safely say that she’d have been fascinated.
In Saints, I have a scene in which Henry and Eleanor are discussing their families on their wedding night and Henry is delighted by Eleanor’s stories about her notorious grandfather, laughing that “I am still mulling over the fact that your grandfather was having an affair with his son’s mother-in-law!” Eleanor tells him that her grandfather liked to joke that he planned to establish his own nunnery and fill it with women of easy virtue and that when he was rebuked for not praying as often as he ought, he composed a poem, “O Lord, let me live long enough to get my hands under her cloak.” Henry then exclaims, “Between the two of us, we’ve got a family tree rooted in Hell! Once Abbot Bernard of our marriage, he’ll have nary a doubt that our children will have horns and cloven hooves.” And indeed Bernard of Clairvaux would later proclaim that the Angevins came from the devil and to the devil they’d go, but Henry and Eleanor’s sons were highly amused that they could claim descent from the Demon Countess of Anjou, which happens to be the name of my computer—Melusine. In Saints, I have Eleanor tell Henry that she adored Guillaume, but we now know that she was actually born in 1124, not 1122, so I think it is unlikely that she’d have had any memories of him. However, she would have heard many stories about him, stories that had soon passed into legend, and from what we know of Eleanor, I think we can safely say that she’d have been fascinated.
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